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zeromore about zero

zero

 

  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Zero  \Ze"ro\,  n.;  pl  {Zeros}or  {Zeroes}.  [F.  z['e]ro,  from  Ar 
  [,c]afrun,  [,c]ifrun,  empty,  a  cipher.  Cf  {Cipher}.] 
  1.  (Arith.)  A  cipher;  nothing;  naught. 
 
  2.  The  point  from  which  the  graduation  of  a  scale,  as  of  a 
  thermometer,  commences. 
 
  Note:  Zero  in  the  Centigrade,  or  Celsius  thermometer,  and  in 
  the  R['e]aumur  thermometer,  is  at  the  point  at  which 
  water  congeals.  The  zero  of  the  Fahrenheit  thermometer 
  is  fixed  at  the  point  at  which  the  mercury  stands  when 
  immersed  in  a  mixture  of  snow  and  common  salt.  In 
  Wedgwood's  pyrometer,  the  zero  corresponds  with 
  1077[deg]  on  the  Fahrenheit  scale.  See  Illust.  of 
  {Thermometer}. 
 
  3.  Fig.:  The  lowest  point;  the  point  of  exhaustion;  as  his 
  patience  had  nearly  reached  zero. 
 
  {Absolute  zero}.  See  under  {Absolute}. 
 
  {Zero  method}  (Physics),  a  method  of  comparing,  or  measuring, 
  forces,  electric  currents,  etc.,  by  so  opposing  them  that 
  the  pointer  of  an  indicating  apparatus,  or  the  needle  of  a 
  galvanometer,  remains  at  or  is  brought  to  zero,  as 
  contrasted  with  methods  in  which  the  deflection  is 
  observed  directly;  --  called  also  {null  method}. 
 
  {Zero  point},  the  point  indicating  zero,  or  the  commencement 
  of  a  scale  or  reckoning. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  zero 
  adj  1:  indicating  the  absence  of  any  or  all  units  under 
  consideration;  "a  zero  score"  [syn:  {0}] 
  2:  indicating  an  initial  point  or  origin 
  3:  having  no  measurable  or  otherwise  determinable  value;  "the 
  goal  is  zero  population  growth"  [syn:  {zero(a)}] 
  n  1:  a  quantity  of  no  importance;  "it  looked  like  nothing  I  had 
  ever  seen  before";  "reduced  to  nil  all  the  work  we  had 
  done";  "we  racked  up  a  pathetic  goose  egg";  "it  was  all 
  for  naught";  "I  didn't  hear  zilch  about  it"  [syn:  {nothing}, 
  {nil},  {nix},  {nada},  {aught},  {cipher},  {cypher},  {goose 
  egg},  {naught},  {zilch},  {zip}] 
  2:  a  mathematical  element  that  when  added  to  another  number 
  yields  the  same  number  [syn:  {0},  {nought},  {cipher},  {cypher}] 
  v  1:  to  adjust  to  zero  value,  of  an  instrument  or  device 
  2:  adjust  (as  by  firing  under  test  conditions)  the  zero  of  (a 
  gun);  "He  zeroed  in  his  rifle  at  200  yards"  [syn:  {zero  in}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  zero  vt  1.  To  set  to  0.  Usually  said  of  small  pieces  of 
  data,  such  as  bits  or  words  (esp.  in  the  construction  `zero  out'). 
  2.  To  erase;  to  discard  all  data  from  Said  of  disks  and  directories, 
  where  `zeroing'  need  not  involve  actually  writing  zeroes  throughout  the 
  area  being  zeroed.  One  may  speak  of  something  being  `logically  zeroed' 
  rather  than  being  `physically  zeroed'.  See  {scribble}. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  ZERO 
 
    An  {object  oriented}  extension  of  {Z}. 
 
  ["Object  Orientation  in  Z",  S.  Stepney  et  al  eds,  Springer 
  1992]. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1995-03-30) 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  zero 
 
  1.    0,  {ASCI}  character  48.  Numeric  zero,  as 
  opposed  to  the  letter  O"  (the  15th  letter  of  the  English 
  alphabet).  In  their  unmodified  forms  they  look  a  lot  alike, 
  and  various  {kluges}  invented  to  make  them  visually  distinct 
  have  compounded  the  confusion. 
 
  If  your  zero  is  centre-dotted  and  letter-O  is  not  or  if 
  letter-O  looks  almost  rectangular  but  zero  looks  more  like  an 
  American  football  stood  on  end  (or  the  reverse),  you're 
  probably  looking  at  a  modern  character  display  (though  the 
  dotted  zero  seems  to  have  originated  as  an  option  on  {IBM 
  3270}  controllers).  If  your  zero  is  slashed  but  letter-O  is 
  not  you're  probably  looking  at  an  old-style  {ASCII}  graphic 
  set  descended  from  the  default  typewheel  on  the  venerable 
  {ASR-33}  {Teletype}  (Scandinavians,  for  whom  slashed-O  is  a 
  letter,  curse  this  arrangement). 
 
  If  letter-O  has  a  slash  across  it  and  the  zero  does  not  your 
  display  is  tuned  for  a  very  old  convention  used  at  {IBM}  and  a 
  few  other  early  mainframe  makers  (Scandinavians  curse  *this* 
  arrangement  even  more  because  it  means  two  of  their  letters 
  collide).  Some  {Burroughs}/{Unisys}  equipment  displays  a  zero 
  with  a  *reversed*  slash.  And  yet  another  convention  common  on 
  early  {line  printers}  left  zero  unornamented  but  added  a  tail 
  or  hook  to  the  letter-O  so  that  it  resembled  an  inverted  Q  or 
  cursive  capital  letter-O. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1995-01-24) 
 
  2.  To  set  to  zero.  Usually  said  of  small  pieces  of  data,  such 
  as  bits  or  words  (especially  in  the  construction  "zero  out"). 
 
  3.  To  erase;  to  discard  all  data  from  Said  of  disks  and 
  directories,  where  zeroing"  need  not  involve  actually  writing 
  zeroes  throughout  the  area  being  zeroed.  One  may  speak  of 
  something  being  "logically  zeroed"  rather  than  being 
  "physically  zeroed". 
 
  See  {scribble}. 
 
  (1999-02-07)




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