[NBLUG/talk] OT division by zero OT

[Nadina]

Nope, you're wrong.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Zimmerman" <stevetux at sonic.net>
To: <talk at nblug.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2003 10:54 PM
Subject: [NBLUG/talk] OT division by zero OT


<snip>.

> Six times zero is zero.  Six zeroes is as meaningless as six divided
> by zero, but the answer is still zero, because it's obvious
> that six zeroes equal zero, just like six paychecks that say $0.00 equal
> zero dollars.

What I get from the above - you are saying that 6x0 is as meaningless as 6/0
and that both answers are zero.  Your paycheck analogy only refers to 6x0 -
not 6/0.  Six paychecks of $0.00 each gives a total of $0.00.  But you
failed to consider:  one paycheck of $6.00 split among zero people - how
much does each person get?  The answer is not zero.  If it were zero it is
saying that someone gets zero dollars, but without any people - you can't
say that any one person gets anything - including zero.  $6.00 divided by
zero people = meaningless, not $0.00

Basically the flaw in your argument is the assumption that zero = nothing.
Zero as a number is different than the concept of nothing. A $0.00 paycheck
exists and the amount of it is $0.00. But to divide a $6.00 paycheck zero
times isn't possible and thus has no meaning - it doesn't leave anything
with an amount of $0.00.


Nadina