Lesson plan
Leading zero
A leading zero is any 0 digit that comes before the first nonzero digit in a number string in positional notation. For example, James Bond's famous identifier, 007, has two leading zeros. Any zeros appearing to the left of the first non-zero digit before the decimal point do not affect its value, and can be omitted (or replaced with blanks) with no loss of information. Therefore, the usual decimal notation of integers does not use leading zeros except for the zero in the ones place, which would be denoted as an empty string otherwise. However, for digits after the decimal point, the leading zeros between the decimal point and the first nonzero digit are necessary for conveying the magnitude of a number and cannot be omitted (ex. 0.001), while trailing zeros – zeros occurring after the decimal point and after the last nonzero digit – can be omitted without changing the meaning (ex. 0.00100).
Article summary
A leading zero is any 0 digit that comes before the first nonzero digit in a number string in positional notation. For example, James Bond's famous identifier, 007, has two leading zeros. Any zeros appearing to the left of the first non-zero digit before the decimal point do not affect its value, and can be omitted (or replaced with blanks) with no loss of information. Therefore, the usual decimal notation of integers does not use leading zeros except for the zero in the ones place, which would be denoted as an empty string otherwise. However, for digits after the decimal point, the leading zeros between the decimal point and the first nonzero digit are necessary for conveying the magnitude of a number and cannot be omitted (ex. 0.001), while trailing zeros – zeros occurring after the decimal point and after the last nonzero digit – can be omitted without changing the meaning (ex. 0.00100).
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.