I might have just disproved math.

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Phlakes

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Mar 25, 2010
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Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
 

Yopaz

Sarcastic overlord
Jun 3, 2009
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Phlakes said:
Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
OK... this made my brain stop for a second because I was trying to think how breaking something into 0 parts would work. However your logics are flawed. You can't break something into half a part either, but you can divide by a half.
 

Rabid Toilet

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Mar 23, 2008
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Yopaz said:
Phlakes said:
Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
OK... this made my brain stop for a second because I was trying to think how breaking something into 0 parts would work. However your logics are flawed. You can't break something into half a part either, but you can divide by a half.
Dividing by a half is the same as multiplying by two.

You can make something into half a part by making there be two of it. It is now half of the "part", which is made up of the two pieces.
 

Sexy Devil

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Jul 12, 2010
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Zack1501 said:
So, I have an interesting math based question. If you don't like/hate math or don't understand basic algebra(I understand if you don't) just hit the big THE ESCAPIST logo in the corner and that will bring you home.

I wanted to know zero divided by zero equals. I tried to do at algebraically. This is what I did:

-The answer I was trying to get will be represented by x
0/0=x
-I times both sides by zero
0=0x
-This equals out to be 0=0 because anything times 0 is 0.
-This proves that x can be any number. for example if 5=x than 0=5*0 still is 0=0
-I rearrange 0=0x to be:
0/x=0
-Now since x can be any number now lets say x=0
-That makes this:
0/0=0
-And since x=0/0 (Right in the beginning^) and 0=0/0 also then x=0
-If you fallowed so far and remember that x can be any number then that means zero can also be any and every number. So 0 can now equal 5 or any other number.

I realize something is most likely wrong here.
So tell me escapist, Did i Disprove math?
Edit: I see the error now. Its not that x equals 0 its that at one point x CAN = 0
I'm just going to ignore the numerous other flaws in your algebra for this exercise.

Punch 0/0 into your calculator for me and see what happens. Nothing divides by 0, not even 0. Full stop. The end.
 

Yopaz

Sarcastic overlord
Jun 3, 2009
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Rabid Toilet said:
Yopaz said:
Phlakes said:
Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
OK... this made my brain stop for a second because I was trying to think how breaking something into 0 parts would work. However your logics are flawed. You can't break something into half a part either, but you can divide by a half.
Dividing by a half is the same as multiplying by two.

You can make something into half a part by making there be two of it. It is now half of the "part", which is made up of the two pieces.
I am aware of that, but you can't break something and end up with half as many pieces. If you break something you are always dividing it into more pieces. When you manage to break something into half and end up with two you might be able to solve a lot of problems in the world and most likely get a few Nobel prizes for it.
 

Rabid Toilet

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Mar 23, 2008
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Yopaz said:
Rabid Toilet said:
Yopaz said:
Phlakes said:
Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
OK... this made my brain stop for a second because I was trying to think how breaking something into 0 parts would work. However your logics are flawed. You can't break something into half a part either, but you can divide by a half.
Dividing by a half is the same as multiplying by two.

You can make something into half a part by making there be two of it. It is now half of the "part", which is made up of the two pieces.
I am aware of that, but you can't break something and end up with half as many pieces. If you break something you are always dividing it into more pieces. When you manage to break something into half and end up with two you might be able to solve a lot of problems in the world and most likely get a few Nobel prizes for it.
But you aren't breaking something. Dividing by a half is just multiplying by two. It's like subtracting a negative. You don't end up with less than you have because you aren't really losing anything.
 

YawningAngel

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Dec 22, 2010
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Zack1501 said:
So, I have an interesting math based question. If you don't like/hate math or don't understand basic algebra(I understand if you don't) just hit the big THE ESCAPIST logo in the corner and that will bring you home.

I wanted to know zero divided by zero equals. I tried to do at algebraically. This is what I did:

-The answer I was trying to get will be represented by x
0/0=x
-I times both sides by zero
0=0x
-This equals out to be 0=0 because anything times 0 is 0.
-This proves that x can be any number. for example if 5=x than 0=5*0 still is 0=0
-I rearrange 0=0x to be:
0/x=0
-Now since x can be any number now lets say x=0
-That makes this:
0/0=0
-And since x=0/0 (Right in the beginning^) and 0=0/0 also then x=0
-If you fallowed so far and remember that x can be any number then that means zero can also be any and every number. So 0 can now equal 5 or any other number.

