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I don't really know what you're all talking about, and that's a lot of stuff to read, and I don't really feel like doing that right now, so I'll just talk about something like math:

0.999... = 1

I know some people may disagree immediately, but there are many proofs out there that prove this, one of which is as follows:

x = 0.999...
10x = 9.999...
9x = 9.999... - x
9x = 9 (since x = 0.999... you can substitute 0.999... for x)
x = 1

And since x = 0.999... and x = 1, 0.999... = 1.

I think I'll go more in depth about this in a thread in the Hall of Great Discussions. If I make a thread there talking about this, I'll add the link in here:

That isn't even, like, close to some of the cooler things in math. If I remember correctly, I actually learned this in a formal classroom setting in 9th grade algebra 2.

I know. I could have talked about something like how 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12. Or anything Numberphile usually talks about. I just wanted to talk about this specifically because I've heard much dispute about whether it's true or not that 0.999... = 1. I can't convince my own father no matter how hard I try. I think one of my math teachers from an earlier grade disagreed with me, and it frustrated me.

I know. I could have talked about something like how 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12. Or anything Numberphile usually talks about. I just wanted to talk about this specifically because I've heard much dispute about whether it's true or not that 0.999... = 1. I can't convince my own father no matter how hard I try. I think one of my math teachers from an earlier grade disagreed with me, and it frustrated me.

I hope you realize that 1+2+3+4+...=-1/12 only works for a certain generalization of a convergent series, and that Numberphile's video was incredibly nonrigorous.

Edit: spelling

I know. I could have talked about something like how 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12. Or anything Numberphile usually talks about. I just wanted to talk about this specifically because I've heard much dispute about whether it's true or not that 0.999... = 1. I can't convince my own father no matter how hard I try. I think one of my math teachers from an earlier grade disagreed with me, and it frustrated me.

I hope you realize that 1+2+3+4+...=-1/12 only works for a certain generalization of a convergent series, and that Numberphile's video was incredibly nonrigorous.

Edit: spelling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes

I know. I could have talked about something like how 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12. Or anything Numberphile usually talks about. I just wanted to talk about this specifically because I've heard much dispute about whether it's true or not that 0.999... = 1. I can't convince my own father no matter how hard I try. I think one of my math teachers from an earlier grade disagreed with me, and it frustrated me.

I hope you realize that 1+2+3+4+...=-1/12 only works for a certain generalization of a convergent series, and that Numberphile's video was incredibly nonrigorous.

Edit: spelling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes

Can confirm. Am Philosophy Major.

I found this the other day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collatz_conjecture

I heard about it awhile ago, but I hadn't spent much time looking at it before.

I found this the other day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collatz_conjecture

I heard about it awhile ago, but I hadn't spent much time looking at it before.

... And THAT is why, ladies and gentleman, I am not a mathematics major

I know. I could have talked about something like how 1+2+3+4+... = -1/12. Or anything Numberphile usually talks about. I just wanted to talk about this specifically because I've heard much dispute about whether it's true or not that 0.999... = 1. I can't convince my own father no matter how hard I try. I think one of my math teachers from an earlier grade disagreed with me, and it frustrated me.

I hope you realize that 1+2+3+4+...=-1/12 only works for a certain generalization of a convergent series, and that Numberphile's video was incredibly nonrigorous.

Edit: spelling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes

Largely unrelated... the 1+2+3+4+...=-1/12 is a result of plugging -1 into the Riemann zeta function, which is

But only when the s>1. To get the -1/12, you have to extend past that, which means that it isn't really 1+2+3+4+..., but something else.

Numberphile actually discusses it here (their original -1/12 video seems to be intentionally trollish):

@ Mathy: Are you a reductionist (also known as a physicalist, materialist, etc.)? Essentially, the avid physicalist posits that all things are reducible to physics (and therefore math). Your thoughts?

(the @ [name] doesn't work if there is a space.)

Umm... yeah, I think so. I think that's a question that's better for @taulover

(the @ [name] doesn't work if there is a space.)

I know some people do that intentionally, to avoid annoying people by pinging them so much.

Umm... yeah, I think so. I think that's a question that's better for @taulover

http://lesswrong.com/lw/on/reductionism/

Yudkowsky's thoughts here are similar to my own.

Nice, thanks for sharing!

Nice, thanks for sharing!

I enjoyed the series in general (which is part of a larger set of blog posts by Yudkowsky called the Sequences).

Nice, thanks for sharing!

I enjoyed the series in general (which is part of a larger set of blog posts by Yudkowsky called the Sequences).

Link saved. Thanks for that. I'll definitely get around to those once the holidays start. I appreciate it!

Why does everyone seem to be changing their avatar picture right now?