Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Well if we're going to start on the 'interesting' maths proofs, try this one

 

£1 = 100p = (10p)2 = (£0.1)2 = £0.01 = 1p,

 

so £1 = 1p

 

Explains a lot about imnflation and the recession doesn't it!

Posted
I sincerely hope this is a joke ;)

 

 

Well I wasn't actually seriously suggesting that the whole basis of civilisation since the ancient Greeks was built on a mathematical fallacy!

 

But I note you have not pointed out the flaw in this 'proof'. There's no division by zero in this one. ;)

Posted
Well I wasn't actually seriously suggesting that the whole basis of civilisation since the ancient Greeks was built on a mathematical fallacy!

 

But I note you have not pointed out the flaw in this 'proof'. There's no division by zero in this one. ;)

 

Decimal points are our friend.

Posted
Well if we're going to start on the 'interesting' maths proofs, try this one

 

£1 = 100p = (10p)2 = (£0.1)2 = £0.01 = 1p,

 

so £1 = 1p

 

Explains a lot about imnflation and the recession doesn't it!

 

There's your problem(s).

 

10 squared is never 1. You have to treat it as an integer in the calculation.

Posted
There's your problem(s).

 

10 squared is never 1. You have to treat it as an integer in the calculation.

 

Eh? I've said 10 squared = 100 , which it does.

Posted
There's your problem(s).

 

10 squared is never 1. You have to treat it as an integer in the calculation.

Yes, different units. You can square a number but pence and pounds are different dimensions.

Posted (edited)
Eh? I've said 10 squared = 100 , which it does.

 

You are not squaring 0.1, You are squaring 10. It is 100 as you say and as such the calculation reading (£0.1)2 = £0.01 is far, far too simplistic.

 

Playing with the units simply doesn't work. You must keep the units consistent otherwise it all falls down, it is an extremely common trap to fall into in the engineering theory I used to work with.

 

Compare Apples with Apples.

 

Always conclude the calculations are doing before switching units.

Edited by Colinjb
Posted
Nothing to do with the decimal points. 0.1 x 0.1 = 0.01 is correct, and 10p does = 0.1 of a £

 

You're mixing pence and pounds and once you square £0.1 you are in a different dimension which requires a correction factor of 100 to get back to the one in which we live.

Posted
Well if we're going to start on the 'interesting' maths proofs, try this one

 

£1 = 100p = (10p)2 = (£0.1)2 = £0.01 = 1p,

 

so £1 = 1p

 

This step is wrong. There are 100 p in a £ so to go from p2 to £2 you need to convert by 1002

Posted
(£0.1)2 = £0.01

 

Dis bit is all wrong!

 

When you is squaring something you is also squaring the unit of measure, so if you squares £0.1 you is actually getting 0.01 square pounds, and a square pound is 10,000 pence, and 0.01 times 10,000 pence is 100 pence.

 

I just made that up! But it explains things nicelys!

Posted
Dis bit is all wrong!

 

When you is squaring something you is also squaring the unit of measure, so if you squares £0.1 you is actually getting 0.01 square pounds, and a square pound is 10,000 pence, and 0.01 times 10,000 pence is 100 pence.

 

I just made that up! But it explains things nicelys!

 

 

Quite right. Exactly! (Though not so good on the English syntax!)

Posted

Try replacing the £ with metre and p with cm and then imagine it with little square tiles each 1cm x 1cm.

So 100p = (10p)2 which would be the same as saying that 100 tiles in a row can be arranged into a square 10 tiles by 10 tiles, but this does not equal 0.1m2 which would need 1000 tiles. The difference is between (0.1)2m and (0.1m)2

Posted
Try replacing the £ with metre and p with cm and then imagine it with little square tiles each 1cm x 1cm.

So 100p = (10p)2 which would be the same as saying that 100 tiles in a row can be arranged into a square 10 tiles by 10 tiles, but this does not equal 0.1m2 which would need 1000 tiles. The difference is between (0.1)2m and (0.1m)2

 

 

Nobody likes a smartarse WG ;)

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...