Numbers Question

[Starman]

My understanding although doubtful, is that cardinal numbers denote quantity ie 1, 2, 3
whereas ordinal numbers denote position in a sequence. Quite often 'first, second, third' is given as an example, but I feel that primary, secondary, tertiary could also be an example of ordinal.

[CiberTHuG]

Well, this may be semantics, but first denotes that it is the first of an ordered sequence, others will follow, but each of the others will have the same weight. Primary at least has the conitation that the ones that follow have less weight.

Primary also has applications that can not be replaced by first. Primary colors aren't the first colors since there are no colors that came first, but they are the most basic, most important colors.

And ofcourse, you don't want to call the winner of a race the primary person, since he isn't more important, just faster.

Anyway, primary/secondary are ordinal in a manner, but they denote (or conote, if that is a word) a weighted order, not an order of equals.

[CiberTHuG]

Some just answered the centennial question over at ISCA.

Centennial is very specific in denoting the one-hundredth year. So the first in that sequence is annual.