# Brace yourself **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 26, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563 "2020-02-26T17:20:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/1 "2020-02-26T17:20:42Z")
I’ve got a pad of paper and a pen right here, and I’m going to divide the next number I see by zero. Yes. I’m doing math in pen. This is going to be so irreversible! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/2 "2020-02-26T17:32:06Z")
Look, we don’t want the space-time continuum blown to bits, so cool your jets, okay? :eek: How about if you do something involving zero that’s not quite so destructive, like [learn to count backwards to zero](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/3 "2020-02-26T21:20:28Z")
Maybe we’ll get lucky the next number they see is zero. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/4 "2020-02-26T21:52:01Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Maybe we’ll get lucky the next number they see is zero. That won’t help; 0 / 0 is just as undefined as 4 / 0 (albeit for a different reason). We’re all doomed. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/5 "2020-02-26T21:56:10Z")
I like things divided by zero. It means I get to keep it ALL. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/6 "2020-02-26T23:42:54Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/euBzxXFEuA4/hqdefault.jpg "The Fixx - Saved By Zero (Best Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euBzxXFEuA4) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/7 "2020-02-27T00:37:53Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Maybe we’ll get lucky the next number they see is zero. Cool avatar! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/8 "2020-02-27T04:07:46Z")
Sounds like me doing my taxes and trying to figure out how to pay in. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/9 "2020-02-27T04:41:15Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > That won’t help; 0 / 0 is just as undefined as 4 / 0 (albeit for a different reason). I don’t know why 0/0 is a problem. The algorithm is: Subtract divisor (0) from the dividend (0) as many times as you can until the remainder is zero or at least less than the divisor. Count how many times you subtracted, and that is the quotient. Okay, let’s do 0/0: Subtract 0 from 0 once. The remainder is 0 so you’re done. You subtracted once, so the quotient is 1. It’s that simple. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/10 "2020-02-27T13:29:07Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > I’ve got a pad of paper and a pen right here, and I’m going to divide the next number I see by zero. > > Yes. I’m doing math in pen. This is going to be so irreversible! Did T **he Great Sun Jester** put you up to this? > [@Senegoid](#): > > I don’t know why 0/0 is a problem. The algorithm is: Subtract divisor (0) from the dividend (0) as many times as you can until the remainder is zero or at least less than the divisor. Count how many times you subtracted, and that is the quotient. > > Okay, let’s do 0/0: Subtract 0 from 0 once. The remainder is 0 so you’re done. You subtracted once, so the quotient is 1. It’s that simple. God I hate new math. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/11 "2020-02-27T14:17:31Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > God I hate new math. Yeah, but it worked! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/12 "2020-02-27T20:17:05Z")
I finally worked up the nerve today, and I’ll be danged if six divided by zero isn’t “504 server error” Not sure what to make of that. But since I failed to obliterate the universe this time around (I will try again sometime) I suppose I should just wish you all a very nice afternoon. Oh, and, wash your hands frequently. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/13 "2020-02-27T21:04:13Z")
If you’re bored and want a little chuckle ask Siri what is 0/0. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/14 "2020-02-27T23:51:40Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I don’t know why 0/0 is a problem. The algorithm is: Subtract divisor (0) from the dividend (0) as many times as you can until the remainder is zero or at least less than the divisor. Count how many times you subtracted, and that is the quotient. > > Okay, let’s do 0/0: Subtract 0 from 0 once. The remainder is 0 so you’re done. You subtracted once, so the quotient is 1. It’s that simple. This is like saying that the square root of 4 is 2 - it’s wrong by omission, since the square root of 4 is actually +/- 2. The obvious answer is wrong because it’s only one of multiple possible answers. a/b=c when c_b=a. So, solve c_0=0 for c. That’s your answer. Which is to say, c = _anything and everything_. 1_0=0. 2_0=0. pi_0=0. 42_0=0. Which means that 0/0=1, 0/0=2, 0/0=pi, and 0/0=42. Which of course means that 1 = 2 = pi = 42. ETA: Oh, and your algorithm also doesn’t work with negative numbers. What’s 4 / -2? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/15 "2020-02-28T01:16:11Z")
Come on, you can’t divide by zero. That 's a law or something. What you do instead is multiply by 1/0. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/16 "2020-02-28T03:37:31Z")
Yes, we have 0/0=0 bananas today. Zero bananas a day keeps the monkeys away. Zero electrical bananas are safer. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/17 "2020-02-28T14:33:58Z")
Important safety tip: Don’t cross the streams. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brace-yourself/848563/18 "2020-02-28T21:16:35Z")
It’s all about the limits, man. The limit of 1/x as x goes to zero is kinda on the non-finite side. But the limit of x/x as x goes to zero is not a problem. Similarly the limit of 0/x is not a problem. That they give different answers is an SEP\*. - Somebody else’s problem. Cf. _HGttG_. You just need the right pair of glasses.&\*\* \*\* On preview, my screen went really dark.