Kevin's Watch

What is 0 divided by 0?

This is part of a series on common misconceptions.

What is \frac00?00​?

Why some people say it's 0: Zero divided by any number is 0.

Why some people say it's 1: A number divided by itself is 1.

Only one of these explanations is valid, and choosing the other explanations can lead to serious contradictions.

Reveal the correct answer

Of course, there are many possible counterarguments to this. Here are a few common ones:

See common rebuttals

Introduction of terms like \frac{0}{0}00​ in otherwise sound arguments can break them down. See if you can spot the error in the problem below:

In game theory and economic theory, a zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which each participant's gain or loss of utility is exactly balanced by the losses or gains of the utility of the other participants.

That sums up Mallorys, yes?

It's like deja vu all over again!

Nullification has indeed returned to Mallory's!!!

This deserves a dadaesque offering.

Slinking like a pink
smooth muted saxes underneath
forage for serendipity
between noisome soups and stilted

Which word below would be on the same page that has guide words machine and magnitude?


Answer:

longitudinal waves of sound

The current concerns with
nullification seem to stem
from disquieting societal
trends, centered around
racial disharmony and
antagonism. However,
nullification is a legitimate
result of an appropriate
constitutional process
safeguarded by judges
and the judicial process.
This author, for one,
maintains that, although
juries should not be explicitly
instructed that they have the
power to nullify, judges
should use their discretion
to allow nullification by
applying the concepts of
relevancy and prejudice and
by admitted evidence bearing
on moral issues. Most jurors,
he points out, follow the
evidence, deliberate fully,
and ask the right questions
during their deliberations.
Nullification had its American
origins in colonial juries which
ignored British law to acquit
dissidents. Along with civil
disobedience, nullification
may be seen as an integral
feature of the birth of this
nation. The group decision
making process inherent in
the jury system protects the
law from the chaos that would
result if each individual could
interpret it according to his
sense of justice. This author
concludes that judges should
allow nullification without
fostering it. 65 notes

"Nullification is the formal suspension by a state of a federal law within its borders. The concept was first given voice by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, in opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts."

null and void

PHRASE
If an agreement, a declaration,
or the result of an election is
null and void, it is not legally valid.

A spokeswoman said the agreement
had been declared null and void.

Synonyms: invalid, useless, void,
worthless. null and void

Nullified: 79 Synonyms
__________________

abolished
repealed
canceled
cancelled
overturned
voided
invalidated
annulled
negated
avoided
vacated
rescinded
abrogated
quashed
dissolved
dismissed
revoked
suspended
abated
withdrew
nulled
struck down
disannulled
reversed
set aside
vetoed
rolled back
rejected
retracted
overruled
eliminated
removed
countermanded
overrode
prohibited
banned
erased
forbade
outlawed
recalled
aborted
disallowed
enjoined
did away with
eradicated
annihilated
called
liquidated
called off
dropped
forbad
threw out
broke down
wrote off

null isopods are of little interest to most commercial fisheries owing to the typical paucity of catches and because ensnared isopods are usually scavenged beyond marketability before they are recovered. However, in Northern Taiwan and other areas, they are not uncommon at seaside restaurants, served boiled and bisected with a clean lateral slice. The delicious white meat, almost sweet and not dissimilar to