Zero – Much to Do About Nothing?

A Thought-Provoking Look at the Concept of "Zero"

This book is a thought-provoking work that delves into the complexities of defining "zero" across various fields, including mathematics, physics, pharmacology, and food safety. Drawing on extensive experience in teaching, research, and managing a chemical food safety program, the author provides practical examples and case studies that highlight the challenges of defining “zero” in different contexts. This renders the term “zero” incredibly confusing to scientists, practitioners, and regulators.

Key Features

• Multidisciplinary Exploration: The book explores the origin of "zero" in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and statistics and how these concepts migrated to fields such as toxicology, cancer research, food safety, and regulatory science.
• Contextual Clarity: The main focus is to illustrate how important context is to the definition of “zero”. This has assumed greater relevance today with the advent of nanoscience and the use of artificial intelligence to analyze vast troves of data.
• Practical Applications: Specific chapters deal with the application of “zero” to these distinct fields. The goal of the book is to provide much-needed clarity about "zero" and break down the many issues preventing a unified definition.
• Broad Relevance: Whether you're working in Food Safety, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Mathematics, Physics, or beyond, this is a relatable book that will deepen your understanding of the concept of “zero” and its diverse applications.