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Professor Comes Up With a Way to Divide by Zero
54mc writes "The BBC reports that Dr. James Anderson, of the University of Reading, has finally conquered the problem of dividing by zero. His new number, which he calls "nullity" solves the 1200 year old problem that niether Newton nor Pythagoras could solve, the problem of zero to the zero power. Story features video (Real Player only) of Dr. Anderson explaining the "simple" concept."
... you say that like it's a bad thing. What's wrong with restructuring math? As you say, it's been done many times, and some of those times it has been restructured to positive effect. Designing a new system is great, if it's a good system. Furthermore (and this is my favourite line, since it makes no sense at all) "inventing his own false reality"?! Mathematics is not reality in any sense, false or otherwise. Mathematics is just dumb little symbols on paper that can be replaced by other dumb little symbols according to ridiculous rules. This is no different than adding i or omega or negatives or the aleph numbers or defining hyperbolic geometries or any other new mathematical idea. It could be much less useful than those ideas (and it probably is, since it depends on 1/0 being infinity and -1/0 being negative infinity, which isn't very practical), but it's no more true or false than they are since mathematics is totally imaginary to begin with.
Firstly, this is not mathematics. No thousand year problems have been solved, this is just general stupidity. This is roughly equivalent to saying the answer to life the universe and everything = 42. Sure you have an answer but it's nonsensical, there's nothing you can do with it. Hooray! Now instead of not being able to do anything when you divide by zero, we have an answer! Sadly, we can't do anything with this answer. Also, if any plane ever falls out of the sky because its software was dividing by zero, the engineers should be promptly be drug out into the street and shot.
-- Checking emails and kicking cheats `till the day I die.
A conservative would curse the spirits of the lightbulb for making it dark, and then set fire to the room.