Discussion Forum

Is Zero Even or Odd

 
 
Hu Brian的相片
Is Zero Even or Odd
Hu Brian發表於2018年 06月 30日(Sat) 17:15
 

Many people say it's even, many say it's neither. What is it truly. The def of even is n=2k where k is an integer right. So shouldn't this be even

 
Admin ZIML的相片
Re: Is Zero Even or Odd
Admin ZIML發表於2018年 07月 2日(Mon) 17:12
 

You answered your own question.  The number zero is an even number.  There are no arguments or different opinions about this.

People's confusion may come from different questions regarding zero.  For example, is zero positive or negative?  It is neither.

Another example: if we are not talking about the number zero, but the zero function (which is, a function $f(x)$ that maps to $0$ for every input value $x$), and we ask whether the zero function is an even function or an odd function (if you need to know the definition of even function and odd function, search Wikipedia).  The answer to this question is: it is both.  But this is a completely different question from the question about the number zero.