if 0 is called a natural number, then the natural numbers are the same as the whole numbers. if 0 is not called a natural number, then the natural numbers are the same as the counting numbers. so if the words "natural numbers" are not used, then there will be less confusion about whether zero is included or not. but unfortunately, some say that zero is not a whole number, while others say that whole numbers can be negative. "positive integers" and "non-negative integers" are another way to include zero or exclude zero, but only if people know those words.