Iyo wanditse umubare 1,000, ushobora kudatekereza cyane ku mazeru atatu awurimo. Ariko uyakuyeho, ukandika 1 gusa, uba uhinduye agaciro k’umubare ku buryo bukomeye. Izo zeru nta kintu zongeraho nk’indi mibare, ariko ni zo zituma umubare umwe ushobora guhagararira igihumbi aho guhagararira kimwe.

Uyu munsi, zeru ni ikimenyetso gisanzwe mu mibare dukoresha buri munsi. Tuyisanga mu mafaranga, mu bipimo, muri mudasobwa no mu mibare ya siyansi. Ariko ntiyigeze ihita yemerwa nk’uko tuyizi ubu. Abantu b’umuco wa kera bamaze igihe bashaka uburyo bwo kwandika imibare, kugeza ubwo zeru yavuye ku kuba ikimenyetso cy’umwanya urimo ubusa, iba umubare ushobora gukoreshwa mu mibare.

Abantu babaraga bate mbere ya zeru?

Mu bihe bya kera, abantu bakoreshaga uburyo butandukanye bwo kubara no kwandika imibare. Abanyababuloni, babaga mu gace ka Mezopotamiya, bakoresheje uburyo bwo kubara bushingiye ku mubare 60. Ibyo byarabafashaga mu mibare no mu gukurikirana ibintu bitandukanye, ariko kwandika umubare urimo umwanya utarimo ikintu cyari ikibazo gishobora gutuma imibare imwe isobanurwa mu buryo butandukanye.

Hagati y’ikinyejana cya kane n’icya gatatu mbere ya Yesu, Abanyababuloni batangiye gukoresha ibimenyetso byerekana umwanya urimo ubusa hagati y’imibare imwe n’imwe. Icyo cyari igitekerezo cy’ingenzi, ariko nticyari kigeze ku rwego rwo gukoresha zeru nk’umubare wihariye mu bikorwa byose by’imibare.

Ibi byerekana ko igitekerezo cya zeru kitavutse rimwe ngo abantu bose bahite bagikoresha. Cyagiye gikura uko abantu bagendaga bakeneye uburyo bwiza bwo kwandika no gusobanura imibare.

Abamaya na bo bari barabonye akamaro ka zeru

Abamaya bo muri Amerika yo Hagati na bo bateje imbere uburyo bwo kubara bwari bufite ikimenyetso cya zeru. Bakoresheje uburyo bushingiye ku mubare 20, cyane cyane mu mibare ijyanye na kalendari no gukurikirana igihe.

Ibi biratangaje kuko byerekana ko abantu bo mu bice bitandukanye by’isi bashoboraga kugera ku bitekerezo bisa, nubwo batari basangiye uburyo bumwe bw’ubumenyi.

Icyakora, uburyo bw’Abamaya ntibwaje kuba inkomoko y’uburyo bwa zeru bukoreshwa cyane ku isi muri iki gihe. Urugendo rw’imibare y’imyanya na zeru byaje gushingira cyane ku iterambere ryabereye mu Buhinde, hanyuma ubwo bumenyi bukwirakwira mu bindi bice by’isi.

Umuhanga wahaye zeru amategeko y’imibare

Mu kinyejana cya karindwi, umuhanga mu mibare n’inyenyeri wo mu Buhinde witwaga Brahmagupta yagize uruhare rukomeye mu gusobanura zeru nk’umubare.

Mu mwaka wa 628, yanditse igitabo cyitwa Brahmasphutasiddhanta, kirimo amategeko yerekeye imibare, harimo n’uko zeru ikoreshwa mu bikorwa bitandukanye.

Urugero, yasobanuye ko iyo ukuye umubare kuri wo ubwayo, igisubizo kiba zeru:

(7-7=0)

Yanasobanuye ko umubare uwo ari wo wose ukubwe na zeru utanga zeru:

(7x0=0)

Yanasobanuye ko umubare uwo ari wo wose ukubwe na zeru utanga zeru:

(7/7=0)

Ibi bishobora kumvikana nk’ibintu byoroheje ku muntu wiga imibare uyu munsi, ariko icyo gihe byari intambwe ikomeye mu gutuma zeru iba igice gifite amategeko mu mibare.

Brahmagupta ntiyasobanuye neza buri gikorwa cyose kijyanye na zeru uko imibare ya none ibizi. Urugero, kugabanya umubare na zeru byakomeje kuba ikibazo cy’abahanga mu mibare mu bihe byakurikiyeho. Ariko ibyo yakoze byari intambwe ikomeye mu mateka y’iki kimenyetso.

