Whoever Made the Number Zero...Thanks For Nothing! Quiz

Answer: Brahmagupta

Brahmagupta (598 AD-668 AD) was a Hindu mathematician and astronomer who in the 7th century, developed the concept of the number 0 and how it operates in mathematical computations. Before then, even though people of course understood the concept of having nothing, of having a "zero" amount, a formal mathematical attribution of it wasn't around.

In 628 AD Brahmagupta developed how to use the number mathematically and also invented the symbol for it.

Answer: It is an even number

Because 0 is an integer multiple of the number 2, which is an even number, 0 belongs to the set of even numbers. Zero is also called a neutral number being neither positive nor negative. And because any number that can be expressed as n/x where both n and x are integers, is a rational number, that makes 0 a rational number because it can be expressed as 0/x, where x is any integer.

Answer: Beetle Bailey

Beetle Bailey was a comic strip created by Mort Walker in 1950. Beetle was the main character, a lazy private always trying to get out of working. Zero was a slow-witted fellow private with big buck teeth. He was a farm boy and the humor involving his character revolved around him taking orders literally, not getting the nuance of language, and thus messing up the orders.

Answer: Marvel Universe

Agent Zero was one of the mutant characters of the X-Men in the Marvel Universe. His powers included superior reflexes and agility, and he could also somehow absorb kinetic energy making him stronger the more he would take beatings. He was portrayed by actor Daniel Henney in the film "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

Answer: Kelvin

Absolute zero is the temperature reached when the molecules and atoms of matter have become at their lowest energy points. Absolute zero is really more of a theoretical concept because the Third Law of Thermodynamics states that nothing can actually have a temperature of absolute zero. That is because quantum physics states that zero point energy means that even if all the energy was removed from the particles, the particles still have some energy due to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. To begin with, absolute zero doesn't really assume that the particles have completely stopped moving, but rather that they have simply reached their lowest energy. Absolute zero is known as 0 Kelvin, equal to -273.15 Celsius or Centigrade, or -459.67 Fahrenheit.

Answer: Stephen Wright

Let me first say that you might come across sources attributing this quote to Albert Einstein, but those are erroneous because the term "black hole" didn't come about until 1964, and Einstein died in 1955. Why is dividing by zero such an impossibility in conventional arithmetic? One way to illustrate the contradictory nature of the task is to imagine a pie that has been sliced into twelve wedges. To figure out how many slices would be given in an equal amount to four people we divide 12 by 4 and we have determined that they would each get three slices of pie.

But if the question instead was, how many slices of pie would be given to zero people to make it equal, the question sort of doesn't make sense. Or perhaps a more mathematical approach is to realize that after we divide two numbers we can reverse the process to get back to the beginning, i.e. 12 divided by 4 = 3, and then 4 x 3 = 12.

But to try and do the same with a zero involved doesn't compute: 12 divided by 0 = (n), so theoretically (n) x 0 should equal 12, but we know that when we multiply any number (n) by 0 the answer is 0. No number (n) would yield 12 when multiplied by 0.

Answer: referring to a worthless person as a "zero"

Calling someone a "zero" to indicate he is worthless was first noted in 1813, and earlier than that even is the use of "zero" as an adjective, dating a few years before to 1810. "Zero-sum" as a term from game theory dates back to 1944. "Zero sum" refers to a situation or game in which a player's gain or loss evens out to the same amount as the other players. "Zero hour" dates back to 1915 and it refers to the exact hour or moment at which a strategic military operation has been scheduled to commence. "Zero tolerance" dates back to 1972 in political usage, but the term emerged even earlier, in a 1963 "Popular Mechanics" article referring to the FDA rating a "zero tolerance" for the toxic substance heptachlor.

Answer: "Zero Dark Thirty" (2012)

Each of those films received zero Academy Award nominations, except for "Zero Dark Thirty" which received 5 Oscar nominations, and winning one of them. It won for Best Sound Editing, in a rare tie with the James Bond film "Skyfall." "Zero Dark Thirty's" other Academy ward nominations were for Best Film, Best Actress, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Screenplay. The story detailed the U.S. government's capture of the terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Answer: "Tony Bennett Celebrates 90" (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album)

"Tony Bennett Celebrates 90" won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 60th Grammy Awards in 2017. It wasn't really a Christmas album even though the timing of its release couldn't have been better planned for a Christmas present. Among the many illustrious recording artists that appear on it, sometimes in a duet on the record were Andrea Bocelli ("Ave Maria"), Michael Bublé ("The Good Life"), Billy Joel ("New York State of Mind"), Elton John ("Can You Feel The Love Tonight"), Lady Gaga ("The Lady Is a Tramp"), Stevie Wonder ("Happy Birthday") and several others.

Answer: Any real number to the 0th power = 0

Actually, any real number to the 0th power = 1, not 0. Real numbers are called such to differentiate them from imaginary numbers such as any square root of a negative. So, an imaginary number is basically a number that when squared, ends up as a negative number.

In our calendar system of B.C. years and A.D. (Anno Domini) years, there is no Year 0. It goes straight from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. And no, a zillion is not an actual number. It's just a colloquial expression of some vague, undetermined number that signifies a huge amount.