Also, having three objects in your hand an multiplying them by zero does not mean you still have three objects in your hand. That would be multiplying by one. If it would actually be possible to multiply physical objects by zero, they would effectively cease to exist, and thus your hand would no longer be holding three objects.
umm, no
if i had three marbles in my hand, i have 3 marbles in my hand
if i try to increase them in number- add or multiply, by zero or nothing, those 3 marbles will remain and they will not increase either
to say they are gone due to a mere attempt at an increase by zero or, nothing, would be what, a penalty? enforced by magic? 3x0 = 0
this is in practical application.
to have zero (or none), marbles in my hand, and to try and increase them without actually expending any effort to physically gain them is likewise magical - 0x3
or
if you have $100 in your bank acct and excluding bank fees and the like, say you spend nothing and you are not working and have no entitlements or other income at all coming in, no way of increasing that amount. does your inactivity at increasing that amount-- your "zero", turn your $100 into $0? no -- 100 x 0
same if you have $0 and do not work and expect to increase the amount -- 0 x wishful thinking = 0
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I am in agreement that something went 'wrong' somewhere in history; bad translation or bad application between cultures maybe? Then when that original culture- was it the arabs?- lost power, Europeans, who taught it to them the European way, which, we may have never actually had correct to begin with
either way, we are stuck with it now and I do know, that no math teacher has ever been able to explain it other than "that's the way it is, just do it that way" or some variation on that. that is not education, that is rote, "do as I say" learning
but, do not be alarmed, while I may not know how many other issues this original poster has with math, this is the only one I have ever had