I realize something is most likely wrong here.
So tell me escapist, Did i Disprove math?
Edit: I see the error now. Its not that x equals 0 its that at one point x CAN = 0
No, the error is that you've set x = 0/0

That's not allowable, since 0/0 involves division by zero, which is an undefined operation
 

direkiller

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Dec 4, 2008
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fenrizz said:
Promethax said:
I think you lost all mathematical credibility as soon as you used "times" as a verb.
Zachary Amaranth said:
Promethax said:
I think you lost all mathematical credibility as soon as you used "times" as a verb.
Yeah, had trouble taking anything beyond that point seriously. Which is actually good practice, since there were no serious mathematics breakthroughs here.
What is wrong with using time as a verb?
because it makes the word multiply angry
(it also makes what your writing sound stupid and unintelligible)
 

IamLEAM1983

Neloth's got swag.
Aug 22, 2011
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What is it with these pointless math challenge threads? I understand that anyone has the right to post a stumper they're having problems with and seek outside help, but I've seen two other "I've disproved math/undone reality as we know it/cured cancer/made cat litter brownies that actually taste good!" threads in the past two *weeks*.

I'll join the droves, OP, in reminding you that you're basically disregarding one of the earliest things we're taught in elementary school. 1 multiplied by 0 is 0. 256, 200 multiplied by 0 is STILL 0.

Zero is the concept of nothingness in as much a nutshell as basic human logic can allow us to comprehend. Divide any number by zero and you get a zero in return, no matter how much you try looking for tangent or that number's Sinus. Nothing multiplied a berjillion times is still absolutely nothing.

I'm aware that anything and everything that's scientific can be challenged or disproved with enough work, but you're dealing with the building blocks of how we perceive reality, here. We've relied on basic arithmetics for so long that any attempt at disproving it will be just as quickly debunked. The only calculations that allow for less-than-zero results don't deal with hard, tangible quantities - they're basically forms of leeway we've integrated into math to help us cope with abstract concepts like statistics, fractions, algebra and so on.

As there simply can't be minus-one LCD screens on my desk at this very moment, however, and as negative numbers only have their place in certain circumstances, then you simply cannot divide anything by zero.

If it's possible - and I do mean IF - doing so would require a complete restructuration of arithmetics, not to mention that it would fundamentally change the way we perceive the world. You've tried to bring about something that's fairly Lovecraftian, but that simply doesn't work in our boring old world.
 

Rangerboy87

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Jul 1, 2011
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Zack1501 said:
So, I have an interesting math based question. If you don't like/hate math or don't understand basic algebra(I understand if you don't) just hit the big THE ESCAPIST logo in the corner and that will bring you home.

I wanted to know zero divided by zero equals. I tried to do at algebraically. This is what I did:

-The answer I was trying to get will be represented by x
0/0=x
-I times both sides by zero
0=0x
-This equals out to be 0=0 because anything times 0 is 0.
-This proves that x can be any number. for example if 5=x than 0=5*0 still is 0=0
-I rearrange 0=0x to be:
0/x=0
-Now since x can be any number now lets say x=0
-That makes this:
0/0=0
-And since x=0/0 (Right in the beginning^) and 0=0/0 also then x=0
-If you fallowed so far and remember that x can be any number then that means zero can also be any and every number. So 0 can now equal 5 or any other number.

I realize something is most likely wrong here.
So tell me escapist, Did i Disprove math?
Edit: I see the error now. Its not that x equals 0 its that at one point x CAN = 0
Since I have a BS in math (cause I guess this gives me credence or something, let me show you a few errors I see that doom this.

1) 0/0=x is an invalid statement to start with. Any number divide by 0 is undefined, so this is doomed from the start. But, let's say you could for the start of this example because you will be multiplying it, so it won't stay there:

2)0/x = 0 is valid for any number EXCEPT when x=0, because 0 will make this equation undefined again.

When it boils down to it, dividing any number by 0 is undefined, even if it's zero. So, it makes this idea invalid. Unlike some other people I have seen bash you about your errors, I will admit that this was an interesting thought experiment. I saw where you ideas were coming from and they were creative. And besides, making mistakes is how you learn.
 

