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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:	The Joy of Lex
Notice:	A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:	THEBAY::SYSTEM

Created:	Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1192
Total number of notes:	42769

446.0. "Working with numbers ..." by RDGE00::BOOTH (Deliberately Eclectic Character) Fri Nov 27 1987 12:01

        I think it went something like this ....



        As we all know, 1 = 1.

        Ok, so let's try it algebraicly ...

        a = a, but if we wish to define it as such, a = b, so let's do that.

        We define                                  a = b

        Multiplying both sides by a gives         a� = ab

        Subtracting b� from both sides gives   a�-b� = ab - b�

        Which we can make                 (a-b)(a+b) = b(a-b)

        Dividing both sides by (a-b) we get      a+b = b

        But as we defined a = b, then             2a = a


        ... which is plainly absurd !!!!!

        Obviously, there has to be a mathematical whoopsie here, but if you
        know what it is, don't post it here for all to see  -  it's nicer
        to keep some in ignorance :-)

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
446.1	I know why :-)	VISA::BIJAOUI	Tomorrow Never Knows	`Fri Nov 27 1987 12:34`	1

446.2	so do I ...	COMICS::DEMORGAN	Richard De Morgan, UK CSC/CS	`Fri Nov 27 1987 14:58`	2
	... I think I first saw it about 28 years ago. Try CLT::MATH notes file for some real problems.
446.3	As do I...	AKOV11::BOYAJIAN	The Dread Pirate Roberts	`Fri Nov 27 1987 19:41`	5
	...but of course, "2a=a" is not absurd if a=0. (People who haven't figured it out may take this as a hint.) --- jerry
446.4	You're violating the 11th Commandment, you know.	HPSRAD::ABIDI	it's a wild bird	`Mon Nov 30 1987 23:42`	3
	Nor is 2a = a absurd if a = any order of infinity.
446.5		PSTJTT::TABER	Alimentary, my dear Watson	`Tue Dec 01 1987 17:18`	7
	Someone put this stupid thing in the Astronomy notes file and claimed it didn't violate any of the rules of Algebra. The only thing it illustrates is that just because you can string symbols together into something that looks like it makes sense, doesn't mean it makes sense. It's a lot like the old gag, "Would you rather go to Boston or by bus?" >>>==>PStJTT
446.6	By bus - any day !! :-)	52341::BELL	David Bell, Service Technology @VBO	`Tue Dec 01 1987 18:05`	1

446.7		VISA::BIJAOUI	Tomorrow Never Knows	`Tue Dec 01 1987 22:18`	7
	re .5 Actually, the guy who put that note is absolutely wrong. The rule he breaks is that you are not allowed to divide each part of the equation by 0. Since a=b ... :-) Bij.