47man wrote:
Because 1/3 is NOT 0.3333333....
We use it as such because the decimal is so infinitesimally small that there is simply no logic with using it in normal "math". .333333+.333333+.333333=.9999999
1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 = 1
You would be right if you said 1/3 is not 0.3 or 0.33 or 0.333 or 0.3333 but
1/3
is equal to 0.3~ (recurring - an infinite number of 3's).
While 0.333333~ may not be a number that a human can accurately work with, the value 1/3 is.
There are a lot of numbers that occur in the universe that may not occur in your day to day life, but (most) humans can still understand their concepts - take infinity, pi, the square root of -1 (
i) or the natural number (
e) as the most common examples.
Just because I can't have
e apples, doesn't mean that that number doesn't exist.
I don't know what you think is "normal" maths, and I don't quite understand why you think we aren't dealing in "normal" maths. Maths is a universal concept - even if an alien civilisation (say one that doesn't count in base 10) would be able to understand these concepts.
This argument has arisen simply because some people's brains are not able to grasp abstract concepts such as multi-dimentions, infinity, imaginary numbers, uncertainties and probabilities etc. They run on the exact same emotional drives that caused us to believe we live on a flat planet at the centre of the universe.
For those people, just remember ignorance is bliss. If you want to be happy, don't take up IT or science - it's obviously not for you. Stick to the more earth bound concepts of art, music or bricklaying and don't stifle the work of the great scientific minds.
It's a good thing people like Einstein didn't post on forums otherwise they may have been discouraged from their work by kids like Des.Kmal calling them "dumbfucks".