Could Modern Computing Exist Without Zero?
In short: From pebbles in sand to Shannon's circuit algebra, this film separates zero the mark, zero the number and the physical switch, and notes where historians still disagree.
A 1:24 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Stanford University, CS 54N course handout by Eric Roberts (October 10, 2016), “07-BinaryArithmetic+DigitalLogic.pdf”; MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews, “Zero - MacTutor History of Mathematics”; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University Library (Mathematics Library), exhibit blog post by Kitty Garner, posted by Bernadette Braun, 2020, “Exhibit: All or Nothing: The History of Zero | Mathematics Library | University Library”; Smithsonian National Museum of American History, “The Abacus and the Numeral Frame”; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, “Salamis Counting Table (replica)”; MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews (article by Heinz Klaus Strick, first published by Spektrum der Wissenschaft, translated by John O'Connor), “Brahmagupta”; MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews, “Arabic numerals”; Science Museum (London), Science Museum Blog, “Illuminating India: starring the oldest recorded origins of ‘zero’, the Bakhshali manuscript”; Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford (published on the Oxford Gardens, Libraries and Museums website, 14 September 2017), “Carbon dating finds Bakhshali manuscript contains oldest recorded origins of the symbol 'zero'”; Indonesian Journal of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Universitas Negeri Semarang, UNNES); article by Shaharir bin Mohamad Zain, “133985”; Leibniz Translations (leibniz-translations.com), archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine; translation from the French of a 1703 text by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, from Gerhardt's edition, “Leibniz: Explanation of Binary Arithmetic (1703)”; MIT Libraries (DSpace@MIT), “A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits”; MIT Center for Bits and Atoms (course notes hosting Claude E. Shannon's MIT master's thesis, 'A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits'), “Adopted from pdflib image sample (C)”.
Sources used in this film
- Stanford University, CS 54N course handout by Eric Roberts (October 10, 2016) — 07-BinaryArithmetic+DigitalLogic.pdf · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews — Zero - MacTutor History of Mathematics · View →
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University Library (Mathematics Library), exhibit blog post by Kitty Garner, posted by Bernadette Braun, 2020 — Exhibit: All or Nothing: The History of Zero | Mathematics Library | University Library · View →
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — The Abacus and the Numeral Frame · View →
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History — Salamis Counting Table (replica) · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews (article by Heinz Klaus Strick, first published by Spektrum der Wissenschaft, translated by John O'Connor) — Brahmagupta · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews — Arabic numerals · View →
- Science Museum (London), Science Museum Blog — Illuminating India: starring the oldest recorded origins of ‘zero’, the Bakhshali manuscript · View →
- Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford (published on the Oxford Gardens, Libraries and Museums website, 14 September 2017) — Carbon dating finds Bakhshali manuscript contains oldest recorded origins of the symbol 'zero' · View →
- Indonesian Journal of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Universitas Negeri Semarang, UNNES); article by Shaharir bin Mohamad Zain — 133985 · View →
- Leibniz Translations (leibniz-translations.com), archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine; translation from the French of a 1703 text by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, from Gerhardt's edition — Leibniz: Explanation of Binary Arithmetic (1703) · View →
- MIT Libraries (DSpace@MIT) — A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits · View →
- MIT Center for Bits and Atoms (course notes hosting Claude E. Shannon's MIT master's thesis, 'A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits') — Adopted from pdflib image sample (C) · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Stanford University, CS 54N course handout by Eric Roberts (October 10, 2016): 07-BinaryArithmetic+DigitalLogic.pdf
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews: Zero - MacTutor History of Mathematics
- Also: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University Library (Mathematics Library), exhibit blog post by Kitty Garner, po: Exhibit: All or Nothing: The History of Zero | Mathematics Library | University Library
- Also: Smithsonian National Museum of American History: The Abacus and the Numeral Frame
- Also: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History: Salamis Counting Table (replica)
- Also: Heinz Klaus Strick, translated by John O'Connor, MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews (first publis: Brahmagupta
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics, University of St Andrews: Arabic numerals - MacTutor History of Mathematics
- Also: Science Museum (London), Science Museum Blog; article by Roger Highfield and Matt Kimberley, 14 September 2017: Illuminating India: starring the oldest recorded origins of ‘zero’, the Bakhshali manuscript
- Also: Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford (published on the Oxford Gardens, Libraries and Museums site): Carbon dating finds Bakhshali manuscript contains oldest recorded origins of the symbol 'zero'
- Also: Indonesian Journal of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (Universitas Negeri Semarang, UNNES); article by Shaharir bin Moh: 133985
- Also: Leibniz Translations (leibniz-translations.com), translation of Leibniz's 1703 text from Gerhardt (ed.), Die mathematisc: Leibniz: Explanation of Binary Arithmetic (1703)
- Also: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (DSpace@MIT, MIT Libraries): A symbolic analysis of relay and switching circuits
- Also: MIT Center for Bits and Atoms (course notes hosting Claude E. Shannon's MIT master's thesis, 'A Symbolic Analysis of Rel: Adopted from pdflib image sample (C)
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