0.9999 = 1, true or false and why?

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TZer0

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Jan 22, 2008
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Skarin said:
You suck at multiplying.

The first step: 0.9999999 (7 9's) x 10 = 9.999999 (6 9's).
Pandairon said:
y= 0.9999999
10y=9.9999999
9y=10y - y
9y=9.9999999 - 0.9999999
9y=9
y=1
1=0.9999999

Where did I go wrong?
TheNamlessGuy said:
EDIT2: 10 x 0,9999999 = 9,999999.

There I would say
Hint: this proof concerns 0.999... with 9 recurring, that is, an unlimited number of nines. Not a defined number of nines as you're trying to disprove. 0.999... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999...]
 

NimbleJack3

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Apr 14, 2009
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Snork Maiden said:
poiumty said:
Snork Maiden said:
Yeah you didn't go wrong. 0.9 recurring *is* equivalent to 1.
But he isn't talking about recurring as far as i can see.

Anyway, skarin's post pretty much covers it.
Hence the second line to my post :)
Yes, but even if it's recurring, it's still not 1. It's an infinite small fraction away from one, but it's not one unless you round.
 
Jun 11, 2008
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Pandairon said:
y= 0.9999999
10y=9.9999999
9y=10y - y
9y=9.9999999 - 0.9999999
9y=9
here

y=1
1=0.9999999

Where did I go wrong?
as 9y =/= 9.999999
So you're restating what you've already said there is not need to so other than that it is fine.

Although if you mean 0.9999999recurring = 1 then yes it is.
 

Kaboose the Moose

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Feb 15, 2009
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TZer0 said:
Skarin said:
You suck at multiplying.

The first step: 0.9999999 (7 9's) x 10 = 9.999999 (6 9's).
Pandairon said:
y= 0.9999999
10y=9.9999999
9y=10y - y
9y=9.9999999 - 0.9999999
9y=9
y=1
1=0.9999999

Where did I go wrong?
TheNamlessGuy said:
EDIT2: 10 x 0,9999999 = 9,999999.

There I would say
Hint: this proof concerns 0.999... with 9 recurring, that is, an unlimited number of nines. Not a defined number of nines as you're trying to disprove. 0.999... [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999...]
That still doesn't detract from bad arithmetic. I don't care if he is trying to prove that the moon is made of cheese but 0.9999999 x 10 does NOT equal 9.9999999 not matter if 9 is recurring or not.
 

MPXenon

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Aug 12, 2009
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NimbleJack3 said:
Snork Maiden said:
poiumty said:
Snork Maiden said:
Yeah you didn't go wrong. 0.9 recurring *is* equivalent to 1.
But he isn't talking about recurring as far as i can see.

Anyway, skarin's post pretty much covers it.
Hence the second line to my post :)
Yes, but even if it's recurring, it's still not 1. It's an infinite small fraction away from one, but it's not one unless you round.
He hem....
Wow how many times does this go around forums. Anyway I assure you that 0.99' is indeed equalt to one, though many maths graduates still refuse to believe it. It comes down to an understanding of what infinity is. It's pointless to argue against it, as it's been proved mathematically in a rediculous number of ways MANY times, but even I admit it can be hard to rationalise it in your head. If you can't accept the proof given, you've pretty much gotta take my word for it...as the more complex proofs require a high level of mathematical competence to understand....still if you think you are up to it there is a rather good page in the most obvious of places.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999999999
 

NimbleJack3

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Apr 14, 2009
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MPXenon said:
NimbleJack3 said:
Snork Maiden said:
poiumty said:
Snork Maiden said:
Yeah you didn't go wrong. 0.9 recurring *is* equivalent to 1.
But he isn't talking about recurring as far as i can see.

Anyway, skarin's post pretty much covers it.
Hence the second line to my post :)
Yes, but even if it's recurring, it's still not 1. It's an infinite small fraction away from one, but it's not one unless you round.
He hem....
Wow how many times does this go around forums. Anyway I assure you that 0.99' is indeed equalt to one, though many maths graduates still refuse to believe it. It comes down to an understanding of what infinity is. It's pointless to argue against it, as it's been proved mathematically in a rediculous number of ways MANY times, but even I admit it can be hard to rationalise it in your head. If you can't accept the proof given, you've pretty much gotta take my word for it...as the more complex proofs require a high level of mathematical competence to understand....still if you think you are up to it there is a rather good page in the most obvious of places.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999999999
Goddamnit, I'm looking at the simple proofs on Wikipedia and it's disconcerting. I know the maths works out but I keep thinking numbers are dissapearing in there.
 

Sansha

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Nov 16, 2008
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You think too much.

0.9999 = 1 due to 'close enough'.

0.9999 =! 1 due to 'it's not fucking one, it's point nine nine nine nine'.

