What happens when I divide by zero?

Answer 1

Here is an example of dividing by zero:

Dividing can be thought of as repeated subtraction. Let's say you open a full closet and take out nothing. Then you keep taking out nothing each hour. How many hours will it take to empty the closet? Well, you could take nothing out every hour for the rest of eternity and the closet would still never be empty. This is why dividing by zero is undefined .. and the limit is 'infinity'

Answer 2

That closet example you were given is a very interesting and unique one. I guess it makes sense in a way. Leave it to a woman to relate math to clothes. :)

You can just look at it like this tho. If you divide by zero you are diving by nothing, therefore you never actually 'divide' the object at all.

Here's is what is happening:

Look at the following progression:

1/1 = 1
1/0.1 = 10
1/0.01 = 100
1/0.001 = 1000
1/0.0001 = 10000

Do you see how the result is getting larger and larger?

As the denominator gets smaller and smaller....approaching zero, the result gets bigger and bigger approaching infinity.

Answer 3

Infinite

Answer 4

you cant divid by zero

Answer 5

La Hopital came close to giving an answer to this question. Look up La Hopital's rule on wikipedia.org