KS Koh

This Reddit post left me so frustrated that I felt compelled to write about it.

We all grasp the concept that dividing any number by zero doesn’t make sense; it’s undefined. Yet, there’s an astonishing situation involving a teacher who, with the principal’s support, insisted that 1 divided by 0 equals 0.

This assertion is utterly perplexing, and even if we humor the notion, the potential consequences are nothing short of disastrous.

Before we delve into those consequences, let’s revisit the basics of arithmetic.

Division, simply put, involves “splitting into equal parts or groups.” For instance, if you have 10 apples and you wish to share them equally among two people, each person receives 5 apples.

10/2 = 5

Likewise, if you have 10 apples and intend to distribute them among 5 people, each person gets 2 apples.

10/5 = 2

However, when the number of people isn’t a factor of 10, you must divide the apples differently. For instance, with 3 people, you’d give 2 apples to each person and divide 1 apple into three equal parts, providing each person with 1/3 of that apple.

10/3 = 3 and 1/3.

This fundamental understanding of division underpins various mathematical operations.

Now, when you attempt to divide 10 apples into groups of zero, it might seem as though each group contains no apples. This perspective could align with the teacher’s argument. However, it’s essential to remember that the original 10 apples still exist; they haven’t vanished entirely.

Even if we were to entertain the teacher’s assertion, it would lead to the conclusion that 10/0 could be both 0 and 10 simultaneously. Nevertheless, this interpretation ultimately renders 10/0 undefined.

10/0 = 10 and 0 ==> undefined.

Accepting this erroneous assumption could lead to consequences in any field.

Let’s examine the fundamental formula for calculating time, distance, and speed: Time (t) = Distance (d) / Speed (X). Now, if we consider a scenario where X is equal to 0, and we mistakenly assume that any distance divided by 0 equals 0, the implication is that at a speed of 0, the time (t) required to cover any distance becomes 0. In simple terms, this suggests instantaneous travel, which we understand to be physically impossible.

For the Reddit original poster, yes, we should continue the fight that any number divided by 0 is undefined, or we are really doomed.