" yes , elliott ?" mr . pell said from the blackboard , sharon , the girl in the desk next to him ,grimaced , because ellliot wasa pudgy pest who kept his hand raised all through class . he cpu;dn't help it mr. pell kept saying all these things that made no sense . the classs had spent most of the year memorizing the multiplication tables . which elliot alreasy knew , and this month they were learning long division .
"why is the answer zero when multiply by zero ? " ellliott asked .
"because that's how the system works ." mr, pell said . then he sighed and said ." zero times three equals zero plus zero zero . think about it .
elliott was supposed to be quite now , but instead he argued ." but zero is nothing . it can't do anything to another number . three times nothing can't change three ."
no , one is the number that doesn't change anything in multiplication ," mr . pell said .
"then zero and one must be the same number ." ellliott told him . the class giggled , even sharon , as if he had said something funny , but he felt a need to know , or maybe to be right , and it didn't stop him ." ten times one , that's ten times itself , isn't it ? shouldn't that be a hundred ? one should be a-a-"
"an exponent ," mr , pell said ." you 'll learn about them next year . ten times itself is a hundred , true . but ten times one is ten ."
"and ten times nothing is nothing >?"
"good . right ."
"then what is ten division by zero ?"
tall mr .pell looked at the big clock on the wall and finally said ," you can't divide by zero , ellliott . it's a rule .
"why is the answer zero when multiply by zero ? " ellliott asked .
"because that's how the system works ." mr, pell said . then he sighed and said ." zero times three equals zero plus zero zero . think about it .
elliott was supposed to be quite now , but instead he argued ." but zero is nothing . it can't do anything to another number . three times nothing can't change three ."
no , one is the number that doesn't change anything in multiplication ," mr . pell said .
"then zero and one must be the same number ." ellliott told him . the class giggled , even sharon , as if he had said something funny , but he felt a need to know , or maybe to be right , and it didn't stop him ." ten times one , that's ten times itself , isn't it ? shouldn't that be a hundred ? one should be a-a-"
"an exponent ," mr , pell said ." you 'll learn about them next year . ten times itself is a hundred , true . but ten times one is ten ."
"and ten times nothing is nothing >?"
"good . right ."
"then what is ten division by zero ?"
tall mr .pell looked at the big clock on the wall and finally said ," you can't divide by zero , ellliott . it's a rule .
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