Zero is nothing, yet when you add zeroes to a number like 1, it becomes 10, 100 or 1,000.
The ancient Greeks did not have a name for zero and did not use a placeholder. They seemed unsure about the status of zero as a number, philosophizing about how nothing could be something. Once zero was added, it allowed for more mathematical understanding.
An apple. They fall off trees and can be sweet or bitter depending on the type of apple. Most people buy apples, but you can get a free one if you have an apple tree. In olden days apples were used to throw at a person you loved, and in 2013 the company, Apple, pushed past Exxon Mobile to have the largest market capitalization in the United States.
Often talked of, never seen,
Ever coming, never been,
Daily looked for, never here,
Still approaching, coming near,
Thousands for it’s visit wait,
But alas for their fate,
Tho’ they expect me to appear,
They will never find me here.
Noah and Emma, track stars with superb hearing, ran as fast as they could to catch up to the ice cream truck in the next town over. They averaged 6 miles per hour, then rested to enjoy their ice cream. They averaged 4 miles per hour over the same distance on the way back. Not counting the time they rested, what was their average speed?
4.8 miles per hour. 5 mph is tempting, but incorrect. Pick any distance, say 12 miles there and 12 miles back. They take two hours to cover the first 12 miles and three hours to cover the return trip. In 5 hours they covered 24 miles which is an overall average of 4.8 miles per hour.