zeroth
<jargon> First.
Since zero is the lowest value of an unsigned binary integer, which is one of
the most fundamental types in programming and hardware design, it is often
natural to count from zero rather than one, especially when the integer is
actually an index, as in hardware addressing or C and Lisp's 0-based indexing of
arrays.
Hackers and computer scientists often like to call the first chapter of a
publication "Chapter 0", especially if it is of an introductory nature (one of
the classic instances was in the First Edition of K&R). In recent years this
trait has also been observed among many pure mathematicians (who have an
independent tradition of numbering from 0).
Zero-based numbering tends to reduce fencepost errors, though it cannot
eliminate them entirely.
Logically, the next item after the zeroth should be the "oneth" but this is
never used.
[Jargon File]
(1997-12-07)
Nearby terms:
zero assignment « zero-content « Zero Insertion
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zeroth » ZEST » ZetaLisp » zetta-
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