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0.9999..... = 1
(166 posts, started )
Quote from Jertje :It's not possible to write an infinite string of numbers, so to me the idea of 0.99999 = 1 remains a completely dry and intangible.

True. Infinity is impossible for humans to understand because in reality infinity does not exist. There is no factual thing you can bind the mathematical term of infinity.
Quote :Would it mean that 1+0.999999 (infinite) = 2? or 1.99999999 (infinite) or both? If it's both, then why do we even use 0.999? Is it just to make up for the inconvenient 'paradox' of 1 / 3 = 0.33333 * 3 = 0.999?

It works with any number not just with 1. So any number can be represented by having a finite decimal and with an infite recurrance. For example 2.999... = 3 and 42.2332999... = 42.2333.
Quote :Doesn't that just mean our whole foundation for mathematics is flawed in some way? I'm sure its my tendency to think visually instead of mathematically that is causing me some conflicting thoughts when thinking about this, but it all seems odd and wrong to me :P

Mathematics isn't flawed, it all adds up Everything in mathematics is proven with other mathematical equations.
Quote :True. Infinity is impossible for humans to understand because in reality infinity does not exist.

False. Infinity is no harder to grasp as a concept than 0 .
Quote :There is no factual thing you can bind the mathematical term of infinity.

What, like that figure of 8 thing on it's side?
Quote from Becky Rose :False. Infinity is no harder to grasp as a concept than 0 .

Maybe it's just me then. For me it's easy to grasp concept of nothing or no offset.
Quote :What, like that figure of 8 thing on it's side?

I meant the concept. I for one can't imagine a infinite amount of anything. I can imagine none, one, half, two thirds, two, hundread million, ... I can even imagine a negative as a offset in a coordinate system. But not infinite.
Ah that's because you are trying to imagine infinity as a physical thing, when in reality it's only a theory. Maths is theory.

Still, I quite like notion I raised above of giving numbers a mass of 0.0(0)1 to cancel out the infinity, it seems to work quite well.
Quote from wsinda :Lerts, suppose you want to post a reply in this thread. There is some distance between your mouse pointer and the "Reply" button.

You move the mouse halfway. Distance left: 0.5 part of original distance
You move the mouse halfway again. Distance left: 0.25 part.
Again. Distance left: 0.125 part.
And so on.

Do you ever reach the "Reply" button? No.
I have now proved that you did not reply to this thread.

This doesn't work, as the time halves with distance. It's not that he never reached the button, it's just that you never got far enough with your measurements to see him do it.

It's like watching a car approach a finish line, giving up before it reaches it and claiming that it never got any further than that point.
Quote from Becky Rose :Ah that's because you are trying to imagine infinity as a physical thing, when in reality it's only a theory. Maths is theory.

That was exactly the point which I was trying to make.
Reading the title I thought it's another lerts topic.
Quote from Becky Rose :errr

infinity/0 = infinity^infinity

no?

Anything divided by 0 is infinty, even infinity.

So infinity/0 = infinity
Lerts did raise this topic some time ago, infact it had recently been discussed again in the Lerts psychiatric thread.
Quote from J@tko :Anything divided by 0 is infinty, even infinity.
So infinity/0 = infinity

The offical result with divison with zero is undefined. The result closes to infinity the closer you get to zero, but division by exactly zero is not defined.
Actually a simple proof on the undefideness is that if you would expect that for example 3/0 = infinity, then infinity*0 = 3 which is not a true statement. Therefore the first statement is wrong.
Quote from J@tko :Anything divided by 0 is infinty, even infinity.

So infinity/0 = infinity

A multiple of infinity, specifically.

So infinity/0 = infinity * infinity = infinity

I did indeed write it wrong, although mathematically the same value was derrived and what I wrote was correct - specifically, infinity/0 = 1 was highlighted as false.
Quote from Becky Rose :Ah that's because you are trying to imagine infinity as a physical thing, when in reality it's only a theory. Maths is theory.

