Subject: Re: [HM] A question around zero
From: John McKay (MCKAY@vax2.concordia.ca)
Date: Sat Jan 22 2000 - 07:17:37 EST
Many of my students question the parity of zero.
Zero is even - and I would not want my children taught by anyone
teaching otherwise. There is nothing exceptional about zeroes an
integer in this respect.
The question of positivity seems far less clear. There are two
possibilities and these seem to be favoured according to geography.
What are the influencing factors? Perhaps the notion of a "sign-bit"
in computers? Or has there always been ambiguity? One can always
use non-negative, or strictly/weakly positive. I like JHC's
philosophy which is to put the semantics into the notation.
Thus
>
Z denotes {1, 2, ...}.
John McKay
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