OldNewNewOld

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Mar 2, 2011
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Wow, someone who doesn't know the basic rules of math thinks he disproved math...
again... on the internet.
Sigh, nothing to see here.
 

GoAwayVifs

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Aug 5, 2011
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Yopaz said:
I am aware of that, but you can't break something and end up with half as many pieces. If you break something you are always dividing it into more pieces. When you manage to break something into half and end up with two you might be able to solve a lot of problems in the world and most likely get a few Nobel prizes for it.
We can do that. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banach%E2%80%93Tarski_paradox] You have to break it down into more than half, but still.
 

Yopaz

Sarcastic overlord
Jun 3, 2009
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Rabid Toilet said:
Yopaz said:
Rabid Toilet said:
Yopaz said:
Phlakes said:
Zack1501 said:
So if 0/0=x and 0/0=0 then 0 does not equal x? I don't understand what you mean, please elaborate. I actuality want to understand why this is wrong past the usual argument of "Well you just cant divide by zero" That might be true but i have yet to find a person to tell me why I cant.
You can't divide by zero because you can't break something into zero parts. It's just logic.
OK... this made my brain stop for a second because I was trying to think how breaking something into 0 parts would work. However your logics are flawed. You can't break something into half a part either, but you can divide by a half.
Dividing by a half is the same as multiplying by two.

You can make something into half a part by making there be two of it. It is now half of the "part", which is made up of the two pieces.
I am aware of that, but you can't break something and end up with half as many pieces. If you break something you are always dividing it into more pieces. When you manage to break something into half and end up with two you might be able to solve a lot of problems in the world and most likely get a few Nobel prizes for it.
But you aren't breaking something. Dividing by a half is just multiplying by two. It's like subtracting a negative. You don't end up with less than you have because you aren't really losing anything.
Which is my point from the start. Division with numbers lower than between 0 and 1 doesn't make sense with real life applications. It's a part of math because it adds up with everything else. We can't divide something and get more than we had in the first place.

Also I don't know if this is a coincidence, if the thought of breaking things slipped into my unconsciousness or karma for being obnoxious about this, but I was just about to do the dishes and I lost a plate and it broke into 3 pieces.
 

thenumberthirteen

Unlucky for some
Dec 19, 2007
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Maze1125 said:
FalloutJack said:
I believe it's fair that I started calling bullshit when we started on imaginary numbers, as though working with ones that actually exist wasn't good enough.
Imaginary numbers are just a name, they aren't actually any more imaginary than the real numbers.
Physicists use imaginary numbers to solve real problems every single day. Without imaginary numbers we wouldn't have the monitors you're using to read the posts people make on this site, they have very real and practical uses.
<spoiler=Reminded me of this>http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20100927.gif

OT: Yeah it doesn't seem to work out. Though props for trying. By trying and failing (and accepting that failure) you can learn a lot more than if you were right.
 

Navvan

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Feb 3, 2011
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Zack1501 said:
So, I have an interesting math based question. If you don't like/hate math or don't understand basic algebra(I understand if you don't) just hit the big THE ESCAPIST logo in the corner and that will bring you home.

I wanted to know zero divided by zero equals. I tried to do at algebraically. This is what I did:

-The answer I was trying to get will be represented by x
0/0=x
-I times(multiple) both sides by zero
0=0x
-This equals out to be 0=0 because anything times 0 is 0.
-This proves that x can be any number.
You're actually correct up to this part. Where I think you are confused is that this is what is meant by undefined, or indeterminate. That is 0/0 can approach any number (0, 1, 2...) or it can be non-existent. That is what is meant by an undefined.
 

lacktheknack

Je suis joined jewels.
Jan 19, 2009
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That's not how dividing by 0 works, man. I'd elaborate, but other people already have.

Good try, though. Just remember that trying to divide by 0 makes math do inexplicable and terrifying things.
 

Lesd3vil

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Oct 11, 2010
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Mathematics, like any science, is simpy a method created by mankind to help make sense of the universe around it. Of course you're going to run across logical problems, fallacies and inconsistencies. D'ya know why? Do ya? It's because even after millenia of mental evolution going hand-in-hand with the development of modern sciences, we're not perfect and there are still things we don't know, or even see.

Reality is a lie we tell ourselves in order to be able to live >>

So no, OP, you didn't 'disprove maths'... But well done for questioning it rather than simply accepting it like all the other blockheads who shot you down :)