Search results
People also ask
Is 0 a positive or negative number?
Is zero a positive or negative integer?
What is the difference between positive and negative numbers?
Is zero more positive than negative?
What if a number is a negative number?
Is zero a dividing point?
A positive or negative number when divided by zero is a fraction with the zero as denominator. Zero divided by a negative or positive number is either zero or is expressed as a fraction with zero as numerator and the finite quantity as denominator.
- Overview
- Is zero a positive or negative integer?
- Why is 0 an integer?
- Proof that Zero Can’t be Positive or Negative
Learn how zero fits into the number line—including whether its positive, negative, an integer, whole number, or a combo of these
Is zero a positive or negative integer?
Why is 0 an integer?
If you’re taking a math class, you’ll definitely encounter integers, as well as positive and negative numbers. But where does 0 fall within these categories? Is it positive or negative? Is it an integer or not? If these questions have you scratching your head, you’re not alone. 0 is an oddball in math, and categorizing it requires some extra thinking and creativity. This guide will help you understand exactly how 0 fits in with respect to positive and negative integers. Keep reading for a crystal clear explanation, plus a few examples to really bring these ideas home.
Zero is an integer, but it’s neither positive nor negative. It’s the only number that’s not positive or negative.
Zero is neither greater than zero nor less than zero. Therefore, by this definition, it’s neither positive nor negative.
Zero is an integer, but it's neither positive nor negative.
On a traditional number line, zero sits in the middle between the positive and negative numbers. By definition, negative numbers are less than zero and located to the left of zero on a number line, while positive numbers are greater than zero and located to the right. Since zero doesn’t fit these definitions, it’s not considered positive or negative.
0 is an integer because it is a whole number.
A “whole” number is any number that has no fractional parts. In other words, it doesn’t contain fractions or decimals. An integer can be positive, negative, or 0, but it cannot have fractional parts.
For example, the numbers -14, -1, 0, 7, 21, and 37 are all integers because they are whole numbers.
The numbers -2.7, -½, 15.1, and π are not integers because they contain fractional parts (either as fractions or decimals).
If 0 was positive, it would break the rules of multiplying negative numbers.
Let’s use the example -2 x 0 = 0, assuming zero is positive. We know that -2 is a negative number. We also know that if we multiply a negative number by a positive number, the answer will always be negative.
Therefore, if we assume 0 is positive, then -2 x 0 should give us a negative answer. But the answer is 0, which we said was positive. This is a contradiction, which means our original assumption was incorrect.
Since a number can’t be positive and negative at the same time, we must assume that 0 is neither positive nor negative.
If 0 was negative, it’d also break the rules of multiplying negative numbers.
Let’s try -2 x 0 = 0 again, assuming zero is negative this time. We know that -2 is a negative number. We also know that if we multiply a negative number by another negative number, the answer will always be positive.
Jul 14, 2023 · Actually, zero is neither a negative or a positive number. The whole idea of positive and negative is defined in terms of zero. Negative numbers are numbers that are smaller than zero, and positive numbers are numbers that are bigger than zero.
Zero is neither negative nor positive. But it is an even number. The Idea. The idea of zero, though natural to us now, was not natural to early humans ... if there is nothing to count, how can we count it? Example: you can count dogs, but you can't count an empty space: An empty patch of grass is just an empty patch of grass! Zero as a Placeholder.
Jul 7, 2023 · The reason zero is neither positive nor negative is that positive MEANS greater than zero, and negative means less than zero. Zero is not an exception there--it's what the whole idea of positive and negative revolves around (almost literally!).
Mar 5, 2020 · The sum of a positive number and its equal negative number is zero. Zero is neither a positive nor negative number. There are rules for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing positive and negative numbers.
Apr 9, 2023 · Actually, zero is neither a negative or a positive number. The whole idea of positive and negative is defined in terms of zero. Negative numbers are numbers that are smaller than zero, and positive numbers are numbers that are bigger than zero.
