WHAT ARE CARDINAL AND ORDINAL NUMBERS?
Ordinal numbers (often written first, second, etc.) tell us which unit we currently are dealing with, while cardinal numbers (one, two, etc.) tell us how many units have occurred. If this distinction is unclear, think of a measuring ruler. The number 1 does not occur at the edge of ruler, but at a particular distance from the edge (an inch, centimeter or whatever). Thus you have two concepts. The “the 1st inch” describes a length of one dimensional space that occurs BEFORE the number. But the number one is a point that describes what comes before it. There is a difference between placing a mark “IN the first inch” and placing it “AT one inch.” As well, if you were at 1.1 inches and someone asked, “How many inches came before this point?” even though you were in the second inch, you would correctly answer, “one.” Now, substitute “year” for “inch.” If the year 1 AD refers to the cardinal count, the name would mean “one year passed before this year.” It would be very similar to how we def
