Acwruecmp.100 net.math utzoo!decvax!cwruecmp!decot Wed May 5 11:40:26 1982 2 = 1 Here's one without imaginary numbers, or even any division by nasty things: ************************************** Recall this from grade school: a * b = a + a + ... + a {b times} ************************************** Substitute x for a and b: x * x = x + x + ... + x {x times} ************************************** Differentiate both sides: 2 * x = 1 + 1 + ... + 1 {x times} ************************************** Simplify 1 + 1 + ... + 1: 2 * x = x ************************************** Assume x isn't 0, cancel it from both sides: 2 = 1 ************************************** What's wrong? Dave Decot - CWRU ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.