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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."
I am the first to admit math has NEVER been my strong suit, but are mathemeticians seriously just making up random rules as they go along so that soemthing which occurs to them suddenly works? Imaginary Numbers, changing the rules so that things work the way you want them to. Why is this (AFAIK) the only field to do this? How often do you hear a Physicist say "So, that whole gravity thing, yea we think it's really the opposite of that. What really happens is that mass PUSHES objects away from it, but they just suck so bad everything sticks anyway. What we've done with this (insert spiffy but questionable invention/theorem/etc here), is design something that would work well in this environment."
Nevermind, I think that does happen actually. But am I just missing the point entirely on this? I mean, even if I am, what does being able to divide by zero really get us? Can dividing by zero usher in some ultra new era for science as a whole? How will this affect computer systems in the next 1,5,10, and 20 years? What are the long term implications of this? If there aren't any, then really this is just a kid standing out in the yard swinging from a branch by their legs saying "Look Ma! No Hands!"
This is seriously useless, why even post this. Slashdot is going down hill fast.
... 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.
>Furthermore, they shouldn't have called it a nullity. They should have called it a Bush.
s aytypingmonkeyyndrome
Nah, call it a Clintion. Then it can cheat on it's wife, get solp-job-on-it's-knob in the Oval Office, and make it's "mark on history" by dribbling on a blue dress.
See? Your idiotic wannabe political-statement humor cuts both ways.
Mr. sickofthe/.leftwingdroolingidiotswhohavenothingto
The liberal would seek to embrace the new darkness and accuse those who complain as non-pc conservatives who resist all change.
He's just a little frustrated seeing pea-size brained conservatives saying that darkness could not just have existed thus a sure sign that God exists and wanting to teach that in the public schools!
A conservative would curse the spirits of the lightbulb for making it dark, and then set fire to the room.
>The thing is, if that's the worst Clinton had done,
./ers checking their politics at the door? nah, never happen. Too little intellect.
"if" being the operative word there. How about sending troops into a warzone for no other reason than to take the country's mind off his wandering dick? Yep, there's a real leader for you.
How about