FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about A Quiz about Nothing
Quiz about A Quiz about Nothing

A Quiz about Nothing


And it has nothing to do with Seinfeld. This really is a quiz about zero, nothing, nil, nada, zip, bubkes....

A multiple-choice quiz by austinnene. Estimated time: 6 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Science Trivia
  6. »
  7. Math
  8. »
  9. Specific Math Topics

Author
austinnene
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
277,324
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
1559
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 129 (3/10), Guest 75 (9/10), Guest 122 (6/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. Is zero odd or even? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Is zero positive or negative? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Who "discovered" zero as an entity with mathematical significance? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Why was it so hard to find zero, anyway? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. When the concept of zero was brought to light, how did this immediately change the world? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What are/were the Rules of Brahmagupta? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Why doesn't X/0=0? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which of these advantages did number systems that included zero have over those that didn't? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. It is generally taught in school that any number raised to the zero power is 1. Given that, what is zero raised to the zero power? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What are the chances that you will remember the answers to every question in this quiz longer than an hour? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Mar 15 2024 : Guest 129: 3/10
Mar 03 2024 : Guest 75: 9/10
Feb 21 2024 : Guest 122: 6/10
Feb 17 2024 : Guest 108: 2/10
Feb 09 2024 : sam388: 10/10
Feb 09 2024 : pollucci19: 3/10
Feb 09 2024 : WesleyCrusher: 8/10
Feb 09 2024 : ArlingtonVA: 6/10
Feb 09 2024 : kstyle53: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Is zero odd or even?

Answer: even

One common test to determine if a number is odd or even is to divide it by two. If nothing is left over, it's an even number. Zero meets the definition of an even number using this test. A second test is that an odd number is defined as an even number plus one. Adding one to zero results in a sum of 1, which is an odd number because it can't be evenly divided by 2.

It is also true that numbers generally alternate in sequence--odd, even, odd, even. Zero would fall into an even place in sequence with the numbers on either side of it.

There are people who feel that zero cannot be put into either category, but my research indicated that the prevailing consensus among mathematicians is that zero is even.
2. Is zero positive or negative?

Answer: Neither

Intuitively, it makes sense that zero is neither positive nor negative. One could say zero exists at the border of positivity and negativity but partakes of neither quality (although I don't know why anyone would WANT to say that!)
3. Who "discovered" zero as an entity with mathematical significance?

Answer: It was discovered by several different cultures.

While there isn't perfect agreement on this point, it's generally acknowledged that zero was discovered as a mathematical entity independently three times: by the Babylonians in Mesopotamia around 300 B.C.; by the Mayans in Central America around 350 A.D.; and again in India around 458 A.D.

There is some disagreement about the latter instance's being an independent discovery, as some scholars opine that there was dissemination of the knowledge of zero from the Babylonians to India.
4. Why was it so hard to find zero, anyway?

Answer: All of these.

Of course, people had a concept of "nothing" (as in, "Do you have any vegetables to sell me?" "No, I have none."), but it wasn't incorporated into mathematics (as in 3 x 0 = 0) or used as a place holder until its "discovery".
5. When the concept of zero was brought to light, how did this immediately change the world?

Answer: It didn't.

Actually, for the man on the street, nothing much happened. There was no sweeping international clarification or transformation of mathematic thought. Indeed, the idea of zero pops up in a number of cultures and then disappears again for decades or even centuries.
6. What are/were the Rules of Brahmagupta?

Answer: An early treatise setting forth the rules concerning zero.

The Rules of Brahmagupta, published in 628 A.D., also known as Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe), covered many topics related to astronomy and mathematics. It set forth such concepts as X + 0 = X, X - 0 = X, and X x 0 = 0. It also proposed that X / 0 = 0, which is not generally accepted in mathematics today.
7. Why doesn't X/0=0?

Answer: Dividing by zero leads to many contradictions in our system of mathematics.

This is a big topic outside the purview of these comments to explain fully, but: one argument is that to divide something means to distribute it into a number of shares, like cutting a pie into sixths to make six shares. Dividing by zero is NOT distributing anything (or to put it REALLY confusingly, there is an absence of distribution), so no division is taking place. Another way to look at this is that division yields a ratio of two numbers, say, R=A/B. Basic math tells us that if R=A/B, A=R*B. If B=0, A must also equal 0 for the second statement to be true. If A and B equal zero, in the first equation we can't determine what R is, and in the second, R can be any number at all. For our general everyday mathematics to hold up internally, we need a unique solution--or at least a finite number of solutions-- to that second equation.
8. Which of these advantages did number systems that included zero have over those that didn't?

Answer: It enabled greater ease of expression and calculations with numbers.

Again, it's beyond the scope of this comment to explain this fully, but think of this: the Roman numeral for 327 is CCCXXVII. Which is easier and more efficient to write down? That's ease of expression. Now try multiplying 327 by 102. In Roman terms, that would be CCCXXVII x CII. How are you going to proceed, exactly? That's ease of calculation. Zero's introduction into mathematical use allowed the concept of a place holder for the first time. Roman, and other numeric systems that lacked zero, did not.

In the number 102 (we all know this nowadays from elementary school!), the zero in the middle represents that there are no 10s in the number. There is one 100 and there are 2 ones. But in the Roman representation of 102, we have only C representing one hundred and II, representing two.

There is no representation of the unused 10s place in their system.
9. It is generally taught in school that any number raised to the zero power is 1. Given that, what is zero raised to the zero power?

Answer: Undefined

Mathematics at times employs "conventions", which are mathematical assertions that have not been proven true, but without them, our mathematics wouldn't work. (It's helpful here to remember that the root of the word "convention' is the same as that of the word "convenience").

In the case of zero to the zero power, sometimes it works better to have it equal 1 and sometimes it's better to have it be indeterminate. I must confess that the mathematics behind this is out of my league, but what I did learn is that sometimes mathematicians work within a system that requires zero to the zero power to equal 1 and sometimes they don't. (I swear I am not making this up!) Another way to put this, I guess, would be, whatever floats your boat.
10. What are the chances that you will remember the answers to every question in this quiz longer than an hour?

Answer: All are probably correct.

But, Gloriosky, Zero! Wasn't it an illuminating quiz nonetheless? If you liked it, send me a note about nothing!
Source: Author austinnene

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
1. Math: Exponents Average
2. A quiz on Pi Average
3. Euler's Number and Euler's Constant Tough
4. The (Mis) Adventures of Miss Polly Nomial Tough
5. Vectors Average
6. Square Numbers Average
7. Palindromic Numbers Average
8. The Number Pi Average
9. Zero... A Number? Average
10. Odd or Even? Average
11. Fibonacci Numbers Average
12. Fractions Tough

3/19/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us