Uko zeru yavuye mu Buhinde ikagera mu bindi bihugu

Ubumenyi bw’imibare bw’Abahinde bwaje gukwirakwira binyuze ku bahanga n’abanditsi bo mu bihugu bivuga Icyarabu, bakora ubushakashatsi kuri ubwo buryo, babusobanura kandi babukoresha mu mibare.

Ijambo “zero” rifitanye isano n’ijambo ry’Icyarabu sifr, risobanura ubusa. Ibi bigaragaza uko ibitekerezo by’imibare byagiye byambuka imipaka, bigahinduka kandi bigatanga amagambo n’uburyo bushya mu zindi ndimi.

Mu 1202, umuhanga w’Umutaliyani witwaga Leonardo Fibonacci yasohoye igitabo Liber Abaci, cyafashije kumenyekanisha mu Burayi uburyo bw’imibare bwari bushingiye ku mibare y’Abahinde n’Abarabu.

Ariko abantu ntibahise bareka uburyo bwabo bwa kera ngo bemere ubwo bushya. Byasabye igihe kugira ngo imibare ikoresha zeru n’imyanya y’imibare ikwirakwira mu bucuruzi, mu mibare ya siyansi no mu bindi bikorwa.

Impamvu zeru yahinduye imibare yose

Kimwe mu bintu by’ingenzi zeru yazanye ni uko ituma imibare yandikwa hakurikijwe agaciro k’umwanya buri mubare urimo.

Reba iyi mibare: 25, 205 na 2,005. Imibare 2 na 5 igaragara muri yo, ariko aho zeru ziri ni ho hafasha kumenya agaciro k’indi mibare. Iyo zeru zivuyeho, imibare isigara ntiyongera gusobanura ikintu kimwe.

Ubu buryo bworohereje abantu kwandika imibare minini, gukora imibare y’ubucuruzi, kubara inyungu n’igihombo, ndetse no guteza imbere imibare ikoreshwa muri siyansi.

Zeru inagira uruhare mu mibare yimbitse, irimo imibare mibi, algebra n’andi mashami y’imibare. Nubwo uyu munsi tutatekereza cyane ku ruhare rwayo, imibare myinshi ikoreshwa muri siyansi n’ikoranabuhanga ishingira ku mategeko atuma zeru n’indi mibare bikorana neza.

Zeru iri no mu mutima wa mudasobwa

Iyo ukoresha mudasobwa, ureba amashusho cyangwa wohereza ubutumwa, amakuru menshi atunganywa hakoreshejwe uburyo bwo kwandika bushingiye ku bimenyetso bibiri: 0 na 1. Ubu buryo bwitwa “binary”.

Mu buryo bworoshye, zeru na rimwe ni byo bifasha mudasobwa kwandika no gutunganya amakuru mu buryo bw’ikoranabuhanga. Amakuru ashobora kuba inyandiko, amafoto, amajwi cyangwa amabwiriza ya porogaramu.

Ibi ntibivuga ko zeru yonyine ari yo yatumye mudasobwa zibaho. Ahubwo ni igice cy’ingenzi cy’uburyo bw’imibare bwafashije ibikoresho bya none kubika no gutunganya amakuru.

Iyo rero wanditse zeru mu mibare, uba ukoresha ikimenyetso cyamaze imyaka myinshi mu rugendo rwo kuva ku buryo abantu babaraga ibintu bifatika, kugeza ku mibare ikoreshwa mu ikoranabuhanga rigezweho.

Igitangaje kiri muri zeru

Ikintu gikomeye ku mateka ya zeru si uko yatangiye ari ikimenyetso gito gusa, ahubwo ni uko byasabye ibisekuru byinshi kugira ngo abantu basobanukirwe icyo ishobora gukora.

Abanyababuloni bayikoresheje mu kugaragaza imyanya irimo ubusa. Abamaya na bo bateje imbere uburyo bwabo bwa zeru. Abahanga bo mu Buhinde bayifashije nk’umubare ufite amategeko y’imibare, abandi bahanga bayigeza mu bindi bice by’isi.

Uyu munsi, abantu bandika zeru mu masegonda make, ariko inyuma yayo hari amateka maremare y’ubushakashatsi n’impinduka mu buryo abantu batekerezaga ku mibare.

Kandi igihe uzongera kwandika 10 aho kwandika 1, uzamenye ko zeru itari umwanya wuzuye ubusa gusa. Ni yo ituma imwe ihinduka icumi.