Glademaster said:
blackshark121 said:
First off, this particular proof is search bar approved, and does not contain division by zero.
cos[sup]2[/sup]x=1-sin[sup]2[/sup]x.........................Given
cos x = (1-sin[sup]2[/sup]x)[sup]1/2[/sup]................Square root each side.
1+ cos x = (1-sin[sup]2[/sup]x)[sup]1/2[/sup] + 1....Add one to each side
1 - 1 = (1-0)[sup]1/2[/sup] + 1..................Evaluate at x = pi (3.14159...)
0 = 1 + 1
0 = 2
So where is the error?
EDIT: I probably should expand, I am trying to find the error, I am not posing this as trivia.
For starters there is no value for X that is the problem right there you just seem to be pulling the value out of your arse without it being given as cos of a variable is not always equal to 1 neither is sin of a variable always equal to 0.
Sorry, but sin^2(x) + cos^2(x) = 1 for all x.
Make a circle with radius 1 centred on the origin. Any point on the circle will be 1 unit away from the origin. Now, if you make a right-angled triangle there with the hypotenuse going from the origin to any point on the circle you can see that the co-ordinate of that point will be (cos x, sin x). According to Pythagoras' Theory, then cos^2(x) + sin^2(x) = 1^2 = 1, for all x.
So there's no problems there.
Nivag said:
Mathematics as an expression isn't always 100% perfect and you can occasionally stumble on the "proof" for ridiculous claims like this. I remember reading some one 1 = 2. I remember it said a good way to disprove it is to actually apply it to a physical experiment.
No. If you stumble on that sort of proof, then you've made an error in your calculations. Check for divisions by zero, not being careful with square roots, etc. The only time when maths breaks down is if you're trying to apply a model to describe a physical experiment (because there will always be factors the model will ignore). If you're trying to do something strictly with numbers, without using experimental data at all, and you get a result telling you 1 = 2, then you've made a mistake.
Maths is perfect. We haven't discovered everything we need to know, but never be so arrogant as to blame mathematics for being inconsistant. It's not maths that's wrong, it's YOUR maths that are wrong. It's when you apply the maths to real things when you get errors. Look at trying to predict the weather, for example.