That's an interesting question, Bob. Let's think metric. I have a stick that is 3 meters long. (It takes 100 centimeters to make a meter, so we can also say it's 300 centimeters long.) The end in my hand is labeled 0. My arm is not quite half a meter long. Therefore, you should stand at least 4 meters from me while I show you how my stick works.

If I start measuring from my end towards yours, where does the second meter begin? At the start of the 100th centimeter, or at the end of the 100th centimeter? Is the 100th centimeter a member of the first meter, or a member of the second meter? Is the 200th centimeter a member of the second meter or the third meter? Would you say the third meter consists of centimeters 200 through 299 (all the centimeters that have a 2 in the hundreds digit), or 201 through 300?

Did I mention I can extend my reach by leaning forward?