> I can understand how natural numbers can be “constructed” (for lack of a better word) as a byproduct of counting So you start off with zero, and the successo

> I can understand how natural numbers can be “constructed” (for lack of a better word) as a byproduct of counting So you start off with zero, and the successor to zero, and the successor to that number, etc, and they're the counting numbers... > what I could never understood on a deeper level are negative numbers, I can’t see how a number i.e. a count can be lower than zero. ...and there are all sorts of numbers that aren't counting numbers, but can be manipulated by the same rules of arithmetic. E.g.: h*2=1 -- fractions n+1=0 -- negative numbers r*r=2 -- irrational numbers i*i+1=0 -- imaginary numbers