Why Math Does Not Exist

[Anonymous]

wow soccr743, you just totally proved my stupidity and now i'll just go back and change my post so everyone who reads your post will think you're insane...

[Afrobean]

Sorry peoples that guest was me. My cruddy computer has like logged me out or something like 3 times already.

[COBOL]

that was a psycedelic mushroom theory there,almost had a trip without any drugs.

[psychic25]

Interesting theory, but there's a paradox in your logic.

Subtraction doesn’t exist either. It is just adding negative numbers, which don’t exist. (1)
Addition doesn’t exist either because it is just subtracting negative numbers, which don’t exist. (2)

(Numbers added for reference)

If 1 is true, then how can 2 be true? If addition means you're using subtraction with negative numbers, and subtraction doesn't exist, then addition must be something entirely different- doing something (not subtraction) with positive numbers, which do exist. The same idea applies if you look at the reverse of this, namely,

Addition doesn’t exist because it is just subtracting negative numbers, which don’t exist.
Subtraction doesn’t exist either. It is just adding negative numbers, which don’t exist.

If addition doesn't exist, how do you add negative numbers? See my point?

Very good though- but you forgot about geometry. That still exists- that doesn't need operations. Well, I know some of it does (Addition Property of Equality) , but some of it doesn't (points, lines, planes, etc.)

One more thing- logic still exists, too. No operations there!

[Nima]

Moron.

This man knows what he's talking about.

[Cenright]

Yes maka, it was me. I knew it was you that wrote it, so I helped you out.

When you are working with zero, you are working with a place holder. It is kinda a stupid idea maka, but let me put a conversation before you.

---I have zero pants.
++Where are these pants you dont have?
---I dont have them.
++Then they dont exist? How can you measure something that doesnt exist?
---With zero.
++So you are using a number to say how many pants you dont have, even though you dont have any. Can you have -1 pairs then?


That is where the idea comes from.

[makaveli121212]

no i wouldnt answer like that...

---I have zero pants
++where are these pants you dont have
---right here
++i dont see them
---thats because i have zero
==im taking my pants off right now
++ gross
--- less than three

[makaveli121212]

well, i guess no one liked my rebutal there

[Nethri]

Ahh... Set Theory... a pretty interesting part of mathematics.

The basis of addition and the natural numbers is particularly intriguing.

Once you have the foundation of the basic concepts of sets of objects and/or ideas, you can define a non empty set (we'll call it S) such that there exists a function from S x S to S (we'll call it +) such that a+b=b+a and a+(b+c)=(a+b)+c where a, b, and c are elements of S, not necessarily distinct.

From there you can define the "less than" function on this function + by a>b implying there exists an element c in S such that a+c=b. By extension, you can define "less than or equal to", "greater than", and "greater than or equal to".

From here, you can show that:
(1) Every non-empty subset of our set S must have a unique least element. This means that there must exist some element in S (we'll call it f) such that f<g, where g is any and all elements of S.
(2) For any two elements in S (we'll call them p and q), exactly one of "p<q", "p=q", and "p>q" must be true.

Using this information, you can prove many theorems about addition. Also, you can prove that the second smallest element (the element that would be the smallest in case that the smallest of the original set were to be removed) of S is equal the smallest element plus itself. From there, you can show the third smallest element to be equal to the second smallest element plus the smallest element.

In doing such, we have given definition to our assumed set, which we call the Natural Numbers. Using the digits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 and the base 10 convention popularized by Fibonacci, we form a numeral system by which it can be shown that any natural number can be expressed.

So... addition doesn't exist? I beg to differ. Mathematics is merely a system of laws created by human beings to express and explain various concepts that they understood intuitively.

~Nethri, a math major who sucks at FFR

[alainbryden]

I conucur with Nima, in that that's a stupid and shallow theory, but I disagree in Nima in thinking that anyone even needs to explain why it's such a stupid theory.

[fusi0n]

this thread is still going? i thought this theory was already proven ridiculous

[Yami_no_Kouichi]

Ow. Math makes my brain hurt. That is why I'm an English major ^_^

I sent this to my math teacher. I'll post back and see what she says later, if she doesn't post on her own.

All of you have valid theories, even those that have been disproven. They were very enjoyable to read.

Sigh. I wish I had gotten in this thread sooner!

[SephirothFF7]

Oh god let it die with some form of dignity..please..

[Yami_no_Kouichi]

Can we give it a viking funeral?

[fusi0n]

why did u show it to ur teacher