Elementary math, beautiful math: Numbers, part 1
Sep 9, 2018 · 2 min read
So, Peter, age 3, is learning to count. 1, 2, 3 …. how cool! And soon enough he learns that there is a system to the number naming (although he’s not quite clear on why “eleven” isn’t “one-teen” and why “twenty” isn’t “twoty”). And he’s pleased. He knows all about numbers!
The numbers he has learned so far are called the natural or counting numbers; or, if you like fancier names, the positive integers.
Then someone asks him “if you have 2 candies and someone gives you 3 more, how many do you have?” (that’s addition). and…
