Why Do These Math Paradoxes Seem to Defy Logic?

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Math paradoxes often arise from manipulating equations that involve division by zero, which is undefined. In the first example, the assumption that a equals b leads to a division by zero when simplifying, resulting in the erroneous conclusion that 1 equals 2. Similarly, in the second example, the expression (100-100)/(100-100) simplifies to 0/0, which is also an undefined operation. Both cases illustrate how logical fallacies can emerge from improper mathematical operations. Understanding the limitations of algebraic manipulation is crucial to avoiding these paradoxes.
PhysicoRaj
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I'm sure there must be some explanation to why these kind of things appear..

firstly,
consider a=b
ab=b2
a2-ab=a2-b2
a(a-b)=(a+b)(a-b)
a=a+b
since a=b,
b=b+b
1=2 !??


then this one-
(100-100)/(100-100)
=[(10+10)(10-10)/10(10-10)]
=2

Anything has gone wrong?
 
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PhysicoRaj said:
I'm sure there must be some explanation to why these kind of things appear..

firstly,
consider a=b
ab=b2
a2-ab=a2-b2
a(a-b)=(a+b)(a-b)
a=a+b
Since a = b, then a - b = 0. To get to the line above, you divided by zero, which is never allowed.
PhysicoRaj said:
since a=b,
b=b+b
1=2 !??


then this one-
(100-100)/(100-100)
=[(10+10)(10-10)/10(10-10)]
=2

Anything has gone wrong?
Here you canceled (10 - 10)/(10 - 10), which is 0/0. You can't do that.
 
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