Question

If NASA scientists use positive and negative numbers to represent the time surrounding a rocket launch, what would zero mean?
one hour before take-off
two minutes before take-off
the moment of take-off
two minutes after take-off

Answer 1

In the context of using positive and negative numbers to represent the time surrounding a rocket launch, zero would represent **the moment of take-off**.

In this system, negative numbers would indicate time before the launch (such as one hour or two minutes before take-off), and positive numbers would indicate time after the launch (like two minutes after take-off). Therefore, zero is the point of reference for the launch itself.