Re: Zero divided by a number...
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg51789] Re: Zero divided by a number...
- From: "David W. Cantrell" <DWCantrell at sigmaxi.org>
- Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2004 02:05:11 -0500 (EST)
- References: <dz50uwrnio0u@legacy> <cm4qoc$6j6$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
rwprogrammer at hotmail.com (Richard) wrote: [snip] > Mathematica handles 0 appropriately. x/0 is undefined for any number > x. In Mathematica, it is _not_ true that "x/0 is undefined for any number x." Rather, for any nonzero x, x/0 is defined as ComplexInfinity. > This is extremely simple to see if only you view division as the > opposite of multipication. That view of division is simply inadequate in number systems (such as the extended complex numbers) in which division of nonzero quantities by zero is defined. > A/B = C implies that C * B = A. > > 12/4 = 3 because 3*4 = 12. > 0/7 = 0 because 0*7 = 0. > 7/0 is undefined because x*0 does not equal 7 for any number x. > Therefore it has no answer (except undefined). In Mathematica, 7/0 yields ComplexInfinity, but that certainly does not imply that 0 * ComplexInfinity = 7. (In fact, 0 * ComplexInfinity is Indeterminate in Mathematica.) David Cantrell
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