-why is the “0” not on the far left of the 1: 24,000-mile scale bar?

The 0 is on the far left on most scale bars.

I can not find anything about it. this is the only scale that has a zero in the middle.

The positioning of the "0" on a scale bar is determined by the way distances are represented. In the case of the 1:24,000 scale bar, it is designed to represent one unit of measurement (in this case, one mile) for every 24,000 units on the ground. The scale bar is divided into equal segments to indicate specific distances.

The reason the "0" is not placed on the far left of the scale bar is to account for the concept of "minimum value" or "starting point." On a scale bar, the zero point represents the beginning of the measured distance, similar to how a number line starts from zero. By placing the "0" slightly right of the left end, it allows for measurements smaller than one unit to be easily determined.

For example, if you want to measure a distance of half a mile using a 1:24,000 scale bar, you would locate the midpoint between the zero mark and the first increment on the scale bar. This positioning makes it easy to measure distances more accurately and ensures that the scale is versatile enough to represent smaller values as well.