0/0 is ????

[Rajnish Kaushik]

is it infinity or 1 or 0 or N.D????

Bro plzzz help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Endy0816]

Indeterminate or not defined.

 

X * 0 = 0

=> 0/0 = X

 

X can be anything under the sun and 0/0 has to equal all of those possibilities.

[Rajnish Kaushik]

so thats what it is

[namespace]

You can't define exactly what 0/0 is. More like if you take into consideration a very very small number on the real axis, say 0₊ then, 0₊/0₊ = 1.

 

Again, you can't define 0/0, the same way you can't define 1/0, 1/∞ and so on.

 

To get a better understanding about this, think with limits. For example, lim(x->0) (x/x) = 1.

Edited January 28, 2014 by namespace

[imatfaal]

namespace - in standard mathematics division by zero is not defined. There are various other axiom systems in which you can start with different assumptions and division by zero can be meaningful - but in ordinary everyday maths the arguments such as that from Endy above, are correct

[hypervalent_iodine]

namespace - in standard mathematics division by zero is not defined. There are various other axiom systems in which you can start with different assumptions and division by zero can be meaningful - but in ordinary everyday maths the arguments such as that from Endy above, are correct

I think his first sentence was a typo, as he goes on to state in the proceeding paragraph that it can't be defined.

[davidivad]

0 on a grid is a real coordinate. if you are at 5 on the grid, then you are describing a position that is five points away from the origin.

this is an artifact of your number system which gives you a point of reference.

[Sensei]

If you will try dividing any number by 0 on computer in f.e. C/C++ language, you will get NaN result (Not A Number).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NaN

Some computer languages might even throw exception (halting of application, crashing of application). (.NET Framework C#/Embedded C++ is example of such language if I recall correctly)

 

Therefor depending on context we can use f.e.

 

if( value == 0 )

{

// treating 0 as very very small. Division input by very small gives very big result (except 0/0).

if( input > 0 )

{

result = INFINITY;

}

else if( input < 0 )

{

result = -INFINITY;

}

else if( input == 0 )

{

result = 0;

}

}

else

{

result = input / value;

}

 

Any dividing by variable might cause result to be NaN and serious problems in other parts of algorithms later (in the worst scenario lost of data, and crashing of application), if you don't catch it!

 

You have to think about it writing ANY computer program which is dividing.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Sensei

[namespace]

namespace - in standard mathematics division by zero is not defined. There are various other axiom systems in which you can start with different assumptions and division by zero can be meaningful - but in ordinary everyday maths the arguments such as that from Endy above, are correct

 

It was a little typo. I've corrected it.

[burgess]

is it infinity or 1 or 0 or N.D????

Bro plzzz help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I think 0/0 is not defined