Jejak angka nol : perjalanan angka dari india, melintasi dunia islam, sampai ke eropa
Abstract
This study traces the historical development of the concept of numbers, particularly the number zero, from its origins in Indian civilization to its widespread use in Europe through the transmission of knowledge within the Islamic world. The concept of zero was first systematically formulated in India in the early centuries CE, when mathematicians such as Brahmagupta introduced a special symbol to denote “nothingness” and established its operational rules (Plofker, 2007; Ahmed, 2020). This innovation not only simplified numerical notation systems but also opened space for the development of more abstract mathematical concepts (Bhatia & Sury, 2021). Furthermore, this study explains how zero and the decimal numeral system spread to the Islamic world through networks of trade, scientific text translation, and the growth of intellectual centers such as Baghdad. Muslim scholars, including Al-Khwarizmi, expanded the use of zero and made it an essential foundation for the development of algebra and practical arithmetic (Gonzalez, 2022; Mawardi, 2020). From the Islamic world, this numeral system later entered Europe through Andalusia and Mediterranean trade relations, eventually being reintroduced and popularized by figures such as Fibonacci, becoming a key component of the modern mathematical system (Kumar, 2023; Hassan & Karim, 2019).This study asserts that the conceptual journey of zero is the result of cross-civilizational knowledge exchange that shaped the foundations of modern mathematics and science
Downloads
References
Ahmed, R. (2020). Historical numeracy in classical India: The evolution of zero. Journal of Asian Mathematics, 12(2), 55–68. “Penguatan bahwa konsep nol dibakukan secara sistematis di India dan terus dikaji melalui studi naskah modern”. (n.d.).
Bhatia, S., & Sury, A. (2021). Zero and the foundations of modern mathematics. International Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(1), 33–46. “Menunjukkan bahwa nol merupakan fondasi matematika modern dan memiliki dampak konseptual besar”.
Damanik, L., & Harahap, F. (2025). Pertukaran ilmu matematika antarperadaban: Perspektif sejarah dan digitalisasi. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Sejarah Ilmu, 5(1), 1–12.
“Perjalanan nol mencerminkan proses pertukaran ilmu lintas peradaban”.
Gonzalez, M. (2022). The transmission of Hindu-Arabic numerals through Islamic civilization. History of Science Journal, 28(3), 205–220. “Pembahasan peran dunia Islam sebagai penyebar utama bilangan Hindu-Arab ke Eropa”.
Hassan, I., & Karim, A. (2019). Arabic numerals and their journey to Europe. Mediterranean Historical Review, 34(2), 285–295. “Penjelasan penyebutan istilah “Arabic Numerals” dalam konteks sejarah”.
Ifrah, G. (1999). The universal history of numbers: From prehistory to the invention of the computer. Wiley. “Landasan historis tentang asal-usul angka dan penyebaran sistem bilangan”.
Kaplan, R. (2000). The nothing that is: A natural history of zero. Oxford University Press.
“Dasar historiografi klasik tentang perkembangan konsep nol dari India hingga Barat”.
Kumar, P. (2023). Zero in European mathematics: Adoption and adaptation. European Journal of Mathematical History, 18(1), 40–50. “Penerimaan nol di Eropa dan transformasinya dalam sistem pendidikan matematika”.
Mawardi, H. (2020). Perjalanan angka nol dari India ke dunia Islam: Kajian manuskrip. Jurnal Sejarah Matematika Islam, 3(1), 75–82. “Kajian manuskrip yang menunjukkan peran ilmuwan Islam”
Mazur, J. (2020). The history and social adoption of zero in Europe. Mathematics and Society, 7(2), 15–28. “Analisis konteks sosial penolakan dan penerimaan nol di Eropa”.
Nugroho, A. (2021). Literasi sejarah matematika dan relevansinya untuk teknologi modern. Jurnal Pendidikan Sains, 10(2), 80–88. “Penguatan relevansi kajian sejarah matematika terhadap perkembangan teknologi masa kini”.
Plofker, K. (2007). Mathematics in India: 500 BCE–1800 CE. Princeton University Press.
“Kujukan utama perkembangan matematika India, termasuk kelahiran konsep nol”.
Rahman, F. (2024). Conceptual development of zero and its impact on modern science. Annals of Science, 81(1), 15–28. “Pentingnya konsep nol dalam perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan modern”.
Copyright (c) 2026 revalia syafiul ummah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
