When and How was Zero discovered in India.
Posted by Vikas Acharya on April 23, 2022In 628 AD, a scholar and mathematician named Brahmagupta first defined zero and its principles and developed a symbol for it in the form of a dot given below the numbers. He has also written rules related to the use of zero for mathematical operations i.e. addition and subtraction. After this the great mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata used zero in the decimal system.
Zero, symbolizes the concept of nothing or being nothing. Nowadays zero is used both as a statistical symbol and a concept in solving complex equations and in calculations. Along with this, zero is also the basic basis of computer. This article is related to the invention of zero in India, that is, in this article it has been mentioned that how and when zero was invented in India. It would not be wrong to say that the invention of the concept of zero in mathematics was revolutionary. Zero symbolizes the concept of nothing or being nothing. It creates the ability of a lay person to be capable of mathematics. Earlier, mathematicians had to struggle to perform simple arithmetic calculations. Nowadays zero is used both as a statistical symbol and a concept in solving complex equations and in calculations. Along with this, zero is also the basic basis of computer. Zero was completely developed in India during the fifth century or rather zero was discovered in India for the first time in the fifth century itself. In fact, the place of zero in mathematics in the Indian subcontinent is very important. Zero appeared for the first time in the Bakhshali manuscript of the 3rd or 4th century. It is said that in 1881 a farmer excavated the text related to this document in the village of Bakhshali near Peshawar, now in Pakistan. It is quite a complex document because it is not just a fragment of the document, but it consists of many fragments which were written many centuries ago. With the help of radiocarbon dating techniques, which is a method of measuring the content of carbon isotopes in organic materials to determine the age, it turns out that the Bakhshali manuscript contains several texts. The oldest part is from 224-383 AD, the new part is from 680-779 AD and the newest part is from 885-993 AD. In this manuscript 70 leaves of the pine tree and hundreds of zeros are shown in the form of points.