Infinite Resistance

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

You know, by actually answering the question you took all the fun out of it Charlie. I'm still laughing at your opening comment. I figured you'd take care of this in one post.

Editted grammer.

[ December 07, 2004, 02:53 PM: Message edited by: physis ]

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Rob123, I couldn't find enough resitance in empty space either.

Edit: Charlie, I didn't post that as a fact.

[ December 07, 2004, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: physis ]

 

[rob123]

Re: Infinite Resistance

And Rob, of course you're right about the math and I fear you're the one getting frustrated. I'm being amused and educated by considering the question.

naw...I'm having fun! (wow, what some folks consider fun, eh?)

In part, because I can recall asking the same questions myself when first confronting these issues. Hope I didn't sound too staid, but I take my math as seriously as my humor.

Now stop resisting or I'll be forced to flog you with my slide rule!

LOL

 

[rob123]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Rob123, I couldn't find enough resitance in empty space either.

try looking in the empty space ether.

:roll:

 

[hbiss]

Re: Infinite Resistance

I don't think you can even color code .0001 ohm

I don't think with the old color code system that dates back to the vacuum tube days of high impedances and high voltages, resistances that low were a consideration. It would simply be a jumper wire. Anything more "precision" than that, like a meter shunt, would be marked.

-Hal

[ December 07, 2004, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: hbiss ]

 

[charlie]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Charlie, you know you can't divide by zero.

I know that Sam but I got you on an old joke. I know, paybacks are h***.

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Yeah Charlie, Paul32 had to straighten me out. I was just happy to use the ≠ sign.

Rob, you didn't bother me a bit. It was actually kind of fun picturing you,

stop saying divide by zero

And I still haven't seen that X/0≠Infinity

Except that the operation isn't allowed and therefore it's nonsense.

 

[charlie b]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Originally posted by physis:And I still haven't seen that X/0≠Infinity Except that the operation isn't allowed and therefore it's nonsense.

Would you accept the following manner of saying what is essentially the same thing?

For any positive value of ?X,? the limit, as ?a? approaches zero, of ?X / a? is infinity.

The phrase ?limit . . . is infinity,? as used in this statement, is defined as follows:

For any positive number ?L,? there exists a value of ?a? (let us call that specific value ?n?), such that the value of ?X / a? is greater than L, for all values of ?a? that are less than ?n.?

Here?s an example. Let us try to find the ?value? of 100 divided by 0. Let us start by picking a number for ?L.? Let?s say 10,000. We want to divide 100 by some number, and have the answer be over 10,000. We try dividing 100 by 2. No good - the answer is not as high as ?L? (i.e., 50 is lower than 10,000). Now try dividing 100 by 0.5. No good - the answer is still not as high as ?L? (i.e., 200 is lower than 10,000). Now try dividing 100 by 0.001. This worked! This answer is higher than ?L? (i.e., 100,000 is higher than 10,000). Next I can prove that dividing the original 100 by any number that is lower than that 0.001 will never give me an answer below 10,000. And we didn?t have to start with 10,000. We could have chosen 100,000,000, or any other number we liked. I can show that the value of "100 / a" can be made higher than that number, by keeping ?a? small enough.

That is the language of limits and infinities.

 

[charlie]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Charlie, you are having too much fun with this. I think the guys in white coats are coming for you soon. They have a long sleeved coat for you.

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

I have to plead lack of clarity here Charlie B.

I've got this:

X/a > L Where a ≤ n

But I'm missing how this addresses infinity.

 

[paul32]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Maybe you can think of it graphically. This is a graph of y = 1/x I found on the internet:

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

This is wierd. Either I'm just missing it (and it doesn't seem that complicated) or this is actaully confirming x/o=∞

It's funny that I could only find this (tiny infinity) sign.

 

[charlie b]

Re: Infinite Resistance

Originally posted by physis: I've got this: X/a > L Where a ≤ n
But I'm missing how this addresses infinity.

You are about as close to the truth as I think I can lead you. But to answer your question, the way this ?addresses infinity? is that this ?limit? stuff allows us to assert that we can make X / a as big as we wish ? there is no upper bound. One way it is described is to say that ?X / a increases without bound, as ?a? approaches zero.?

Perhaps it will help if you stop trying to think of infinity as though it were a number. It is not. It is a concept whose meaning is essentially ?think of a number, it?s bigger than that.?

 

[peter d]

Re: Infinite Resistance

I got a D- in Calculus II. This thread is reminding me why.

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

I know you can arrive at infinities of seemingly different values. And I'm fully cognizant of infinity's being a concept and not a number.

What if you looked at zero the same way. Although zero is a valid number I think it is also a concept. The "concept" of "absolute nothing". That may be as nonexistant as infinity.

I don't think you could say the same for a number like 2. The concept of 2?

So if you ask the question what is the inverse of nothing you might want to say everything. But if nothing and zero are synonymns then (X/a > L Where a ≤ n) would tend to demonstrate, if not prove, that everything is not the inverse of nothing. If that's true then it must be more. That's infinity!

Eddited missing word

When those guys come to my house I just tell them I'm George Washington.

[ December 08, 2004, 01:50 PM: Message edited by: physis ]

 

[rob123]

Re: Infinite Resistance

This is wierd. Either I'm just missing it (and it doesn't seem that complicated) or this is actaully confirming x/o=?

STOP SAYING DIVIDE BY ZERO!!!

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

I was wondering where you went Rob.

 

[rob123]

Re: Infinite Resistance

o.k., how about this...

I have two bags and I'm going to give one away. One bag is filled with infinite amounts of cash, and the other contains zero cash. You can pick only one, and after you pick you're free to divide the contents however you like.

now if you still don't care (since they're both the same) I'll give you the bag with zero cash.

 

[physis]

Re: Infinite Resistance

If I could figure out how to post an image I'd give you a yin yang.



[ December 09, 2004, 02:33 AM: Message edited by: physis ]

 

[charlie]

Re: Infinite Resistance