Comment Comment by johnhattan I remember a conversation I had with my daughter in the car when she was starting out with algebra...Me: Is 9.999... the same as 10, or is it just really close to 10?Kid: Really close. It never gets all the way there.Me: Well then how close? What do you get when you subtract 9.999... from 10?Kid: (pause) An infinite number of zeroes. . .and then a one. . .wait, you can't do that.Me: Right. You just have an infinite number of zeroes. Which is zero.Kid: (pause) Oh, that's mind-blowing. parent johnhattan 6 years ago
Me: Is 9.999... the same as 10, or is it just really close to 10?
Kid: Really close. It never gets all the way there.
Me: Well then how close? What do you get when you subtract 9.999... from 10?
Kid: (pause) An infinite number of zeroes. . .and then a one. . .wait, you can't do that.
Me: Right. You just have an infinite number of zeroes. Which is zero.
Kid: (pause) Oh, that's mind-blowing.