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Division by zero: Is it really impossible?

Results so far:

No
47% 373 votes Total: 800 votes
Yes
53% 427 votes

by Carnac

I don't know which is scarier:

1. That 32 people here not only think that division by zero is possible, but that they believe it strongly enough to explain why, or

2. The um, creative "logic" they use to make their case, or

3. That we're even having this "debate" in the first place! What's next - "The Earth: Is it really round?" Or maybe "Dynamite: Does it really explode?"

Either way, I find this all vastly depressing, a stunning indictment of our educational system in this country and its abject failure to convey even the most elementary concepts in a memorable fashion.

Anyway, short answer: no, it's not possible to divide by zero. No way, no how. Quit trying. It's also not possible to fly to the moon by flapping your arms, no matter how strongly you believe. And if you hook up a motor to a generator, they won't make free electricity. Honest.

Well, that's actually all I had to say on this topic, so you can really stop reading right here but Helium won't let me post it unless it reaches the impressive length of 2400 characters and all I could manage was a paltry 849. Of course it should be more by now, but I have a funny feeling that I still have a lot more to go. Words to go before I sleep. Zzzz. What? Are you still here? Oh well... Hmmm, uh, la de da, nice weather we're having, don't you think? They say it might rain tomorrow, unless the sun comes out. So did you hear what the necktie said to the hat? "You go on ahead, I'll just hang around". ("Ahead", "a head", get it?) When is a door not a door? When it's ajar! Nyuk nyuk. Are we there yet? Dang - still almost 1000 characters to go. Hey, do you like Steve Wright? I love this one: "I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet. So I took his shoes. Heck, I figured he wouldn't be needing them." Let's see, what else? "Never criticize someone until you've walked a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets mad, you're a mile away - and you've got his shoes." (Courtesy, Steven Wright). Hoh kay - that's 1882 characters. I wonder if they include the spaces as characters or just the alphanumerics? Hey, now there's a great debate topic: "The space: character or just nothing?" Oh wait, how about "Lightning: can it really kill?" Hah - I'd get a charge out of reading that debate! Sigh - are we there yet? Don't make me stop this word processor! Wait til your dad gets home. Hey, I got one: "The world: Does it really exist or is it just a fig newton of your imagination?" (I know, with some people it's hard to tell.) If you locked 1000 monkeys in a room in front of 1000 typewriters, how long would it take them to recreate this divide by zero thing? Dang, now I'm hungry for a banana. Oh wait, gotta sneeze Excuse me! Hey, how about "Smallpox: is it really caused by a virus?" Or "Water: is it really wet?" Or "The dollar: is it really worth four quarters?" Gaaad, this just *has* to be 2400 characters by now! I'm going bonkers here. Arrrrgh! Make it STOPPPP!

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Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Division by zero: Is it really impossible?

Yes
No
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    We are sometimes bothered by the question: 'what happens when you divide by zero?' What really stumps us, though, is...read more

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    In mathematics it is possible to divide by zero under some circumstances. HOWEVER, no matter how you define what it ...read more

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