"Aside: Another solution for the above is 23 pennies. Or -4 nickels + 43 pennies." This is where the math nerds just can't help themselves, and I'm here for it

"Aside: Another solution for the above is 23 pennies. Or -4 nickels + 43 pennies." This is where the math nerds just can't help themselves, and I'm here for it. However, these things drive me crazy at the same time. You cannot have -4 nickels. In pure math with only x and y, sure those values can be negative. But when using real world examples using physical objects, no, you cannot have a negative nickel. Maybe you owe your mate the value of 4 nickels, but that's outside the scope of this lesson. Your negative nickels are not in another dimension (because again, the math works that way). You want to help people understand math with real world concepts but then go and confuse things with pure math concepts. And these negative nickels are still not even getting into imaginary nickels territory like you have square root of -4 nickels.