boemker@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Tim Boemker) (01/19/88)
>>Zero symmetrically divides the number line. If one had to choose ONE >>of the values on the number line as being unique, it would have to be >Intuitively this is correct. But mathematically this is wrong. On both >the integer number line and the real number line under normal topology >(-infinity,b) and (b,infinity) are the same size where b is any number. >In the integer case both sets are countable infinite. In the real case both >sets are uncountable infinite. This, along with reasons that others have >stated makes me think that even 0 is a bad magic number. Zero does symmetrically divide the number line. Symmetry does not necessarily mean that the number line is divided into two pieces of equal length. In this case, it can mean that -x and +x are equally distant from 0. (By the way, I am not promoting the use of zero as a magic number.) Tim Boemker boemker@hpfcdq
jk@hpfelg.HP.COM (John Kessenich) (01/21/88)
Of the integer values a typical machine word can take on, zero is quite close to their "center". ;-)
sarge@scheme.Berkeley.EDU (Steven Sargent) (01/21/88)
Arrrgggh! You're going about in circles. Can't we just leave this? (Alternately: Clearly 2 is a more fundamental integer than either 0 or 1. In addition to symmetrically dividing the numberline, 2 underlies the very concept of symmetry! Therefore 2 is the One, True, Good Magical Number. As to the One Evil Number: obviously 1858, which in addition to symmetrically dividing the number line, is also the base year for the Smithsonian Institution clock. And we know that the latter is an Illuminati-inspired conspiracy...) S.
nevin1@ihlpf.ATT.COM (00704A-Liber) (01/22/88)
[follow this up to sci.math. It never really belonged in comp.lang.c.]
In article <5080015@hpfcdc.HP.COM> boemker@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Tim Boemker) writes:
.Zero does symmetrically divide the number line. Symmetry does not necessarily
.mean that the number line is divided into two pieces of equal length. In this
.case, it can mean that -x and +x are equally distant from 0. (By the way, I
.am not promoting the use of zero as a magic number.)
All numbers symmetrically divide the number line. That is what translation of
coordinates is all about. If n is the number dividing the number line, then
the line is divided symetrically about n.
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