The number zero as a concept and as a number was invented by the Indian mathematician Brahmagupta in the 7th century CE. He was the first to formalize zero as a number with its own arithmetic rules in his work. Brahmagupta built on earlier uses of zero as a placeholder by another Indian mathematician, Aryabhata, but Brahmagupta was the first to define how zero behaves in calculations, including addition, subtraction, and interactions with negative numbers.
Zero's origin can be traced back even further as a placeholder symbol used by ancient civilizations like the Sumerians and Babylonians, but it was Brahmagupta who truly established zero as a number in mathematics, which ultimately revolutionized the field and enabled developments in algebra, calculus, and modern computing.
Thus, the invention of zero as a number with mathematical properties is credited to Brahmagupta in India during the 7th century CE.
