Resources
The following sites will give you information about zero. Use the class framework/rubric we just developed to evaluate each website:
You may also want to "look inside" these books for some additional information:
The following sites will give you information about zero. Use the class framework/rubric we just developed to evaluate each website:
- http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/history-of-zero/
- http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/about/zero.jsp
- http://theosophical.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/is-zero-a-number/
- http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/63315.html
- http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Zero.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_(number)
You may also want to "look inside" these books for some additional information:
Links
In addition to these sites themselves, you should explore the links both to and from each site.
Links from a site are easy to find because you can see them right there on the site. Take a look at where the links take you. Are these the sources of the information on the site? Are they sponsors of the site? What do the linked sites tell you about the site you were originally looking at?
Links to a site aren't quite as straightforward to find but can be just as important in evaluating sites. Look at the "link" operator on this page for information about how to conduct a Google search that will tell you some (but most likely not all) sites that link to the site you were originally looking at. What do these sites tell you about the original site?
For example, this blog post links to the Yale Global site above. It is written by Jeremy Kun, a PhD student in mathematics at the University of Illinois. It's important to note, though, that this blog is a personal site, not an official site affiliated with the University of Chicago. Does that make it unreliable? Not necessarily, but we need to acknowledge it! It means the site is most likely not edited in any way. In terms of the specific link we were looking at, Jeremy Kun cites the Yale Global article when referring to the history of zero. The majority of his post discusses the larger topic of complex numbers and Python programming, not just zero. However, his use of the Yale Global article as a reference indicates that he trusts the validity of its historical information. Although there's no guarantee that Kun did thorough research, since he has a strong background in mathematics and computer science he most likely would not link to a site with blatantly incorrect mathematical information. Look for links to the other sites above and determine the link sources can tell you about each site.
After you have explored and evaluated all of the sites, decide with your group whether you have an answer to the question "what is zero?"
In addition to these sites themselves, you should explore the links both to and from each site.
Links from a site are easy to find because you can see them right there on the site. Take a look at where the links take you. Are these the sources of the information on the site? Are they sponsors of the site? What do the linked sites tell you about the site you were originally looking at?
Links to a site aren't quite as straightforward to find but can be just as important in evaluating sites. Look at the "link" operator on this page for information about how to conduct a Google search that will tell you some (but most likely not all) sites that link to the site you were originally looking at. What do these sites tell you about the original site?
For example, this blog post links to the Yale Global site above. It is written by Jeremy Kun, a PhD student in mathematics at the University of Illinois. It's important to note, though, that this blog is a personal site, not an official site affiliated with the University of Chicago. Does that make it unreliable? Not necessarily, but we need to acknowledge it! It means the site is most likely not edited in any way. In terms of the specific link we were looking at, Jeremy Kun cites the Yale Global article when referring to the history of zero. The majority of his post discusses the larger topic of complex numbers and Python programming, not just zero. However, his use of the Yale Global article as a reference indicates that he trusts the validity of its historical information. Although there's no guarantee that Kun did thorough research, since he has a strong background in mathematics and computer science he most likely would not link to a site with blatantly incorrect mathematical information. Look for links to the other sites above and determine the link sources can tell you about each site.
After you have explored and evaluated all of the sites, decide with your group whether you have an answer to the question "what is zero?"