The number

zero

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How did the ancient use numbers?

The Egyptians even had this symbol for infinity, which is bigger than any number that's ever been written. It is a circle, so you go round forever without finding an end. In the picture of Ra on the right, you can see the falcon

holding this symbol in each talon. The Egyptians would have needed a good number

system to build the pyramids. They would have needed to work out how much stone they needed, and when, otherwise the workmen making the pyramid would

have been sitting round most of the time doing nothing, waiting for new stone. All these workmen needed to be

fed, so you would need to calculate how much food, and store it, and make sure it didn't run out.

INTRODUCTION OF THE

NUMBER ZERO

In the Middle Ages, these calculations required long hours. Everything became easy the day the decimal system was accepted, and people became aware of zero. For the moment, let us agree with the official notion that: we owe the discovery of zero to India (around the 5th century). We will see in time and place that the concept of zero was integrated long before that, in ancient cultures.

HISTORICAL FACTS

From a very early time, the ancient Egyptians had a form of calendar based upon the phases of the moon followed a calendar system of 360 days, with three seasons, each made up of 4 months, with thirty days in each month. The seasons of the Egyptians corresponded with the cycles of the Nile, and were known as Inundation (pronounced akhet which lasted from June 21st to October 21st), Emergence (pronounced proyet which lasted from October 21st to February 21st), and Summer (pronounced shomu which lasted from February 21st to June 21st).

Extra ones up to the student

Introduction to Europe