Headline July 04, 2018/ " *ZERO - 0 - ZERO* "

" *ZERO - 0 - ZERO* "

*KINDA LATE - BUT PROUD PAKISTAN* could wriggle and lay claim to the greatest of symbols  humankind and great scientific thinkers could ever, ever invent.

Pakistan could alone lay a claim of over 172 trillion dollars for the use of this symbol, over and over again!  But then so could  great neighbor India.........US$ 172 trillion over and over again.  Imagine what Pakistani's and Indians could do with that kind of cash inflow and wealth?

ALAS, alas that just can't be so! An occasional delusional soaring run never ever fails to delight me. 

CARBON DATING of an ancient Indian document, the Bakhshall manuscript, has recently placed the first written occurrence of the number zero-

In the third or Fourth century A.D., about 500 years earlier than it was previously believed by the entire world.

While the news has no practical bearing on the infrastructure of zeros {and ones} underlying our  high-tech civilization, it does remind us how indebted we are for this invention. But to whom is this debt owed? And how should it be repaid?

Chauvinistic politicians might loudly trumpet India's role {as they have, more controversially, in the case of the pythagorean theorem}, but the history of zero remains unsettled enough to still be the subject of continuing quests.

The Babylonians used as a placeholder, an idea later developed independently by the Mayans. The Chinese at some point in time, indicated it by an empty space in their counting - - - rod system.

Some claim the Greeks flirted with the idea but, finding the concept of the void too frightening in their Aristotelian framework, passed it on the Indians.

The Hindus generally acknowledged as being the first to formulate it as an independent number - the key to using it in mathematical calculations in binary code. What's clear is that this history is dominated by non-European civilizations. Truly an alt-right nightmare.

Obviously, there were no intellectual property rights in force back then. Had there been a patent office, it might have ruled, as courts do now, that mathematical advances uncover pre-existing knowledge rather than create anything new - and are hence unpatentable.

The conundrum of whether mathematics is discovered or invented is as old as Plato. Certainly, zero  displays this duality :

The void is as old as Time, but it was a human innovation to harness it with a very beautiful symbol.

In recognition of this innovation, and ignoring all practicalities, suppose someone, somehow, had figured how to put a price tag on zero.

The royalties generated by would be simply staggering - imagine the tab for just your personal use alone!

This might lead to significant redistribution of wealth, most of it going to the developed world.

One difficulty is splitting the payments, since no one could claim exclusive ''ownership" of zero's creation.

I asked my "History of Mathematics" class to come up with an exact breakdown based on zero's provenance., something that, coincidentally, we had just discussed when the carbon dating news broke.

Not unexpectedly India fared best, with  42 percent of the proceeds, though students directed it be split with neighbouring countries - after all, the manuscript was found what is now Pakistan.

[I can already hear the Indian ministers howl their protests].

Babylon ended up with 18 percent, which if allotted to Iraq, the present day country of its location, might be just compensation for the years of war endured.

Greece came next, with a surprising 15 percent - perhaps my class felt the country was getting  short-changed for all the other mathematical contributions.

The Mayas raked in 14 percent, which means Mexico would be rolling in so much money from its share that might be the one clamoring [and paying] for the wall.

My class's most left-leaning group declared it wouldn't disburse the money at all,'' so as not to encourage capitalism."

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Operational Research on Binaries, Symbols, and Mathematics continues. The World Students Society thanks Mathematics Professor Manil Suri, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

With respectful dedication to the History, Past, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all ''register'' on : wssciw.blogspot.com - The World Students Society for every subject in the world and-

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