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Re:What Even Is a Number? by mzs on Tuesday February 19, 2019 @04:10PM (#19202827)
Historically true, but glad it's there so ℤ is a group. The way to think about 0 for a child is what you add to anything so it stays the same, ie nothing.
Re:What Even Is a Number? by qubex on Tuesday February 19, 2019 @07:30PM (#19204496)
Hate to be pedantic, but ℤ︎ is a set (not a group) and even with 0 adjoined it only forms a group under the operators of addition, subtraction, and multiplication.. If you want a set that also forms a group under division you need to ‘upgrade’ to the set ℚ︎.
Re:What Even Is a Number? by mzs on Tuesday February 19, 2019 @08:00PM (#19204653)
ℤ︎ (…, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, …) and + forms a group. It is also a ring with * and +. ℚ︎ with * and + forms a field.
Re:What Even Is a Number? by hopler on Tuesday February 19, 2019 @08:32PM (#19204810)
Yes, that's what qubex said, in correcting the error in your previous comment.
Re:What Even Is a Number? by mzs on Tuesday February 19, 2019 @09:09PM (#19204984)
ℤ︎ with * is not a group, there is no inverse for 0. When being pedantic it's good to be correct.
Re:What Even Is a Number? by qubex on Wednesday February 20, 2019 @03:46PM (#19211811)
You are perfectly correct, I was wrong. Upon closer reflection it appears impossible to have a nontrivial set (meaning other than {0}) that forms a group both under addition and under multiplication because the identity element of the former does not have an inverse in the latter. However, take this with a grain of salt, because I haven't had time to prove this to my own satisfaction yet (and I am loathe to go googling for answers in my own field of expertise).

My abstract algebra professor would be horrified by my misstatement, and I shall go to bring flowers as a sign of atonement and rememberance to his grave at the earliest available opportunity.