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What happens if you subtract infinity from infinity, 0 or -infinity?
Bill Clinton
Posts: 9,389 Forum Member
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What is the answer to Infinity minus Infinity.
If you add Infinity to 0 you will get Infinity fair enough. If you subtract infinity from 0 you will get -infinity, the negative number equivalent so far, so simple But there is a rather mindbending logical fallacy that happens if you consider the possibility of subtracting infinity from infinity would you get 0, or because infinity is after all infinite, whether backwards of forwards, would you actually get -infinity (negative infinity).
It's even more disturbingly mindbendingly bizarre when you consider the logical fallacy behind such questions as can you add infinity to infinity or multiply infinity by infinity, how can it be possible to get an infinite amount more on top of an already infinite amount of something, perhaps that is the literal definition of something that is absolutely impossible.
If you add Infinity to 0 you will get Infinity fair enough. If you subtract infinity from 0 you will get -infinity, the negative number equivalent so far, so simple But there is a rather mindbending logical fallacy that happens if you consider the possibility of subtracting infinity from infinity would you get 0, or because infinity is after all infinite, whether backwards of forwards, would you actually get -infinity (negative infinity).
It's even more disturbingly mindbendingly bizarre when you consider the logical fallacy behind such questions as can you add infinity to infinity or multiply infinity by infinity, how can it be possible to get an infinite amount more on top of an already infinite amount of something, perhaps that is the literal definition of something that is absolutely impossible.
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Infinity isn't a number. It just is. It can't be subtracted from, or added to. There is no "infinity+1" number. It's treated as a number in some fields, but it's not. It's an abstract concept, and one which is incredibly difficult to wrap one's head around.
Its a bit like what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object. Its an INCONCEIVABLE event.
It will make it all clear. Not!
Personally I have no bloody clue (and I think that's the right answer)
Weird idea to dream up but seems eminently sensible when explained to you.
Google "infinitesimals"
that is that it results in either
+infinity (ie just infinity)
0
-infinity
I've thought it could be all three answers at various points, -infinity, 0 or even +infinity. Because infinity is infinitely big perhaps when you try to take it off infinity the result just remains as infinity.
On the other hand perhaps the result is 0, because when you take an infinity off something that is an infinity away from 0 you might just be left with 0.
Or even still, perhaps you end up with -infinity, because if you take infinity off infinity, infinity is so big that why would it stop at 0, if it could get there, it would keep going forever and just end up as -infinity. But as it's infinity how can it even get back to 0.
There is an answer logically but I couldn't be certain which one it is.
like my post count
SIXTEEN HUNDRED POSTS OF GARBAGE!!!
:kitty:
You mean like saying the (infinite) set of real numbers is larger than the (infinite) set of cardinal numbers (put ordinal, but meant cardinal)
You get a very bad headache and spend an infinity querying the answer which would still be infinity
e^i pi +1=0
How can anyone conceive of stuff like this. And how can it be right?
or the correct answer, which is .....
ZERO
NEGATIVE INFINITY
ZERO
oops
forgot my hat again
A sort of Big Bang Brother?
I hope you're just being silly now.
Now fill those buckets with golf balls and adjust your concept of infinity.
Best I've found is 1,101,101
One million, one hundred and one thousand, one hundred and one
For 12 words, it's only 20 higher - 1,101,121
One million, one hundred and one thousand, one hundred and twenty one