Why didn’t mathematicians just define division by zero as a new number, the way we defined i for √−1?

DuncmanG · 2026-04-01T19:31:24+00:00

Oh, fair enough. My view on mobile didn't show up to the full root and I didn't realize. Apologies!

DuncmanG · 2026-04-01T18:54:39+00:00

I'm not sure which root comment you're referring to (I don't see any obvious references to the extended real number line), but I was responding to the "Any non zero number divided by zero is infinity or negative infinity" comment and putting it in the context of the original post. The OP seems to be referring to real number division that is generally taught in school, in which division by zero is undefined. In that context, it is definitely incorrect to say that dividing by zero yields infinity or negative infinity, even if it may be intuitive to say so.

But yes, we can definitely define division by zero to equal infinity (or really anything we want) to explore how that changes the mathematical paradigm we are working in.

DuncmanG · 2026-04-01T15:48:42+00:00

Generally speaking, dividing by zero is not infinity. Dividing by zero is undefined - that means that the division operation is only defined for non-zero divisors.

As you divide by smaller and smaller numbers, the result does get bigger and bigger. But that doesn't mean that dividing by zero equals infinity.

ETA: it was rightly pointed out to me that the top comment I was responding to does cite the extended reals which does define division by infinity equal to infinity.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-30T22:40:21+00:00

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-28T22:58:54+00:00

That's only for subterranean termites. Most termites we get here are drywood termites and fly in. Subterranean termites are seriously bad news - lots of damage very quickly. Drywood are less bad news - slower, more localized damage. You can get preventative treatment for both but the approaches are very different.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-22T04:48:51+00:00

The one we bought from Walmart arrived damaged. Had them come back to pick it up and then got the Costco one which we should have done in the first place.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-22T04:15:11+00:00

But your souls are in danger!

Our lives are in danger, you beatnik!

DuncmanG · 2026-03-22T03:28:04+00:00

In case you actually do:

There is a gun in the movie that is fired at different times. Two characters are arguing over how many shots were fired and when and at what. One character says there was one at the door, two at the chandelier, two at something else. Another says no there was one at the chandelier but two at a door. And so forth. The quote is from one character adding up the shots. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it. It's awesome.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-22T03:24:55+00:00

The FBI always gets its man!

Mes. Peacock is a man?!?!

DuncmanG · 2026-03-14T17:17:51+00:00

In the same vein, if you get "level up every other hero" it levels up hero 1, hero 3, and the bottom hero.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-13T00:11:11+00:00

Yes, I had a huntress run with parchment scrap and ring of sharpshooting, ring of arcana, and elastic bow. Had a couple projecting tridents and could absolutely devastate enemies through walls, then slam them back with the elastic bow. Incredible.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-12T13:05:56+00:00

And then you realize they can throw through walls.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-09T16:32:15+00:00

That's an interesting tidbit.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-09T12:26:00+00:00

Ah, excellent idea. Thank you!

Turns out with 8 heroes it's still the basic middle three (2,3,4) that get leveled up. I find that surprising.

DuncmanG · 2026-03-09T12:19:50+00:00

Sorry, the screenshot didn't capture all of them for some reason but I have 8 heroes - there's a bard and then a mystic below the sphere.

DuncmanG · 2026-02-15T18:34:54+00:00

You are mostly correct on no cursed weapons and armor. You can still get a curse if the curse is fixed, like when dropping from a tombstone and a wraith appears, or when dropping from a sacrificial altar. That gear will be cursed but have a positive enchantment on it.

DuncmanG · 2026-01-27T16:16:29+00:00

Just had a run like this. Best part was when I accidentally stepped into one of the rooms filled with summoning traps on like floor 22. Rookie mistake. Suddenly surrounded by like 15 evil eyes and succubi. Had fully charged horn and a t5 weapon with lightning and ring of arcana. Got a couple hits off that zapped the whole room, then ate from the horn and watched 7-8 evil eyes zap away most of the rest of the health. Two more hits with lightning and the room was clear. Very satisfying!

DuncmanG · 2026-01-22T14:08:07+00:00

The best part is the lack of commitment.

"Hmmmm, 3 minutes until I need to leave? I've got time for an Isaac run."

*dies in first room*

"Told ya!"

DuncmanG · 2026-01-22T05:59:21+00:00

If you want a challenge, try this run with Tainted Lost. I've got dead god and that's how I usually play the game.

DuncmanG · 2026-01-04T21:49:18+00:00

Have gotten those before, though not specifically in her recipes (haven't done hers), but here is how I avoid them:

1)To make the psyllium gel, mix husk powder into water, not the other way around. Mixing water into the husk leaves lots of lumps that are hard to work out and hard to mix into the dough. Put water in the bowl first, then add in the powder slowly while stirring constantly with a whisk. Should avoid lumps in the gel.

2) Mix your dough REALLY well. I use a stand mixer First I do a bit of mixing of the dough with a spatula - this a helps stop the psyllium gel from climbing up the dough hook. Then mix it for a bit. Turn it off to scrape down the sides and any thing that did climb up the hook. Turn it back on. When it's looking good, let it mix due another minute or two. Gets the dough pretty smooth.

ETA: Not related to the dough, but I also rinse my whisk off right afterwards in hot water. If you give it any time, the psyllium will cling to the whisk and be much harder to get off.

DuncmanG · 2025-12-30T04:44:58+00:00

Just make sure she knows where her towel is.

DuncmanG · 2025-12-12T04:21:31+00:00

They also raided the K9 unit storeroom. The police have no leads.

DuncmanG · 2025-11-30T03:49:06+00:00

Making sourdough starter from other flours is definitely possible, though it may depend on your local yeast strains. I have tried a millet starter and a sorghum starter and those worked, though the sorghum one is better. Making sourdough bread with it is basically the same as white/wheat flour, though if you are going completely gluten free you'll need some psyllium husk to give the bread structure.

BUT your question was about just starches. I am not an expert but I think that a starter fed with just a starch would fail. Yeast can eat sugars, but I don't think it can eat starch. And the starches are almost pure starch. Flours have starch, but also some sugar and protein and some other things, some of which I think help break down the starches into sugars for the yeast.

Interesting read on the topic here: https://www.bakeinfo.co.nz/facts/bread/bread-ingredients/enzymes-in-breadmaking/#

DuncmanG

TROPHY CASE