who invented zero in mathematics
The story of zero is actually pretty fascinating. It wasn’t invented overnight by just one person—it developed over time. But the mathematician most often credited for truly defining zero is Brahmagupta from India.
Around the 7th century, he treated zero as a real number and explained how it works in calculations, like adding or subtracting it. Before that, ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians and the Mayans had symbols for zero, but mainly as placeholders—not as a number you could calculate with.
What makes Brahmagupta’s work special is that he gave zero meaning and rules, which made math much more powerful. From India, this idea spread across the world and became essential for everything—from basic arithmetic to modern computers.
In simple terms, zero grew over time, but Brahmagupta made it what it is today.