142. Zero

The Allusionist

Helen Zaltzman

Arts, Education, Words, Linguistics, History, Entertainment, Helen Zaltzman, Etymology, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2021

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Did any number cause as much trouble as zero? It stranded ships; it scrambles the brains of mathematicians, calendar users and computers; it even got itself banned in Florence. Math(s) communicator and drag queen Kyne explains the Terminator of numbers.

Find out more about this episode at theallusionist.org/zero. And submit requests for words you'd like me to investigate in the next episode at theallusionist.org/requests.

Sign up to be a patron at patreon.com/allusionist and as well as supporting the show, you get behind the scenes glimpses, and discounted tickets for the Allusionist stage show.

The music is by Martin Austwick. Hear Martin’s own songs at palebirdmusic.com or search for Pale Bird on Bandcamp and Spotify, and he’s @martinaustwick on Twitter and Instagram.

The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow and instagram.com/allusionistshow.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionist

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Illusionist in which I Helen Zoltzman clear language for takeoff.
0:09.1	In today's episode we're picking up the number theme from the conversation with Stephen
0:12.5	Chris Amalis a couple of episodes ago and focusing in particular on one number.
0:17.4	Or is it a typographical mark?
0:19.6	Or is it a placeholder?
0:20.9	Or is it a little chaos merchant?
0:22.8	We're talking about zero.
0:25.5	Next episode I'll be dealing with your requests for etymologies.
0:28.4	So go to theillusionist.org slash request by the end of September 2021 to tell me which
0:33.5	words you'd like me to investigate.
0:35.6	If you have emailed, at some point in the last few years with a request, I'm sorry, the
0:40.2	inbox got very, very overcome with spams and to the point I've had to abandon it.
0:45.2	But do go ahead and file the request again at theillusionist.org slash requests.
0:50.6	Also you still have till the 4th October 2021 to stream the new Illusionist stage show
0:56.2	featuring many, many epinims and one hectic Greek god.
1:00.4	Get it via Kingsplace.co.uk and I'll also put the link up theillusionist.org slash events
1:05.9	on with the show.
1:14.4	It comes from India.
1:16.4	Actually zero is a Latinization of an Arabic word seafar which is a translation of the Indian
1:24.5	word shunya.
1:26.9	Shunya means empty, same as seafar in Arabic.
1:31.1	My name is Kain.
	...

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