Opinions and compromise
#21
Registered User
Do you guys know Bertrand Russell's proof that if 2+2=5 then he was the Pope?
2+2=5 -> 4=5 -> 1=2 -> 2=1
The Pope and Russell were two men. Since 2=1, then they were one.
2+2=5 -> 4=5 -> 1=2 -> 2=1
The Pope and Russell were two men. Since 2=1, then they were one.
#22
Set two variables equal..................... a=b
Multiply both by a........................a**2=ab
Subract b squared from both.......a**2 - b**2 = ab - b**2
Factor............................................ .......b(a-b) = (a+b) x (a-b)
divide both by (a-b)...............................b = a + b
a = b so therefore.................................b=b+b
or................................................ ........2b=b
or................................................ .........2=1
Multiply both by a........................a**2=ab
Subract b squared from both.......a**2 - b**2 = ab - b**2
Factor............................................ .......b(a-b) = (a+b) x (a-b)
divide both by (a-b)...............................b = a + b
a = b so therefore.................................b=b+b
or................................................ ........2b=b
or................................................ .........2=1
#24
^ I is confused... Please don't confuse me with the facts.
#25
Former Moderator
Russell's paradoxes are fun. One illustration claims that iff the village barber shaved all the men in the village who didn't shave themselves, he <factually> both shaved himself -- and didn't. Language games...
#26
I am confused, but that's just my opinon. My students may think it is a fact though.
#27
Originally Posted by mikegarrison,May 12 2008, 02:59 PM
Cute, but of course when you divide by (a-b) you are dividing by zero, which leads to an undefined result.
#29
Registered User
Originally Posted by tof,May 13 2008, 07:14 AM
Well spotted, Mike. I didn't expect anybody to spot the exact flaw so quickly. It took my High School algebra teacher about 5 minutes to get it. (Or had you seen it before?)
#30
come on he is an engineer after all
if we can't spot this kind of manipulation in a joke we're screwed in practice when the math is much more obscure.
if we can't spot this kind of manipulation in a joke we're screwed in practice when the math is much more obscure.