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Re:Why can't we divide by zero? by Retric on Monday September 29, 2008 @03:11PM (#318674)
Let's use your approach to define every other number the other uses the classic counting method.

Every other number will be the same as your number for N-1 digits. So at infinity your number is the same except for the last digit but two real numbers N and N + 1/infinity are the same.

Re:Why can't we divide by zero? by hhm on Monday September 29, 2008 @03:24PM (#318699)
Let's see if I understand it well:

You define a numbering scheme that goes like this:

- the first number is, say, 0

- the Nth number is so that, its Mth digit for M<N is different to the Mth digit in M

Do I understand you well?

Re:Why can't we divide by zero? by hhm on Monday September 29, 2008 @03:29PM (#318703)
If that's what you mean, then I define a new number, R, that is different to all numbers in the sequence. It's defined as usual.

How do I know that this R number is different to all numbers in your sequence? Well, I can take any M number from your sequence and compare it to R. However, the Mth number is different to R in its Mth digit.

About the limit in the infinite... it doesn't matter at all... You can't take a M value that's infinite, as we have only numbers that have a finite size (there are infinite numbers with finite size, that's the trick on this; there aren't integers with an infinite size for example). And if you take an M that's finite, then you have to say that such Mth element is different to my R.

And so on for any sequence you can build (even for sequences you can't build, like random sequences).

Edit: possibly the big thing that's confusing you is that you can't have an infinite number, even if there are infinite numbers. So, taking the limit of a function is something that has a very restrict meaning that is actually not directly related to the concept of infinity. If you check the definition of limit it doesn't talk about infinities but about deltas, and if you use such definition your proposed problem stops being a problem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limit_(mathematics)#Formal_definition

Re:Why can't we divide by zero? by Retric on Monday September 29, 2008 @04:28PM (#318772)
possibly the big thing that's confusing you is that you can't have an infinite number, even if there are infinite numbers

Yep, that's new to me. So one followed by infinite zeros is not a rational number number. I have read otherwise, but I assume it was a sloppy definition of infinity that works when your not talking about countable numbers.

Re:Why can't we divide by zero? by hhm on Monday September 29, 2008 @04:57PM (#318812)
Real numbers can have infinite digits, but only after the point, such as pi. The size of any number, even if it's real, can't be infinitely big (a real is between two integer numbers, and integer numbers have to be finite). So yes, 1000(...)00000 with infinite 0s doesn't exist as a number.

Nice conversation anyway.