• Setarkus.LW
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    711 year ago

    Explanation for mathematical illiterates?

    • @funnystuff97
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      1201 year ago

      A very wrong proof once showed that the sum of all positive integers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4…) was -1/12. In reality, the infinite sum has no solution, so this proof became something of a meme.

        • @[email protected]
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          131 year ago

          One of those cases where “first you learn the rules. Then you can learn how to break them.”

      • @soloner
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        371 year ago

        Fr I didn’t know what I was doing and tried it … broke both of my legs and gave me a concussion.

        Don’t mess around with -1/12!

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        I don’t like the Ramanujan explanation at all because c - 4c doesn’t equal the divergent series, since 4c is only supposed to subtract from every other number, so it has more terms at every single limit of n, and thus more terms at infinity. So c - 4c is just -3c, not a divergent series.

          • @[email protected]
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            01 year ago

            Except it is. Infinities can have different sizes, and the size of an infinity needs to be taken into account when working with them.

            Rama subtracted one infinity that is twice the size of another from it, so he subtracted twice as many numbers as his equation implies.

            • @[email protected]
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              151 year ago

              Infinities do have different sizes, yes. But not on that scale. Both of these are countably infinite sets.

              Think about this: there are infinitely many primes. Obviously, not every number is prime. But you can still map primes 1:1 with the natural numbers. They’re both the same size of infinity.

              • @[email protected]
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                01 year ago

                Not when you’re adding them together.

                c - 4c = -3 - 6 - 9 - 12…

                In order to make c the same as the divergent series you have to subtract the series:

                f = 0 + 4 + 0 + 8 …

                Which is not the same series as 4c.

    • @[email protected]
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      131 year ago

      Basically there’s this meme that 1+2+3…= -1/12, which isn’t true, but is related to something that is true.

    • @[email protected]
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      71 year ago

      I’m not smart enough to explain it but it’s a reference to Ramanujan Summation if you want to read about it yourself.

        • blargerer
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          51 year ago

          For context, I knew it was wrong and was more providing a source of what made the meme blow up. Your follow up video is a great one.

        • @[email protected]
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          21 year ago

          I love how excited this guy is. He can barely hold back and keeps giggling. It’s so endearing I had to watch the whole thing. Very interesting.

      • Setarkus.LW
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        21 year ago

        Completely forgot about this for a few days and now I’m kinda drowning in explanations :))