Is zero a number or the absence of a number?

Question

I have looked at several different articles/explanations but they either have contradictory statements or they use esoteric language that I cant wrap my head around. pls help

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

There are different “sets” of numbers: real numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, imaginary numbers, etc. These are mostly mathematical terms that categorize numbers depending on how they behave in mathematics. In these categories, zero is an integer, a real number and a rational number.

In other words, it behaves mathematically like a “number.”