1/0 - 1/0 = ??? (1 Viewer)

[~ ReNcH ~]

1/0 is undefined, but suppose you had:
1/0 - 1/0.

Does this conform to the rules of subtraction? I.e. if you have two equal quantities, defined or undefined, and you subtract one from the other, will the result be 0? Or would 1/0 - 1/0 also be undefined due to the fact that the two parts of the equation are undefined?

Stupid question I guess...but I was just curious

 

[Slidey]

Undefined.

 

[xiao1985]

Undefined.

agreed... undefined still...

 

[Archman]

yes, just like 0/0 is undefined.

 

[Affinity]

rubbish - garbage = junk

 

[turtle_2468]

subtraction is only defined for defined numbers..

 

[~ ReNcH ~]

subtraction is only defined for defined numbers..

Hehe.
I think that pretty much sums it up then

 

[McLake]

subtraction is only defined for defined numbers..

As are all math axioms, including 0*a = 0 and 1*a = a

 

[Slidey]

As are all math axioms, including 0*a = 0 and 1*a = a

Er. Not ALL. The field axioms, for example, ARE undefined for undefined elements. However not all axioms are for fields...

And 0*a=0 is not an axiom.

 

[McLake]

Er. Not ALL. The field axioms, for example, ARE undefined for undefined elements. However not all axioms are for fields...

And 0*a=0 is not an axiom.

Oops, sorry, wasn't clear enough. I wasn't intending to include field axioms, just arthimatic ones.

If 0*a = 0 isn't an axiom, how is it defined?

 

[Euler]

it's a consequence of the existence of the (additive) zero, and the distributivity of multiplication:

0+x=x
x(y+z) = xy+xz

i think. it's been a while since i looked at the field axioms.

 

[Slidey]

assume
x+(-x)=0
x(y+z)=xy+xz
and assume xy, x+y are closed

let 0=b+(-b)

0.a=a(b+(-b))=ab+(-ab)=0

 

[~ ReNcH ~]

Am I missing something here?
Where did all this talk of axioms etc. come from? Is this university work or something coz it'd better be...

 

[Affinity]

you opened a can of worms by mentioning 1/0 - 1/0, it made everyone excited.

 

[Archman]

*yawn.....

 

[Rorix]

im glad theres a thread about this



ps hay guys

 

[nick1048]

yer its undefined...

 

[Slidey]

Rorix? You degrade day by day. Maybe if we plotted your degradation against time, we'd have a horizontal asymptote at t=17th Dec.

 

[~ ReNcH ~]

you opened a can of worms by mentioning 1/0 - 1/0, it made everyone excited.

Rightio...maybe I should've kept that can closed. Although half the stuff on this thread has nothing to do with my question (since it was answered in the first reply)

 

[Rorix]

Rorix? You degrade day by day. Maybe if we plotted your degradation against time, we'd have a horizontal asymptote at t=17th Dec.

Your graph doesn't make any sense???????