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The natural numbers, the numbers you wuold normally use for counting objects or sets of items, start at one. They consist of one, two, three, four.... and so on, using only the positive integers and not the negative ones. Also, zero is a whole number, as are those negative integers, but the natural numbers are only a subset of those. Why one would use only the natural numbers to count with may include an aversion to debt. Those companies that have good money managers and do not wish to go into debt to finance their operations are examples of companies that use only natural numbers. Or at least, that is their preference. Positive profits are still necessary to stay within this realm, but if this company is able to do well, profit and avoid the use of debt, they will be in high demand whenever they decide to issue stock. This will not result in debt being issued against them. Once again, an IPO (Initial Public Offering) of common stock on the NYSE or the NASDAQ may become a true red-letter day for such a company, No debt, all cash, and high profitability are the major goals of this company.

Natural numbers. Natural. It is only natural that we human beings wish to number things, or people, as the U.S. Census does every ten years. Counting inventory, counting numbers of units sold, etc. are all examples of the use of natural numbers. Also, there are no fractions involved in the natural numbers. Usually, a company sells multiple units at a time, but always in positive quantities. Naturally, they wish to go beyond their break-even analysis and sell enough that they actually make a profit. Other analyses demand that a certain return figure be reached, and it may be possible that this number involves decimals, as most rates of return will be.

Reality, however, sneaks in when we must admit that, at the very least, the pricing of produicts is another mathematical analysis for which will not be able to rely exclusively on the natural numbers. Dollars and cents will be involved, as well as "dollars and sense." No one prices items in exact dollar amounts only, since any item with "99 cents at the end of the price seems to cost quite a bit less and sell better than objects costing a penny more would. Say them out loud, (while alone). First, repeat after you read the price: "Fourteen dollars; Thirteen dollars and ninety-nine cents!" They don't sound all that close, do they? Normally, you might think that the first one costs one dollar and one cent more, although in reality, it is only one penny nmore. But the first quote has only two words, while the next one has six words. Still, the initial ring, while psychological in nature, makes the product sound like it's at least a dollar less. The psychology of natural numbers is subtle in its work within the mind, since natural numbers are always separated by at least one whole-number increment.

Natural numbers are a set of numbers which was used "naturally," until man discovered the finer uses of integers and other rational numbers. Even irrational nubmers have some use in business and other contexts. Every society has to start somewhere. Most sports remain fixed on natural numbers when keeping score of their games. Also, wins and losses are counted this way, and the team that most wins is the one rewarded with more cgames, called playofs. The phrase at that time them becomes, "one at a time." Until then, keep up the counting.

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