The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero
SKU: 8638417556

The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero

Sale price$14.52 Regular price$16.13
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 9 - Jul 14

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of ZeroA symbol for what is not there, an emptiness that increases any number it's added to, an inexhaustible and indispensable paradox. As we enter the year 2000, zero is once again making its presence felt. Nothing itself, it makes possible a myriad of calculations. Indeed, without zero mathematics as we know it would not exist. And without mathematics our understanding of the universe would be vastly impoverished. But where did this nothing, this hollow

A symbol for what is not there, an emptiness that increases any number it's added to, an inexhaustible and indispensable paradox. As we enter the year 2000, zero is once again making its presence felt. Nothing itself, it makes possible a myriad of calculations. Indeed, without zero mathematics as we know it would not exist. And without mathematics our understanding of the universe would be vastly impoverished. But where did this nothing, this hollow circle, come from? Who created it? And what, exactly, does it mean?
Robert Kaplan's The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero begins as a mystery story, taking us back to Sumerian times, and then to Greece and India, piecing together the way the idea of a symbol for nothing evolved. Kaplan shows us just how handicapped our ancestors were in trying to figure large sums without the aid of the zero. (Try multiplying CLXIV by XXIV). Remarkably, even the Greeks, mathematically brilliant as they were, didn't have a zero--or did they? We follow the trail to the East where, a millennium or two ago, Indian mathematicians took another crucial step. By treating zero for the first time like any other number, instead of a unique symbol, they allowed huge new leaps forward in computation, and also in our understanding of how mathematics itself works.
In the Middle Ages, this mathematical knowledge swept across western Europe via Arab traders. At first it was called "dangerous Saracen magic" and considered the Devil's work, but it wasn't long before merchants and bankers saw how handy this magic was, and used it to develop tools like double-entry bookkeeping. Zero quickly became an essential part of increasingly sophisticated equations, and with the invention of calculus, one could say it was a linchpin of the scientific revolution. And now even deeper layers of this thing that is nothing are coming to light: our computers speak only in zeros and ones, and modern mathematics shows that zero alone can be made to generate everything.
Robert Kaplan serves up all this history with immense zest and humor; his writing is full of anecdotes and asides, and quotations from Shakespeare to Wallace Stevens extend the book's context far beyond the scope of scientific specialists. For Kaplan, the history of zero is a lens for looking not only into the evolution of mathematics but into very nature of human thought. He points out how the history of mathematics is a process of recursive abstraction: how once a symbol is created to represent an idea, that symbol itself gives rise to new operations that in turn lead to new ideas. The beauty of mathematics is that even though we invent it, we seem to be discovering something that already exists.
The joy of that discovery shines from Kaplan's pages, as he ranges from Archimedes to Einstein, making fascinating connections between mathematical insights from every age and culture. A tour de force of science history, The Nothing That Is takes us through the hollow circle that leads to infinity.


Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 12/01/2000
ISBN: 9780195142372
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.58lbs
Size: 7.73h x 4.68w x 0.60d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 8638417556

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 1026 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
N
Verified Purchase
naser smadi
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 5
First shipping
Style: Set of 4
Very good spark plugs fast chipping
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
R
Verified Purchase
Randy
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Quality plug believe it or not
Style: Set of 4
This is actually a really good spark plug and a good price
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Honda spark plugs
Style: Set of 6
I have had them in my car for quite a while and the car runs good
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026
J
Verified Purchase
Juan Lozano
San Leandro, US
★★★★★ 4
Good so far
Style: Set of 4
I just installed them a few days ago. So far they are working fine. I have a 2007 Honda Accord 2.4 and it seems the car is a little smoother when idling . I have driven it for about 100 miles and no issues so far.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2026
T
Verified Purchase
Turtle1
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Really good value
Style: Set of 4
Great quality , don't be afraid of these
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2026

recommand products