I screwed up math somehow

Assume the following:

y = (n * pi) / (n + 1)

Solve for n when y = pi

I ended up with the following:

n = n + 1

So... where did I mess up? It doesn't make sense that 0 = 1, and I don't recall dividing by zero.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiel

Assume the following:

y = (n * pi) / (n + 1)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fiel

y = pi

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That's where you messed up.

You assumed that 0 = 1, therefore you got 0 = 1.

Unless you have the information wrong...I'm not sure.
Assuming that y = pi and that y = (n *pi) / (n + 1) you would get:

Code:

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y = (n * pi) / (n + 1)
pi = (n * pi) / (n + 1)
pi(n + 1) = n * pi
n + 1 = n

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http://www.walterzorn.com/grapher/grapher_e.htm
Graphing it finds a horizontal asymptote at y=pi.
:|

Another way of explaining things:

Pi is not an element of the range of this function.

Actually, you could look at that n=n+1, and realize as the absolute value of n gets large, the equation becomes more and mroe true. [ n/(n+1) -> 1]
That would tell you when y=pi, x=+- infinity.

Silly Fiel, learn to recognize asymptotes =P

Comon man, that shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Muscle em up!

And what Kaj said ^^

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hazzy

Actually, you could look at that n=n+1, and realize as the absolute value of n gets large, the equation becomes more and mroe true. [ n/(n+1) -> 1]
That would tell you when y=pi, x=+- infinity.

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A variable that is approaching a value is not the same as the variable being the value.

you lie fiel, thats not math i see no numbers just letters.

(hides in the biology corner where letters are words not numbers)

-hides in the chemistry corner where letters are nasty liquids that corrode metal and skin-

-hides in the engineering corner where letters are... wait, pomegranate.-

I'm not sure if I'm understanding this correctly (high school math level sucks) but the way it looks to me it's pretty obvious that (n*pi)/(n+1) can not equal pi because it doesn't matter what n are you multiplying pi with, you will always divide it with a greater number.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kortestanov

I'm not sure if I'm understanding this correctly (high school math level sucks) but the way it looks to me it's pretty obvious that (n*pi)/(n+1) can not equal pi because it doesn't matter what n are you multiplying pi with, you will always divide it with a greater number.

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That is a correct interpretation if you divide out PI on both sides first.