News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:1/0 = 0 by kazinator on Friday August 10, 2018 @05:38PM (#17736924)
It is not valid to extrapolate an average of 0 from no data at all.

For example, if we examine a sample of zero elephants, then we end up estimating the average elephantine mass as being zero.

This shows to be wildly off as soon as we upgrade our statistical wherewithal to work with a sample size of one.

A center of mass is a kind of average. If we have an empty object made of no particles of matter at all, can we arbitrarily pin its center of mass to the (0, 0, 0) origin of the coordinate system we are using?

Re:1/0 = 0 by NickNameNick on Friday August 10, 2018 @09:18PM (#17737771)
This is probably beside the point, but shouldn't the center-of-mass of a massless object be everywhere simultaneously? With no reason to prefer any location, over any other?
Re:1/0 = 0 by Retra on Sunday August 12, 2018 @11:05PM (#17747783)
The center of mass of a massless object makes as much as "everywhere" being a location of anything.