A mathematical conundrum...

[Stewie]

First of all let me say that Bearcat reinstated my thread starting privileges. I promise to behave.

This is an ongoing debate about series of numbers.

Solution 1:

X = 1+2+3+4+5+.....

Solve for X.

X = infinity

Solution 2:

X = 1+2+3+4+5+....

Solve for X.

X = -1/12.

WHAT?

Crazy isn't it?

Solution 2 is accepted by mathematicians and physicists by a large majority.

Just a bit of a brain puzzler for all you geeks.

Stewie the confused.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by YayMike

Same here. Was a math major with pure concentration that did all the proofs and complex theories. Loved it then. Can’t add 2 number now.

Yeah, I just can't anymore. I have zero interest in ever relearning it either. I still deal with numbers all day but I went and got a master's in accounting and just don't use any of it.

[YayMike]

Originally Posted by kccrow

Yeah, I just can't anymore. I have zero interest in ever relearning it either. I still deal with numbers all day but I went and got a master's in accounting and just don't use any of it.

I went into IT / programming and installing software. No math at all. But… the math logic brain training clearly propelled me into a successful career position .

[crayzkirk]

It logically makes no sense; the part where they 'add' two sequences together and the use the result as some sort of result to base everything else on reminds me of the old trick where they show the weight of a mouse equals the weight of an elephant. There's a multiply by zero in there which invalidates it all.

I took Calculus and a lot of other advanced math and I don't recall ever seeing anything that said adding a group of positive numbers, all > 1 could ever be less than the sum of any two of those numbers much less a value less than zero.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by crayzkirk

It logically makes no sense; the part where they 'add' two sequences together and the use the result as some sort of result to base everything else on reminds me of the old trick where they show the weight of a mouse equals the weight of an elephant. There's a multiply by zero in there which invalidates it all.

I took Calculus and a lot of other advanced math and I don't recall ever seeing anything that said adding a group of positive numbers, all > 1 could ever be less than the sum of any two of those numbers much less a value less than zero.

They are embarking on highly complex mathematics and theories related to divergent vs convergent series. I'm not at all up-to-date on all this shit any more but if you have the determination and knowledge then dive into the Reimann zeta function and you'll get your answer.

[tyecopeland]

Originally Posted by kccrow

I got my undergrad in mathematics and I haven't used a lick of it in 20 years. It's shit like this that drove me mad.... like spending a day proving 0.99999999 is 1. I don't remember what class... it was either combinatorics (which is kind of fascinating), permutations, or geometry. I'm good with never touching that shit again in life, honestly. I probably couldn't do basic calculus at this point and I'm totally fine haha. I had a history of math class we actually had to read a book called Fermat's Enigma and do a huge report on the theorem... the one mathematicians spend decades trying to solve... fun stuff.

Guy on YouTube has a few proofs of 1=2

[crayzkirk]

Originally Posted by tyecopeland

Guy on YouTube has a few proofs of 1=2

There's a magic step where they multiply by zero in there somewhere...

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by crayzkirk

It logically makes no sense; the part where they 'add' two sequences together and the use the result as some sort of result to base everything else on reminds me of the old trick where they show the weight of a mouse equals the weight of an elephant. There's a multiply by zero in there which invalidates it all.

I took Calculus and a lot of other advanced math and I don't recall ever seeing anything that said adding a group of positive numbers, all > 1 could ever be less than the sum of any two of those numbers much less a value less than zero.

It doesn't. It is equal to positive infinity.

The video I posted covers all of the zeta function stuff, but it still doesn't make that series converge to -1/12.

[crayzkirk]

Originally Posted by cdcox

It doesn't. It is equal to positive infinity.

The video I posted covers all of the zeta function stuff, but it still doesn't make that series converge to -1/12.

Yeah, I watched the first part of it and he confirmed what I thought when the first group tried to say the first sum converged to 1/2. I knew that was bogus because it simply oscillates between 0 and 1. It's undefined. Like the second series has no solution either. apples + oranges <> pineapples.