|
|
|
Viewing Version
2
of
'indeterminate form'
|
[ view 'indeterminate form'
|
back to history
]
| Title of object: |
indeterminate form |
| Canonical Name: |
IndeterminateForm |
| Type: |
Definition |
| Created on: |
2002-02-25 01:08:15 |
| Modified on: |
2002-05-01 16:01:46 |
| Classification: |
msc:12D99 |
| Synonyms: |
indeterminate form=indeterminate value |
Revision comment (for changes between this and next version):
| Changes for correction #9125 ('another indeterminate form'). |
Preamble:
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
%\usepackage{psfrag}
%\usepackage{graphicx}
%\usepackage{xypic} |
Content:
The expression
$$ \frac{0}{0} $$
is known as the \emph{indeterminate form}. The motivation for this name is that there are no rules for comparing the value of $\frac{0}{0}$ to the other real numbers. Note that, for example, $\frac{1}{0}$ is \emph{not} indeterminate, since we can justifiably associate it with $+\infty$, which \emph{does} compare with the rest of the real numbers (in particular, it is defined to be greater than all of them.)
Although $\frac{0}{0}$ is called ``the'' indeterminate form, another indeterminate form is
$$ \frac{\infty}{\infty} $$
for the same motivating reasons. |
|
|
|
|
|
