Definition of Zero

Zero has the symbol "\(0\)". It is the only whole number between \(-1\) and \(1\).

It represents the idea of nothing. One of the two boys in the picture below is happy because he has \(4\) lollies. The other is sad because he has no lollies. We say he has "zero" lollies, and represent this using the digit "\(0\)".

For example, if you have \(4\) lollies and eat all \(4\) lollies, how many lollies do you have left? The answer is \(0\) lollies. We can write this as \(4 - 4 = 0\). Maybe the little boy on the left is sad because he ate all his lollies and has a tummy ache!

We also use the digit "\(0\)" so we can write numerals properly. For example, the numeral \(107\) has \(1\) hundred, \(0\) tens and \(7\) units. If we didn't have a zero to take the place in the tens column, we might write it as \(17\). Then we wouldn't know whether it referred to the numeral "one hundred and seven", or the numeral "seventeen".