Zerowy

Zerowy is a Polish adjective meaning related to zero, having zero value, or serving as a starting baseline. It is formed from the noun zero with the suffix -owy and is used to describe various nouns, for example wartość zerowa, poziom zerowy, indeks zerowy.

Etymology and usage notes: the form zerowy follows regular Polish patterns for creating adjectives from numerals. The underlying concept is the number zero, and zerowy is used across different domains to indicate absence, neutrality, or a starting point in measurements and calculations.

In mathematics and science, zerowy often appears in phrases such as wartość zerowa (the value equal to zero) or równanie zerowego rzędu (a zeroth-order equation). It can denote a baseline or a quantity that has not yet changed. In some contexts, zerowy może also describe a constant term or a function of zeroth order, depending on the field and terminology.

In computing and programming, zerowy indexing is common in languages that start counting at zero. The term indeskowanie zerowe is used to describe this convention, for example when referring to the first element of an array having index 0 in languages like C, Python, and JavaScript.

In everyday language, zerowy is used to describe levels, measurements, or changes that are at zero, such as poziom zerowy (zero level) or przyrost zerowy (zero growth).

See also: zero, zero-based indexing, zerowy rząd (zeroth order).