# Dividing by Zero

65 posts

 6911 posts What do you think will happen? 32840 posts My calculator shows Math ERROR But you expected something more, dwight? 783 posts I got a black h 7973 posts Not again! This is about the 3rd topic on this. 763 posts If you divide something by zero, you will get both zero and the original number. I GOTZ LOTZ OF BRAINZ, LOLZORZ 9180 posts 0.0 reoccurring 18892 posts It is defined as resulting into undefined, ironically enough, but are you looking for more original types of answers? 2880 posts Actionscript trace(0/0); returns NaN. Ubiquity returns  Error: f[p,pop()] is not a function. . Dividing by 0 is impossible or mathematicians have no idea at all and want to sound smart. 5755 posts Let’s divide one by zero. The bulit-in computer calculator says “Cannot divide by 0”, the eCalc online scientific calculator says “infinity”. HEY WAIT, WHAT?! http://www.ecalc.com/calculator/scientific/ Just so you can see I’m not joking. :| And as for 0/0 it’s just NaN. 18892 posts Calculators saying it is infinity (anyone really) are wrong, it cannot be any number, since multiplying zero with any number will not get it to any number except itself. To solve 5/0 = X, you will have to see what is X when you solve 0 * X = 5. This is impossible, not even infinity will make 0 reach any closer to 5. It is undefined, or NaN (Not a Number), as you said. 5755 posts Point taken. Those darn online calculators. But anyway, I don’t see the fuss over dividing by zero and people who yell PARADOX and other crap about it when multiplying by zero is just as illogical. Oddly, the windows calculator says “cannot divide by 0” but comes up with 0 when you multiply. 7475 posts it depends on the number you want to divide by zero. any number that is not zero: 1/0 = X this means that X * 0 = 1 because (any number) * 0 == 0 X has no answer. this includes imaginary numbers. when we use zero however it is a bit different. 0/0 = X X*0 = 0 because (number) * 0 == 0 X can be any number. this includes imaginary numbers. is this an answer to your question? 9180 posts Originally posted by mariosuperlative:Let’s divide one by zero. The bulit-in computer calculator says “Cannot divide by 0”, the eCalc online scientific calculator says “infinity”. HEY WAIT, WHAT?! http://www.ecalc.com/calculator/scientific/ Just so you can see I’m not joking. :| And as for 0/0 it’s just NaN. Ha Ha! Great! 132 posts ummmm 0/5=paradox? i think so anyways if you divid 5 by 0 the 0 cancles out the 5 because theres nothing it can do to get to 5 and without the 5 there is no qustion so it cancles the whole question out 5755 posts Ha Ha! Great! BUT IT’S A LIE, GODDAMN IT! 7475 posts no paradox. it is just a question without a meaning. lets say this. I have 5 cookies and 0 friends (actually i have a lot more, but they don’t want the cookies :( ) i have to share this cookies with my friends. i can eat that what is leftover. how much cookies does everybody get? obviously, i can’t give anyone the cookies. so instead i just eat them myself. the answer should then be 0 rest 5 where zero is what everybody gets, and 5 is what is leftover and can be trown away. 763 posts Originally posted by swanbomb:ummmm 0/5=paradox? i think so anyways if you divid 5 by 0 the 0 cancles out the 5 because theres nothing it can do to get to 5 and without the 5 there is no qustion so it cancles the whole question out What? 8032 posts Infinity. 18892 posts I have 5 cookies and 0 friends (actually i have a lot more, but they don’t want the cookies :( ) i have to share this cookies with my friends. i can eat that what is leftover. how much cookies does everybody get? obviously, i can’t give anyone the cookies. so instead i just eat them myself. the answer should then be 0 rest 5 where zero is what everybody gets, and 5 is what is leftover and can be trown away. Well, that quite explains it well. The result is still undefined. BUT IT’S A LIE, GODDAMN IT! Oops, you did it again. Infinity. Wrong. 7475 posts Originally posted by RMcD:Infinity. no. an infinite row of zeros added up will still result into an new zero. 5755 posts Oops, you did it again. Oops. And yeah, kirdaiht said it right. 7255 posts If X/0 is equal to infinity, then it implies infinity equals negative infinity. Which might be actually TRUE. Then the extended number line will become a “circle”, joining the positive and negative infinity together. Some people actually suggested that the hottest temperature possible is absolute zero. Which might also be true. Two polar opposites are actually the same thing. 18892 posts If X/0 is equal to infinity, then it implies infinity equals negative infinity. Which might be actually TRUE. Then the extended number line will become a “circle”, joining the positive and negative infinity together. X/0 isn’t actually infinity. 8032 posts Wrong. I’m going with what aC said. Edit: Can’t find the thread. 10786 posts Originally posted by Darkruler2005: If X/0 is equal to infinity, then it implies infinity equals negative infinity. Which might be actually TRUE. Then the extended number line will become a “circle”, joining the positive and negative infinity together. X/0 isn’t actually infinity. $\lim_{n\to 0}\frac{x}{n}=\infty$ But x/0 does not equal infinity. That’s just how it works.