What If Nothing Is a Number?
Someone proposes zero as a number and is laughed at by friends who mock the idea.
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Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2021-01-01-what-if-nothing-is-a-number/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
A: "Don't laugh, but I was thinking… what if 'nothing' is actually a number? We could call it 'zero.'" [The others stare] B: "Ah yes. Just like the number 'silence,' and the number 'lack of smell.'" C: "Hey, you've had 'a number' of good ideas today!" [All laugh: HA HA HA]