In mathematics, a division is called a division by zero if the divisor is zero. Such a division can be formally expressed as a/0 where a is the dividend. Whether this expression can be assigned a well-defined value depends upon the mathematical setting. In ordinary (real number) arithmetic, the expression has no meaning.
In computer programming, integer division by zero may cause a program to terminate or, as in the case of floating point numbers, may result in a special not-a-number value (see below).
Historically, one of the earliest recorded references to the mathematical impossibility of assigning a value to a/0 is contained in Bishop Berkeley's criticism of infinitesimal calculus in The Analyst; see Ghosts of departed quantities.
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Waterbury Republican American, CT
"I know they rented hotel rooms and paid for catering here, but the report has zero dollars listed as Connecticut expenditures." He also cited "Young American Heroes," a television production "shot, produced and edited entirely in Connecticut. ...
