First, some
history as compiled by Wikipedia: "The word zero comes
ultimately from the Arabic sifr meaning empty or vacant, a
literal translation of the Indian Sanskrit sunya meaning void
or empty. Through transliteration this became zephyr or
zephyrus in Latin. The word zephyrus already meant "west
wind" in Latin; the proper noun Zephyrus was the Roman god of
the west wind (after the Greek god Zephyros). With its new
use for the concept of zero, zephyr came to mean a light
breeze — "an almost nothing." The word zephyr survives with
this meaning in English today. The Italian mathematician
Fibonacci (c.1170-1250), who grew up in Arab North Africa and
is credited with introducing the Hindu decimal system to
Europe, used the term zephyrum. This became zefiro in
Italian, which was contracted to zero in the Venetian
dialect, giving the modern English word. As the decimal zero
and its new mathematics spread through a Europe that was
still in the Middle Ages, words derived from sifr and
zephyrus (e.g., "cipher") came to refer to calculation, as
well as to privileged knowledge and secret codes."
Through the
years, the concept of zero has troubled both mathematicians and
philosophers. For example, in mathematics, how is it possible to
have a number which is at the same time NOT a number? Can you
divide by zero? The answer is commonly supposed to be infinity -
but if you reverse the calculation, all numbers must have the same
value. Middle Ages mathematicians realized that this was
nonsensical, and many refused to acknowledge that zero was a valid
concept. Zero also poses problems for philosophers - again from
Wikipedia, "Records show that the ancient Greeks seemed unsure
about the status of zero as a number: they asked themselves "How
can nothing be something?", leading to interesting philosophical
and, by the Medieval period, religious arguments about the nature
and existence of zero and the vacuum."
A classic
example of trying to comprehend zero was a paradox posed by the
philosopher Zeno: "You cannot even move." He said "If everything
when it occupies an equal space is at rest, and if that which is in
locomotion is always occupying such a space at any moment, the
flying arrow is therefore motionless." To put this in plain
language, he imagined an arrow in flight. At every moment in time,
the arrow is located at a specific position. If the moment is just
a single instant (in other words, with zero time), then the arrow
does not have time to move and is at rest during that instant. Now,
during the following instances, it then must also be at rest for
the same reason. The arrow is always at rest and cannot move:
motion is impossible.
Even
religion has problems with zero. Many Christians are steadfast in
believing that God created the universe "ex nihilo" - from nothing.
This concept certainly clashes with the experiential world. But
conversely, "spontaneous generation", where early scientists
attempted to explain the appearance of flies from dead meat in a
sealed container, clashed with the religious thinkers for the
opposite reason - after all, the church reasoned that only God can
create. Nihilism as a religious viewpoint espouses the importance
of nothingness. Many modern religions object to the "big bang, big
crunch" idea that the universe exploded from nothing and may one
day collapse back into nothing. Many religious adherents (and
especially atheists) object to calendars not based on their "zero
year" - such as Jesus' birth, or Muhammed's migration to
Medina.
If this
is the only cache you're doing in Myrtle Point Park, the total hike
is about 1/2 mile round trip. The location is fairly close to at
least one other cache in the park; if you want to log several in
one session, consider heading counter-clockwise around the park,
and aim for this one last. Here's a trail map; select your
approach carefully to avoid wet feet! The park closes PROMPTLY at
the posted time (8pm in the summer) - and your car WILL be locked
in if you're late to exit.
There's a real twist to this cache... but in keeping with the
theme, you'll have zero information about that twist. However, once
you find the container, you'll understand what the twist is - or
maybe what it isn't. To solve the twist, think about the title.
Many items in the cache are zero-themed. See if you can match
the theme for your trades. Small, empty containers are perfect,
especially if they'll be useful to someone.