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> you don't say "this person won the 0th place trophy" I think it would make sense to say it. The reason I don't is that people around me would misunderstand m
by Bromskloss 9y ago
> you don't say "this person won the 0th place trophy"
I think it would make sense to say it. The reason I don't is that people around me would misunderstand me if I did. (Around some people, it works, though!)
- goatlover 9y agoIf some told me they got the "0th place trophy", I would take that to be a colorful way of saying they didn't win anything, as 0 means nothing, or the absence of trophies, in this case.
- Bromskloss 9y agoThat's just an artefact of being used to a certain way, isn't it? For me, it's about finding fundamental reasons for one convention or another, not about the practicalities.
- goatlover 9y agoThe reason for not starting at zero for enumeration is that zero means a lack of things to count or list. Therefore, we should start with the one, since that's the first number where we would have reason to enumerate.
- dnautics 9y agoWhy not say someone won the -1th place trophy? Where does it start?