How Your Brain Processes Zero (It’s Not Exactly ‘Nothing’)
Many mathematical equations can only be solved thanks to a special human invention: the number zero. In many ways, it is a strange concept. It’s a quantity, defined by absence. It also emerged relatively recently in our species’ cultural histories, gives rise to several paradoxes—one cannot divide by zero, for example—and is foundational to mathematics.
Yet “null” is not easy to comprehend. “It requires an extra level of abstract thinking to master zero…. We have to ‘create something out of nothing,’” says Benjy Barnett, a cognitive neuroscientist at University College London.
Zero’s latest surprise may be in just how well the brain learns to handle that abstraction. Now studies show that the concept of zero is processed in similar ways to many numbers and can be situated along a mental number line.
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