This is why I'll never understand hardcore mathematics. As soon as the step is made from tangible numbers and figures to infinites and other intangible theories I'll lock up and start pondering on their existence instead of applying them. I guess the problem lies in the fact that I don't see maths as theory, but as something practical and tangible. Two systems of tangible and intangible numbers (which is one system if maths is just theory) collide and cause some sort of confusion for me. One plus one can be visually explained, whereas 1 + 0.9(9) cannot, or at least not afaik.
Quote from geeman1 :The offical result with divison with zero is undefined. The result closes to infinity the closer you get to zero, but division by exactly zero is not defined.
Actually a simple proof on the undefideness is that if you would expect that for example 3/0 = infinity, then infinity*0 = 3 which is not a true statement. Therefore the first statement is wrong.

Interesting point of view. But 0 in a multiplication is always 0, so doesn't this then become a question like where the brackets are in a big algebra statement - ie: what numbers is more significant, 0 or infinity? I guess by that logic, 0.
Quote from Becky Rose :

So infinity/0 = infinity * infinity = infinity


I was going to write that, but decided not to hehe

Yes, correct - I just missed out the middle bit

Quote from geeman1 :The offical result with divison with zero is undefined. The result closes to infinity the closer you get to zero, but division by exactly zero is not defined.
Actually a simple proof on the undefideness is that if you would expect that for example 3/0 = infinity, then infinity*0 = 3 which is not a true statement. Therefore the first statement is wrong.

Also correct, but thats as close as we can get to giving it a 'numerical' (ish) value.
Quote from Becky Rose :Interesting point of view. But 0 in a multiplication is always 0, so doesn't this then become a question like where the brackets are in a big algebra statement - ie: what numbers is more significant, 0 or infinity? I guess by that logic, 0.

Doesn't really matter because if infinity would be more significant the result would be inifinity and if 0 was the more significant the result would be 0. Neither of those are 3.
Quote from geeman1 :Doesn't really matter because if infinity would be more significant the result would be inifinity and if 0 was the more significant the result would be 0. Neither of those are 3.

OK, let's look at this:
3/0 = 3*infinity = infinity
infinity*0=0

Which highlights you are right, but what if we state that because we substituted /0 for *infinity, we also substitute *0 for /infinity

So keeping are triple multiple of infinity, we divide by infinity:
(3*infinity)/infinity=3

Of course we could argue that 3*infinity=infinity and infinity/infinity=1 but isn't that simply missunderstanding the concept of infinity?

I think reasonably it depends on whether you want a division by 0 to break your sum or whether you wish to carry on processing it with infinities. If you can't handle the division by 0 then you are constrained and prevented from ever having to (as a programmer I can argue lots of cases where it would be good if computers could handle infinity as division by 0 sucks).

Rather than avoid the problem and say division by 0 is undefined, isn't it better to tackle it head on and simply consider infinity as an endless array? So that instead of hiding from an unsolveable puzzle, we simply handle the puzzle with a new concept - that of infinity.
Quote from Becky Rose :So keeping are triple multiple of infinity, we divide by infinity: (3*infinity)/infinity=3
Of course we could argue that 3*infinity=infinity and infinity/infinity=1 but isn't that simply missunderstanding the concept of infinity?

Not in my opinion. Multiplying infinity with any number does not really matter because it will still be infinite. Also infinity/infinity probably equals infinity instead of 1, because infinity is not a set number. Infinity is really such a powerfull statement in any equation, there is not really any way of removing it after it has got there.
Quote :I think reasonably it depends on whether you want a division by 0 to break your sum or whether you wish to carry on processing it with infinities. If you can't handle the division by 0 then you are constrained and prevented from ever having to (as a programmer I can argue lots of cases where it would be good if computers could handle infinity as division by 0 sucks).
Rather than avoid the problem and say division by 0 is undefined, isn't it better to tackle it head on and simply consider infinity as an endless array? So that instead of hiding from an unsolveable puzzle, we simply handle the puzzle with a new concept - that of infinity.

