Prove that 1 = 2? Agree or disagree with my proof.?

Question

Let a =b

multiply both sides with a

aa = ab ...or

a² = ab

subtract b² from both sides:

a²-b² = ab-b²

factor:

(a+b)(a-b) = b(a-b)

simplify. cancel the term (a-b)since both side has it

a+b = b

but a = b

therefore

b + b = b

2b = b

2 = 1 ...????

Yes! Old trick but not everyone know where is wrong!

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If you post a question, that doesn't mean you don't know the answer. Maybe you just want to share it so somebody. When you answer a question, not only the asker is reading your answer, everybody. So, for someone who don't know the answer, maybe he will wait somebody to answer it and then he will have the idea.

To 'The Stainless Steel Rat', i don't claim the proof to be mine. I should replace the word 'my' with 'this'. Do you know by the way where this 'proof' first appear?

More than half of the answers are correct. For those incorrect, it's a 'DISCOVERY'. And this is what Yahoo!7 Answers is for.

Answer 1

u cannot divide both sides by (a-b) as a-b = 0 and division by 0 is a sin in math.

Answer 2

Loaded question alert: 1. Science winces at the word "proof". It does its best to refute its own claims, which is why it gets better and more accurate. 2. A coherent definition of God must be presented and agree upon by everyone. This is improbable, so igtheism remains for the time being a good scientific driven stance on the existence of God. 3. I believe science can make a great case not to believe in God (of the Abrahamic faiths).

Answer 3

i disagree hehehehe
you are right with all the operation but i think that the moment youve minus b^2 the wrong things start
im not sure about it but your equation becomes equal to 0
and a-b will be 0 if a=b
so you cant factor 0 right
if a=3
then b=3 also so subs. this value to each and every step of your equation will not give 2=1 but 0=0 hehehe

Answer 4

if
a+b=b
then
b=b-a
since
a=b
b=b-b
and
b=0
so
a=0
and
2(0)=0

Answer 5

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RE:
Prove that 1 = 2? Agree or disagree with my proof.?
Let a =b

multiply both sides with a

aa = ab ...or

a² = ab

subtract b² from both sides:

a²-b² = ab-b²

factor:

(a+b)(a-b) = b(a-b)

simplify. cancel the term (a-b)since both side has it

a+b = b

but a = b

therefore

b + b = b

2b = b

2 = 1 ...????

Answer 6

If you start with a=b, you cannot do the "cancel" operation since that would involve division by zero. So all is right up to the equation (a+b)(a-b) = b(a-b) which means nothing more than 0=0 since you start with the assumption a=b.

Answer 7

you cannot simplify with (a-b) because a-b=0; SO I DON*T AGREE!!!
if you have 0=0 that means 3*0=5*0 if you simplify with 0 then 3=5 and that's not correct

Answer 8

First this is not yours. It is a real oldie and the trick here is that you are dividing by 0. Not kosher. Not allowed. Therefore the result.

Answer 9

It is wrong.from the beginning you supposed a=b , in the third step You have 0=0, since then 1x0 any number x0, the result in all cases is 0=0.

Answer 10

Nice goin... algebraically it could make sense... but in algebra, those are not really numbers, but merely units of 'b'. The only real values are what are assigned to the variables.

Hope I make sense...