There's the lazy theorem. Take your pick.
 

wunderguy

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Sep 4, 2008
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Well that is indeed mathematically correct. another one to rattle your brains is that in this picture
http://malachid.googlepages.com/pascal-overlay-mod3.gif

The pattern goes on infinitely.

The red sections area is equal to 1
 

Sevre

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Apr 6, 2009
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Press the reset button on your calculator and remember the word "recurring".
 

Antiparticle

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Dec 8, 2008
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Noooooo, not this again!! Last time this discussion went on for 30 fucking pages!!!
0,99999999... is indeed = 1, by the way.
 

Xvito

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Aug 16, 2008
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Pandairon said:
y= 0.999...
10y=9.999...
9y=10y - y
9y=9.999... - 0.999...
9y=9
y=1
1=0.999...

Where did I go wrong?
Fixed.

You can't prove that this way unless you use an infinite number of nines. Like so.

Also, for all of those saying that 0.999...=/=1

... How wrong you are...
 

TZer0

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Jan 22, 2008
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Skarin said:
That still doesn't detract from bad arithmetic. I don't care if he is trying to prove that the moon is made of cheese but 0.9999999 x 10 does NOT equal 9.9999999 not matter if 9 is recurring or not.
Really? Because then I had the apparently mistaken idea about a quite well-described paradox called Hilbert's Paradox of the Grand Hotel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbert's_paradox_of_the_Grand_Hotel]. In this case, we just ask all the guests to go to move to the left (that is, to a room number one higher than their current one).

Anyways, the reason for OP not writing recurring is probably the fact that he didn't quite get what those ... after 0.999 meant.

Because when it is recurring, the proof arguably makes sense.
 

reg42

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People are never going to stop arguing about this are they? Mathematically it adds up, but logically it doesn't.
 

Eclectic Dreck

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It is entirely true, assuming you are speaking of an infinite series of 9s following the decimal. There are a number of proofs of varying rigor but the simplest one to understand goes thus:

1 / 3 = .333 (infinite series)
.333 * 3 = .999 (infinite series)

Fundamental rules of arithmatic indicate that, in reversing the process exactly I ought to end up at the same result. Thus, while the result looks different it remains the same.

The trouble people have here is the fact that most people never take enough math to deal with the concept of infinity. A hundred million nines following the decimal doesn't equal one, it just gets incredibly close to one; you literally need an infinite number of nines before the number becomes a tedious stand in for one.

There are other examples of strangely perplexing conceptual problems dealing with infinity, the most famous of which is probably the one regarding an object approaching a finish line while that slows as it approaches. In the simplest form, in one measure of time, the object closes half the distance to the finish while in the next equal measure of time it covers half the remaining distance again and the question becomes will the object ever reach the finish line. The question is perplexing because it has two entirely correct answers. Given infinite measures of time the object will, in fact, reach the finish line as it is simply an infinite geometric series and as such has a predictable outcome at infinity in this case (the result converges to put it explicitly). But this entirely correct and technical answer isn't actually all that useful because no matter how short our arbitrary measure of time, it is safe to say that you don't have infinite units of it to see if our object reaches the goal. As such, one can say the object will not reach the finish line in any reality we care to measure.

The same is true of this problem. While the concept is simple and the proofs myriad, people have trouble accepting the proposition simply because we cannot concepualize infinity. One can examine the proofs and find that while some might lack rigour, the totality of evidence clearly points to the fact that .999 is indeed 1, or they can simply accept is as something that's true and have a dorky bit of trivia. There is a standard caution - unless it is explicitly stated that you have an infinite series of nines, one cannot assume the result equals one. In standard notation, when a series is known to repeat, one must first write out one entire portion of the pattern and append a horizontal bar across the last digit. When one does not have access to such things, they need to work out another ways of clarifying themselves.
 

Alex_P

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Mar 27, 2008
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The last thread about this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.85789?page=1] ended up going to 30 pages. The definitive answer is that it's not any kind of trick (like those "0=1" proofs are), just a quirk of how we represent numbers. I'm going to sink this thread so y'all can talk about it if you'd like but discussion can kinda peter out naturally...

-- Alex
 

atomicmrpelly

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Apr 23, 2009
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reg42 said:
People are never going to stop arguing about this are they? Mathematically it adds up, but logically it doesn't.
Isn't it the other way around?! Logically we can see that there's negligible difference but mathematically they aren't the same.

No I've just understood the question, forgive me you are correct!!
 

NeutralMunchHotel

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Jun 14, 2009
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Leon said:
I guess there is another algebraic solution.

0.333... = 1/3
3 x 0.333... = 1/3 x 3
0.999... = 1

I can think of a few more but oh well.
You went wrong in the first step. 1/3 is an irational number, you can't express it as a decimal.