Practice30Create account

Meera says the reciprocal of 0 is 0, because flipping gives . Why is she wrong?

Class 8Rational NumbersRational Numbers
  • A is undefined, so 0 has no reciprocal at all
  • BFlipping actually gives , so the reciprocal of 0 really is 0
  • CThe reciprocal of 0 is 1, because
  • D0 is not a rational number, so it cannot have a reciprocal

Step-by-Step Solution

Her flip is done correctly, but is not a number — 0 times anything is 0, never 1. The last option is tempting but false for a different reason: 0 IS rational, since . It simply has no multiplicative inverse.
Answer: A) is undefined, so 0 has no reciprocal at all

Key idea: Identities and inverses

**Additive identity**: 0. For any rational a: a + 0 = a.

**Multiplicative identity**: 1. For any rational a: a × 1 = a.

**Additive inverse** (negation): For a, the additive inverse is −a. Their sum is 0. So a + (−a) = 0.

**Multiplicative inverse** (reciprocal): For non-zero a = p/q, the multiplicative inverse is q/p. Their product is 1. **0 has no multiplicative inverse** (1/0 is undefined).

Master this chapter in 30 minutes a day.

Don't just memorise the answer — build a daily practice habit.

Practice 5 Similar Questions Free →

All Rational Numbers practice questions

More Class 8 Rational Numbers practice

Which of these rational numbers is the greatest?A pump fills 3/8 of a tank in one hour. What part of the tank does it fill in 22/3 hours?The gap between 0 and 1 on a number line is divided into 5 equal parts. Using parts of…The product of two rational numbers is -16/9. If one of them is -4/3, find the other.Which of these does NOT lie between -1/2 and 3/4?