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Why was a circle chosen to represent zero?

The story of zero is fraught with inspiration, competition and controversy. Banned in Florence and hated by the Church, zero had a rocky road to acceptance after its genesis in India. Maths author Alex Bellos tells Dr Hannah Fry and Dr Adam Rutherford why a circle was chosen as the symbol to represent the number zero.

First broadcast on The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, 7 December 2016.

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3 minutes

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