You should consider explanations within the context of which they are being given. The explanation above is sufficient for many cases, and it is a sufficient fo

You should consider explanations within the context of which they are being given. The explanation above is sufficient for many cases, and it is a sufficient foundation for building further understanding. It's not helpful to tell someone their definition is wrong because it doesn't cover all possibilities. You shouldn't ask a 6-year old to define numbers and tell them they're wrong when they describe the integers. This would just bring confusion and anger to the child and makes you look like an arse. You might instead tell them it's a good explanation, but there are some numbers, like one half, that it doesn't include. So maybe we can make the description a bit bigger and include the rationals as well. This makes the child feel good because they were right about something, and also learned something and you feel good because you helped them learn. The same is true of adults.