Date: Nov 25, 2012 8:23 PM
Author: Jonathan Crabtree
Subject: Best answer to  child asking "Where does the rational number line<br> start?"

What is the best answer to the simple question:

"Where does the rational number line start?"

Yes it goes on forever in both directions and we can all agree on that. Yet does that mean a line that goes forever in two directions does not have any starting point?

For on-topic discussion purposes, I'm talking about a single rational number line and not about the real continuous line or complex number plane.

So where does the rational number line start?

Or do we tell a child it doesn't start anywhere because it doesn't end anywhere?