If computers could handle infinity programming would be easier for sure. But the thing is that there is not really much you can do with it. If it comes up as the result there is no way of representing it (except with a infinity sign) and if it was part of the equation the result would most likely be infinity.
If you handle infinity as a constant you can still work with it as a multiple, I often consider infinity to be 1 - but beyond our number base. Admittedly this is only ever when i'm thinking about theory, as in practice division by 0 results in a compiler exception.
Quote from Becky Rose :Still, I quite like notion I raised above of giving numbers a mass of 0.0(0)1 to cancel out the infinity, it seems to work quite well.

reminds me of my arguments that points must have a size for the set of points interpretation of lines planes and volmues to make sense

Quote from Becky Rose :OK, let's look at this:
3/0 = 3*infinity = infinity
infinity*0=0

if we somehow try to shoehorn 0 and infinity into the multiplicative group where they clearly dont belong into the only sensible definition would be for 0 to be the inverse of infinity which leads to
0*infinity = 1
although that leaves us with the problem that since cantor realised that there are infinite infities we also have to accept that there would be more than one 0... which one of theseis the neutral in the additive group id rather not think about
Quote from Shotglass :reminds me of my arguments that points must have a size for the set of points interpretation of lines planes and volmues to make sense



if we somehow try to shoehorn 0 and infinity into the multiplicative group where they clearly dont belong into the only sensible definition would be for 0 to be the inverse of infinity which leads to
0*infinity = 1
although that leaves us with the problem that since cantor realised that there are infinite infities we also have to accept that there would be more than one 0... which one of theseis the neutral in the additive group id rather not think about

0*infinity SHOULD be 1

look at this:

Ok, guys, what about this:
you take X=2Y for example.
if you add P/P (=1)
you get
X=P*2Y*1/P
so if P=0, you get 0*2Y*1/0, which would result in an error (1/0 should exist though, but electronics don't want 1/0 to exist (conspiracy? :P), and something times 0 is always 0(although it shouldn't))

but since we just multiplied it in the form of P/P (=1), the outcome SHOULD be the same.
if P=0, then 1/P=infinity
since P/P=1, then 0*infinity should be 1
so I think 0*infinity=1
if that is true, then 0 isn't nothing, but it is a infinite small number (1/infinity)

Quote from Crashgate3 :This doesn't work, as the time halves with distance. It's not that he never reached the button, it's just that you never got far enough with your measurements to see him do it.



It's like watching a car approach a finish line, giving up before it reaches it and claiming that it never got any further than that point.

Nah it ain't.

You just half the distance which doesn't influence the time:
if we pull up this formula: d=0.5^n, then d=/=0
UNLESS we assume that 0 is an infinite small number, then you will be there in an infinite time.
so you end up to be infinitely small mm/nm/pm away from the finish, but you will never get there.



If I got it totally wrong, tell me.

/tryingtobedoingsmart
Quote :although that leaves us with the problem that since cantor realised that there are infinite infities we also have to accept that there would be more than one 0... which one of theseis the neutral in the additive group id rather not think about

That's an interesting concept, multiple 0's. Although i've several questions and theoretical viewpoints that need challenging.

Firstly, unlike infinities all 0's hold the same value so surely they are all equal to 0, so even if there where multiple 0's all 0's could be expressed as being equal to zero, and therefor be a singular.

Secondly, if zero and infinity are opposites, then does zero need to conform to the same conventions. Does it need to have multiple's, can it not be singular purely because that is the opposite of the infinite plural?
I think 0 is just an infinite small number which is the opposite of the infinite number.
so if there are multiple infinites, there should be multiple 0's as well, seeing 0 should be an infinite small number
and since you can change the infiniteness of the infinite number, you will always have exactly opposite numbers.
Isn't that missunderstanding the concept of 0 though, 0 is a conceptual opposite of infinity, rather than a mathematical opposite which would be expressed as a negative infinity, no?
Quote from Becky Rose :That's an interesting concept, multiple 0's.

Interesting, but impossible.

Proof: Assume that numbers A and B both are zeroes, i.e.
(1) x + A = x for every x, and
(2) x + B = x for every x

Then A = A + B = B.
The first equality is by rule (2), the second equality is by rule (1).
Quote from Becky Rose :Firstly, unlike infinities all 0's hold the same value so surely they are all equal to 0, so even if there where multiple 0's all 0's could be expressed as being equal to zero, and therefor be a singular.

Secondly, if zero and infinity are opposites, then does zero need to conform to the same conventions. Does it need to have multiple's, can it not be singular purely because that is the opposite of the infinite plural?

there must be multiple distinct 0s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G ... tity_element_and_inverses

0.9999..... = 1
(166 posts, started )
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