If you could add a zero?

[FlayOtters]

Shamelessly posting here for traffic - interesting hypothetical question came up at a work event last night:
"If you could add a zero to any number in your life, what would it be?"
I eventually settled on my salary but answers ranged from 'number of languages I can speak' to 'number of years I'll be alive' and 'number of weeks annual leave I get'
So.... where would your 'zero' go?

Interestingly I interpreted this as years left to live so thought Id risk the 0 as it could only be 1 then I would get an extra 9 years with my kids, or worst case it could be 600 in which case I'd have to see them die. Perhaps I could add the 0 to the years my family have left to live instead!

Definitely this one, then I wouldn’t need to work.

Number of hours I can go without sleep. So instead of being awake for 16 hours a day I could, if I wanted, go 160 hours before needing a rest. I'd finally feel as if I had enough time for everything.

This with bells on!

This is why this is such a great question. It’s like a monkey’s paw thing – you can change one number but nothing else, so every decision comes with costs (I now have 270 years to face increasing decrepitude), even the most harmless ones (now I have ten gardens to manage and no extra cash for plants).

The salary answer is such a cop out. Though maybe now your company goes bust!

I think house value too. Sorts out many problems in one go!

This is interesting.
Say you will receive £10k in your life.
Add a zero makes it £100K
So now you will receive £100k in your life.
So adding a zero makes it £1m.
So now you will receive £1m in your life.
So adding a zero ... ad infinitum ...

There will be no money left for the rest of us!

Yes this is why I wouldn't choose the salary one. Too unpredictable.

I’m ok with that 😀

... starts writing a begging letter to my Zero-Shero ...
Flattery always helps, non? (see what I did there)

Number of years I'll live (while remaining healthy). I want to see the world in 700+ years.

I think I’d step down to a less stressful job and then add the zero.

Really difficult question! I’m retired so not salary or days off. Absolutely do not want to outlive my DH and family, so not to my lifespan. I do not need ten times more money, although I’m sure I could find a way to spend it. It would be a lot more hassle to have 10x more homes, but I could give them to members I suppose.

I think I have to choose days with my DGS’s - that would make an enormous impact on our relationship and ensure they have many memories of time together.

It's interesting that nearly every single person is focused on money.

Oh dear @LamentableShoes - if you were one of my students I would say, in my comments, you must learn to read the question carefully and answer the problem as stated, not the one you assume it is. There is a difference between “add zero to number N” and “add A zero to number N”. The Op asked for the latter.

What would you add a zero to?

I haven't heard that differentiation before... so, if I said I had ten pence in my pocket and had added a 2, you'd assume I meant I now had £1.02 and not 12p?

I love examples of how we interpret things differently - I've not come across that one before and now I'm wondering how common it is!

Ironically enough, I've been tangentially involved in assessment for trainee primary teachers (decades ago now) and picked up on this exact language, and was commended for it.
If you are teaching kids maths and you use the word "add" or the terms "add zero" or "add a zero" when you mean something completely different from number addition, you are introducing confusion. Writing a digit in a set place isn't "adding" anything when you're talking about numbers and children are being taught the concept of place value. Addition has a specific meaning that isn't "writing a digit" or "multiply".

Now, I do understand that a MN post isn't a school lesson. I just found it mildly amusing that at one point in my life it's been appreciated that I recommend clarity in communication - and regarding this exact usage! - but in others I get told I shouldn't.

As for a non-money-related answer, a pp upthread had a good idea about acres of green space left in the world.

I've already answered.

The amount of trees in the world
The amount of books I could read in a month.

@YouveGotNoBloodyIdea please could you explain what you mean by add zero versus add a zero, as I don’t understand!

Taking it as adding a zero on the end, theoretically mine would be months left to live.

@YouWillNeverGuessMyUsername I don’t think “every single person is focused on money at all”. Mine is a hard choice, I could add a zero on my life expectancy but realistically adding a zero on my savings would benefit my DC hugely so if was not theoretical I would probably actually choose this for them.

The number of days in the year when neither my husband or I wake up with painful joints.

This is exactly what I was going to post. Thank you for helping me feel less alone!

The life expectancy of dogs.

I thought that this was a weird post.
I mean, who cares about the life expectancy of c l o g s ?
I think that I need to add a zero to my 2/20 vision.

Not very feminist but my husbands salary, then I could give up work. I’m disabled and really struggling to keep working so my salary wouldn’t really help.

Well, Birkenstock Boston are quite expensive...