The Concept of Nothing

When I was kid I know I will have a hard time counting.  Even now if someone suprises me and ask on how to compute simple numbers, I go blank.  Knowing my weakness in math, I had to memorize so I will survive in the coming years of my life.  Mom said:  “You can not avoid math…”

I have no trouble dealing with addition and subtraction.  Difficulty starts when it comes to multiplication or division.  Even I hate memorizing, I was forced to know my multiplication table when it comes to number combination that starts with 1 up to 10.  Everyone says that division is just the reverse of multiplication (vice-versa).

I started to count when I was little.  The correct way (according to them) is to start with 1 up.  Reaching high school, I learned to include zero in counting.  I learned from my algebra the concept of negative numbers and its rulings.  The idea behind a unit circle is to know the magnitude (either positive or negative) when it comes to changing of directions.  Because I knew my weakness, I always do book exercises though my teachers do not require us.  I consider myself blessed whenever I pass my math subjects.

I reached college and took up computer engineering.  My concepts about mathematics widen.  Like old times, I need to know first the rulings and then proceed doing the exercises in different books though sometimes I do not grasp the concepts fully.  I knew then that even though I can not underestand everything,  as long as I can follow instructions and do the exercises,  I will pass.

Ordinarily:

0 divided by  1 is 0.

This is correct because any number multiplied with zero is zero.  Can you say that you can divide nothing with 1?  Of course, can you divide nothing with 1 or any number?  Simple isn’t it?  You can not divide nothing so the answer is nothing also.  Even you reverse the operation with multiplication, any number you multiply with zero will turnout zero.

Let us reverse the order:

1 divided 0 is undefined.

Lots of mathematicians may explain why is it so.  Even I do not understand though their explainations are plenty.

What is the real answer?  I say, maybe it depends on what result do you want to achive.  You can say one, two, 999,999 or nothing (zero)!  What I know there is something to be left out: a remainder.  And that is one!

Let us try a different concept.  See the image below:

Many will react.  Isn’t it math is an exact science?  Therefore, you may say that the image is not a mathematical operation because it is always arbitrary when it comes to an answer.  But if you reverse it, it does not hold true anymore?

One may add:  “If we accept your answer that any number will do, any number multiplied with zero will also achieve any number?!”
If you view things in physical as explained by science,  you will say conventional approach is correct.  But in all laws there is an exception.  As with mathematics, nothing or zero is an exception and basic rules do not apply because it will lead to a more confusions and conflicts.
As we hear from an old sayings: 

“Don't you worry about a thing. You still get something out of nothing…"

"Be warned you don't fall on gluttony and greed.  You may get everything but it will end up nothing..."

The purpose of this article is not to add confusion of what you have learned in mathematics  nor to challenge anyone for a rebuttal.  There are things science cannot explain in simple terms.
If you want a child to start learning correctly, tell that counting starts with nothing and then up.  With this way,  a kid will know, the concept of nothingness or things that can’t be seen, because everything starts with nothing.