What can actually be divided by zero? | Teen Ink

What can actually be divided by zero?

October 27, 2021
By Vashishth BRONZE, Kanpur, Other
Vashishth BRONZE, Kanpur, Other
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Division by zero is an undefined term because division means parting and you cannot part something until and unless it has a part, and the thing without any parts is zero. Well talking about zero, people usually say that zero has no value but someone wise has said, “Zeroes have a great value when placed right”. Interesting, because when you see the above quote it's correct both ways, philosophically and mathematically too. In my point of view, I personify zero and it seems to be the President of America of numbers, the most dominant. The numeric value with which it multiplies becomes zero, and during division, it leads to an identity crisis of the number which is divided by zero. But when it comes to addition and subtraction, zero is like Sweden, following peace as long as existence. You add or subtract any number with zero, no change, as neutral as a neutralization reaction. Hilarious isn’t it. Well, there are two versions of this article, the first one is mathematical and the other a bit philosophical. Ending with the imaginative musings of a teen on zero, let’s jump to the mathematical overview of division by zero.

Looking back in history, division by zero has been an amazing topic to indagate upon by mathematicians. The Riemann Hypothesis, one of the millennial problems of the Clay mathematical institute, led the German scientist G.R. Riemann to find the Riemann circle, too much Riemann here. So this sphere ended up with the invention of “Modular Arithmetic” which kind of explained indirectly the division by zero. But still, it is hazy in its ways. Well in layman terms, division by zero is called undefined. Because it cannot be defined. Let’s understand. Let’s take a number, let’s say 1 and divide it by 0.1, then by 0.01, then 0.001, it gives 10,100,1000 respectively and if we keep this process going on, it tends to infinity, such that the number we divide 1 with, becomes infinitesimally small i.e. equals to zero. Therefore 1 divided by zero = infinity. Quite well defined. But there is a twist. Take any other number, let’s say 2. Divide it by 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 and the answers will be 20, 200, 2000 and continue this process this too tends to infinity, therefore 2 divided by zero is also equal to infinity. Solve this further and you get an amazing result. 1=2. Breaking the defined laws or something that we know is fundamentally wrong. Thus division by zero is not defined because it can’t be, Thus division by zero is still what it is. The millennial problem remains unsolved. I imagine about those million dollars reducing their value due to deflation. Anyway, it is the hardest way possible to earn them, at least I think so.

But now coming to the philosophical side of the article. Layman is back with his definition, Division by zero is undefined. Undefined, what else in this world is undefined? Well, there are many things but one of them is ‘SUCCESS’. People around me and almost everyone has exalted defining success. And the answer is still the same, success is undefined because it cannot be defined or it has infinite definitions. For someone, success might be owning a big house, luxury cars, watches, clothes and not materialistic things. On the other hand, success might be seeing pride and honour in their mothers and fathers face. Someone may find his/ her success in having food twice a day. Well in my opinion if there exist seven billion people in this world, there exist seven billion different definitions for success. But the path to whatever success means to you, will not be easy. The world will set metrics for your Success, but that depends on you whether to pay attention to the naysayers or devote your time to working hard and smart and break all the metrics people create for you. But the thing I observed from the above-stated definitions of success, is that what people seek most is happiness, whether it is materialistically or spiritually. Thus a person is successful when he or she is happy at all stages of life. Coming back, division by zero is still undefined, but something for success at least. So I hereby rest my case.



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