Is it a fallacy ??

Recently, I was doodling in my rough notebook and found something strange:

Let x belong to N (natural no.)

\(x^{2}\) = \(x^{2}\)

\Rightarrow x2x^{2} = x+x+x+x+x+x....(xtimes) x+x+x+x+x+x....(x times)

(Differentiating on both sides)

2x2x = 1+1+1+1+1+1+1....(xtimes) 1+1+1+1+1+1+1....(x times)

2x=x\Rightarrow 2x = x

Where was I wrong ??

#MathematicalFallacies

Note by Ashwin Upadhyay
6 years ago

No vote yet
1 vote

  Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

  • Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
  • Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
  • Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
  • Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

MarkdownAppears as
*italics* or _italics_ italics
**bold** or __bold__ bold

- bulleted
- list

  • bulleted
  • list

1. numbered
2. list

  1. numbered
  2. list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1

paragraph 2

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

[example link](https://brilliant.org)example link
> This is a quote
This is a quote
    # I indented these lines
    # 4 spaces, and now they show
    # up as a code block.

    print "hello world"
# I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
MathAppears as
Remember to wrap math in \( ... \) or \[ ... \] to ensure proper formatting.
2 \times 3 2×3 2 \times 3
2^{34} 234 2^{34}
a_{i-1} ai1 a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3} 23 \frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2} 2 \sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3 i=13 \sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta sinθ \sin \theta
\boxed{123} 123 \boxed{123}

Comments

When you are defining x^2=x+x+..+x(x times), you are tacitly defining the domain of f(x) to be N, the set of natural numbers. However, f(x) cannot be differentiable in the domain of N. This is because, if a function f defined from a domain D (a subset of R, the set of reals) to R (the set of reals) has to be differentiable at a real point c, then a necessary criterion is that c has to be a limit point of D and c has to be an element of D itself. In other words, c has to be a member of D such that every arbitrarily small neighbourhood of c has an element of D other than c. But no natural number is a cluster point of the set N. Here lies the fallacy.

Kuldeep Guha Mazumder - 5 years, 11 months ago

Actually you cannot differentiate the function f(x) = x2x^{2} when you have selected the Domain as Natural numbers . After all , the Natural numbers as a domain will comprise just discrete points , so it'll not be differentiable.

Log in to reply

Firstly I differentiated it generally but in that case i couldn't write the no. x times as x could be fraction or 0. Thank you now i have understood.

Ashwin Upadhyay - 6 years ago

Log in to reply

Anytime . Btw there was a question on this fallacy posted by @Sandeep Bhardwaj sir , I'm not able to find it . I'll give you the link if I'm able to find it .

Log in to reply

@A Former Brilliant Member BTW i just found another note on this

Ashwin Upadhyay - 6 years ago

@A Former Brilliant Member In fact i found a whole set of such apparent fallacies

Ashwin Upadhyay - 6 years ago

Log in to reply

@Ashwin Upadhyay Wow . You've been busy :P

Very good. He is fooling.

Harendran Bala - 6 years ago

When you are differentiating on both sides, you assumed that in x times the x is constant. Also you can't talk abt differention, of non continuous function

Vihari Vemuri - 6 years ago

Log in to reply

I couldn't understand your first reason.

Ashwin Upadhyay - 6 years ago
×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...