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Subject: "Points, Lines, and Zero"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Conferences The CTK Exchange Middle school Topic #18
Reading Topic #18
S. H. Kelly
Charter Member
Oct-27-00, 01:08 PM (EST)
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"Points, Lines, and Zero"
 
   This is something that came to my mind a couple of months ago:

I have read that a line consists of an infinite number of points.

What came to mind was the fact the a point has no dimensions. It has no height, width, or depth, and a line only has one, length.

But neither of them have any magnitude, so stating that a line is made up of an infinite number of points is like saying that:

0/0 = INFINITY

Now this is obviously nonsense, but it is stated by many people that a line is made up of an infinite number of points, and that neither lines nor points have any area!

Any input?


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alexb
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672 posts
Oct-27-00, 01:12 PM (EST)
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1. "RE: Points, Lines, and Zero"
In response to message #0
 
   > But neither of them have any magnitude,
> so stating that a line is made up of an
> infinite number of points is like saying
> that:

> 0/0 = INFINITY

I fail to see how one thing implies another. Could you elaborate please.

Thank you,
Alexander Bogomolny


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