im gonna reblog this with an unfun fact: 1 divided in thirds is actually 0.333 repeating, on into infinity. a line of not-quite-thirds-of-a-percent getting ever smaller, forever. multiply that endless line by three and you get a different size of endless line: 0.999 repeating.
and unfortunately 0.999 repeating equals 1. it’s not close to 1, it is the same thing as 1.
this is because the difference between 0.999… and 1, is a fraction that gets infinitely smaller for as long as you zoom in. they’re the same number. the difference between them is infinitely small. you will never be able to reach the final sum of how much smaller the fraction is from the whole integer and therefore it’s mathematically not there.
where is that 0…001? it’s at the end of infinity. it’s nowhere. therefore, it isn’t.
Which makes this a great metaphor! Slice up your cake (integer) into several pieces (decimal representations) and just a little bit, an infinitely small crumb, is left stuck to the knife (number system by which we attempt to concretely represent abstract concepts).
Cannot Stress Enough how important it is to read Howl’s Moving Castle written by Diana Wynn Jones immediately after watching Howl’s Moving Castle directed by Hayao Miyazaki. When he made the movie he was of course upset with war and thus included it in the film, but you gotta understand. You really Gotta Understand. Every time in the movie where Howl turns the door dial black to travel to an absolutely hellish warscape? You know where that same dial takes him in the book? The Real World Country Of Wales
He goes to his sister’s house to play rugby and have a drink with his mates. His sister is like “you fucking loser get a JOB” and Howell is like “I have a job, I’m a wizard!” And she’s like “FUCK OFF”
a part of adult life you never really realize as a child is the constant need for bowls in so many different sizes. you’re always doing something and going “man i wish i had the right size bowl for this” no matter how many bowl sizes you have
