• NateNate60@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Rulers measure cardinal quantities and not ordinal ones. There is no cardinal numbering scheme that starts at 1, all of them “start” at 0. For ordinal numbering schemes, the symbols are arbitrary anyway and you can start with whatever you want. It’s equally valid to start with 1, 0, -1, A, or “aardvark”. The only benefit to picking 1 as the start is to make it easier to count with your fingers while picking 0 lets you easily convert an ordinal quantity to a cardinal one.

      • gallopingsnail@lemmy.sdf.org
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        2 months ago

        Your job is to move apples from one bin to another. You pick up the first one and set it in the other bin, and say “zero.”?

        • spikespaz@programming.dev
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          2 months ago

          There’s another way to think about it which I actually use. Look in the empty bin and say “zero”, then move an apple and say “one”.

      • Godnroc@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I’ve seen a lot of rulers that actually don’t have a mark at 0 and instead go right to the edge as 0. Typically they are worn down, being made of wood, so the accuracy of the first inch is dubious. To ensure the distance is correct, sliding the ruler down one unit is a good idea. So, my ruler starts at 0 but my measurements start at 1.

  • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    they were never meant to be together, they would confuse the hell out of each other. Imagine they have two kids and she says pick kid[1] from the school, then what?