IN MATH: 1. n. the cardinal number meaning one less than one. 2. n. the only number which is neither negative nor positive; the number which is the boundary between negative and positive numbers. 3. n. name of the arbitrary point on a number line after which all other points are numbered; the origin. 4. n. the additive identity. 5. n. the smallest digit. 6. n. the abscissa of the point at which a curve intersects the x-axis; the first coordinate of the x-intercept. EX. What are the curve's zeros?

IN ENGLISH: 1. as defined above. 2. unfortunately some people think of zero as meaning "nothing." It is the cardinality of a set with nothing in the set, but "zero" does not mean "nothing."

APPLICATION: See list 10 and 130 and 230 and 320.

1. State the zero of y = -x + 5.

This is a page from the dictionary MATH SPOKEN HERE!, published in 1995 by MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS, inc., ISBN: 0-9623593-5-1.   You are hereby granted permission to make ONE printed copy of this page and its picture(s) for your PERSONAL and not-for-profit use.

© 2005, Agnes Azzolino www.mathnstuff.com/math/spoken/here/1words/z/z1.htm