ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Slashed zero

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen the number zero and thought it looked like the letter "O"? Sometimes when people write numbers, they put a slash or a line through the zero to make it look different from the letter "O". This is called a slashed zero.

The reason why it's important to have a slashed zero is because it helps us to tell the difference between a zero and a letter "O". For example, if we have a license plate number that reads "ABC123O", we might mistake the "O" for a zero if we are not careful, and that could cause problems.

So, by putting a slash through the zero, we can make sure that everyone can read the number or letter correctly. It's like wearing glasses to make sure we can see things more clearly.Cool, right?