Honoured Sir,
Understanding you to be a distinguished algebraist (that is, distinguished from other algebraists by different face, different height, etc.), I beg to submit to you a difficulty which distresses me much.
If x and y are each equal to 1, it is plain that
2 * (x^2 - y^2) = 0, and also that 5 * (x - y) = 0.
Hence 2 * (x^2 - y^2) = 5 * (x - y).
Now divide each side of this equation by (x - y).
Then 2 * (x + y) = 5.
But (x + y) = (1 + 1), i.e. = 2. So that 2 * 2 = 5.
Ever since this painful fact has been forced upon me, I have not slept more than 8 hours a night, and have not been able to eat more than 3 meals a day.
I trust you will pity me and will kindly explain the difficulty to Your obliged,
Lewis Carroll.
Understanding you to be a distinguished algebraist (that is, distinguished from other algebraists by different face, different height, etc.), I beg to submit to you a difficulty which distresses me much.
If x and y are each equal to 1, it is plain that
2 * (x^2 - y^2) = 0, and also that 5 * (x - y) = 0.
Hence 2 * (x^2 - y^2) = 5 * (x - y).
Now divide each side of this equation by (x - y).
Then 2 * (x + y) = 5.
But (x + y) = (1 + 1), i.e. = 2. So that 2 * 2 = 5.
Ever since this painful fact has been forced upon me, I have not slept more than 8 hours a night, and have not been able to eat more than 3 meals a day.
I trust you will pity me and will kindly explain the difficulty to Your obliged,
Lewis Carroll.