To solve problems about spans of time that include B.C. and A.D. dates, you would need to use
which numbers?

When dealing with spans of time that include B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini) dates, you mostly use integers. B.C. dates count backward from the traditional year of Christ’s birth, while A.D. dates count forward. For example, 500 B.C. is actually ‘500’ years before year ‘1 A.D.’, making it crucial to remember that there is no year zero in this system!

A common mistake many make is to simply subtract A.D. from B.C. or vice versa, ignoring that they represent different ranges on a timeline. To find the span correctly, you should add the absolute values. So, if you want to calculate the years between 500 B.C. and 200 A.D., you would compute it as years. Time travel calculations made easy!