The Zero Controversy: When Rulers Take Sides

Ever noticed how rulers start at 0.5cm instead of 0? This isn't a manufacturing error—it's because the edge of the ruler itself is the zero point! The first marking is actually 0.5cm from the edge. This drives math purists absolutely bonkers because technically zero IS a natural number (depending on which mathematician you ask)! The debate about whether zero belongs in the natural numbers set has been raging since ancient times. Some textbooks include it, others don't. It's basically the mathematical equivalent of the "is a hot dog a sandwich?" debate, but with more PhDs involved!