There are *consequences* though Phrased differently, saying 0.999999... cannot equal 1 is saying you reject the concept of a limit (it's really saying that there is no such specifically constructible number as 0.9999..., you refuse to allow the 9s to go on into "infinity")
-
-
I mean it's this kind of thing that makes the human process of doing math fun to learn about and that demystifies this idea that mathematical truths are holy tablets received from God
-
My hot AP Calc teacher when teaching us the delta-epsilon definition of a limit said "You don't actually need to know this to do calculus but mathematicians fought over it for a hundred years so the least you can do is know what it is"
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
leading of course to the secret war of nineteenth century, the so-called Revenge of the Infinitesimal many mathematicians gave their lives to bring us the calculus
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
And yet in 11th grade infinitesimal seemed like a perfectly normal concept to me. Like, yeah, you can have infinite zeroes between the decimal point and a 1, and every single possible number in between that and the next integer.
-
The chasm between 2 and 3 is vast and insurmountable, and yet we cross it every day with great ease
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.