Zero a dangerous idea
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Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
By Charles Seife
Review by Octavian (Computer Science)
Can you imagine “nothing”? Focusing on this concept, even trying to imagine it, is hair-raising. It is a feeling of emptiness. You might be shocked to discover that the number zero is only recently a recognised part of the world we live in. In Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea you can go through the history of the symbol for “nothing” and its massive implications for mankind past, present and future. This apparently insignificant number has challenged people, from mathematicians to philosophers and theologians.
Containing accessible mathematical concepts, the book is not just a boring history lesson. What really struck me is the close connection between philosophy and sciences. The impossibility of people to comprehend zero (is it the lack of something? is it just nothing, void?), an entity that generates paradoxes (divide something by nothing and you get everything) almost put science evolution on hold. It is shocking!
I don’t want to spoil any part of the book or go into any maths related parts, but one of the simplest examples of side effects of not embracing zero in our life is actually the calendar (an example which actually took me by surprise). Because there i
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Sinopse
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Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Memang, untuk penggunaan luas, sistem bilangan Romawi menjadi ribet dan terlalu panjang. Karena, pada hakikatnya, bilangan Romawi nyaris tidak mengenal nilai tempat. Akibatnya, saat menuliskan angka dengan nilai bilangan besar, sangat sulit untuk menuliskan bilangan tersebut dengan angka Romawi. contohnya, bilangan jika ditulis dalam bilangan Romawi menjadi MDCCCLXXXVIII. Biar lebih dramatis lagi, coba tulis bilangan dalam bilangan Romawi. Berapa baris yang dibutuhkan? :)
Kedua, bilangan Romawi sama sekali tidak bisa digunakan untuk menyatakan bilangan desimal. Mungkin angka 1/2, 1/4, dsb (jumlahnya sedikit) masih bisa ditulis dengan berupa simbol sederhana, tapi bagaima