the result yielded by a real number when divided by zero
Division by zero - Wikipedia
Calculators when you divide by zero
MATH MATH IF YOU COULD DIVIDE BY 0false
Raging about raging on an article is like dividing by zero
A TI-86 displaying the message: ERROR 02 DIV BY ZERO
In mathematics, division by zero, division where the divisor (denominator) is zero, is a problematic special case. Using fraction notation, the general example can be written as โ  ... The usual definition โ€ฆ Wikipedia
๐ŸŒ
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org โ€บ wiki โ€บ Division_by_zero
Division by zero - Wikipedia
1 week ago - In computing, most numerical ... the 1980s has been standardized by the IEEE 754 specification. In IEEE floating-point arithmetic, numbers are represented using a sign (positive or negative), a fixed-precision significand and an integer exponent. Numbers whose exponent is too large to represent instead "overflow" to positive or negative infinity (+โˆž or โˆ’โˆž), while numbers whose exponent is too small to represent instead "underflow" to positive or negative zero (+0 or ...
๐ŸŒ
Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/learnmath โ€บ why do we say 1/0=undefined instead of 1/0=infinity?
r/learnmath on Reddit: Why do we say 1/0=undefined instead of 1/0=infinity?
October 24, 2020 -

Like 10/2- imagine a 10 square foot box, saying 10 divided by 2 is like saying โ€œhow many 2 square foot boxes fit in this 10 square foot box?โ€ So the answer is 5.

But if you take the same box and ask โ€œhow many boxes that are infinitely small, or zero feet squared, can fit in the same box the answer would be infinity not โ€œundefinedโ€. So 10/0=infinity.

I understand why 2/0 canโ€™t be 0 not only because that doesnโ€™t make and since but also because it could cause terrible contradictions like 1=2 and such.

Ah math is so cool. I love infinity so if anyone wants to talk about it drop a comment.

Edit: thanks everyone so much for the answers. Keep leaving comments though because Iโ€™m really enjoying seeing it explained in different ways. Also it doesnโ€™t seem like anyone else has ever been confused by this judging by the comment but if anyone is I really liked this video https://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra/x2f8bb11595b61c86:foundation-algebra/x2f8bb11595b61c86:division-zero/v/why-dividing-by-zero-is-undefined

๐ŸŒ
Medium
prabhatmahato.medium.com โ€บ why-is-any-number-over-0-undefined-or-what-we-say-infinity-5318dc5b0153
Why is any number over 0 undefined or what we say infinity? | by Prabhat Mahato | Medium
March 31, 2023 - So, when the value of denominator tends to or equals to zero, then the value of the expression tends to or becomes so large that we cannot find itโ€™s bound or in others it becomes infinity i.e., 1/0=โˆž.
๐ŸŒ
Reddit
reddit.com โ€บ r/learnmath โ€บ why does 1/infinity = 0 rather than 0.0 repeating leading to 1?
r/learnmath on Reddit: why does 1/infinity = 0 rather than 0.0 repeating leading to 1?
June 3, 2024 -

sorry if the question doesnt make sense i havent been invested in math theory for long as ive only taken alg 2 and minor precalc but why is it that one over infinity equals zero rather than an infinitely small finite number? from my thoughts i feel as if it cant be zero because if you have anumerator there is a value no matter the size of a denominator, almost like an asymptotic relationship with the value reaching closer to zero but never hitting it. i understand zero is a concept so you cant operate with it so you cant exactly create a proof algebraicly but then how could you know it equals zero? just need second thoughts as its a comment debate between me and my brother. many thanks!

edit: my bad i wasnt very misunderstood on alot of things and the question was pretty dumb in hindsight, my apologies

Top answer
1 of 35
108
If the zeros are repeating there is no end, therefore there is no 1 at the end because there is no end to begin with
2 of 35
32
Part of the problem is that 1/infinity is actually very hard to define, because "let's treat infinity as a number!" usually leads to strange situations. Like for example, what's infinity + 1? Is it still infinity? Does that mean, if we "subtract infinity" from both sides, that 1 = 0? What is infinity - infinity, anyway? One way people get around this is to use limits. Say, instead of 1 / infinity, you have 1/x. This is a function. Then we might (depending on the function) be able to ask, "what happens as we keep increasing the value of x?" People phrase this sometimes as "what happens when x 'goes to infinity'?", but what they really mean is, "what happens when we make x an arbitrarily large number, and then an even larger one, and so on?" Then people ask, "as x gets larger and larger, does the value of 1/x approach anything in particular? Does it become closer and closer to some exact value? Does it converge?" Answering this kind of question is actually much more doable than trying to figure out "what is 1 / infinity?" because, instead of having to figure out how to do division by infinity (something which does not really have a concrete definition), we're just dealing with a finite number, x. To answer the question though, what we see as x gets bigger and bigger is that 1/x does actually converge on one specific value! That value is 0. Note that 1/x is never actually equal to 0 โ€” it just approaches it. It gets closer, and closer, and closer. People do sometimes write this as "1 / infinity = 0". But I think it would be fair to say that, when people write it this way, that can be... very misleading, depending on the reader.
๐ŸŒ
YouTube
youtube.com โ€บ watch
1/0 = infinite is explained | Breaking the rules of Mathematics. - YouTube
Have you ever wondered why 1 divided by 0 equals infinity? In this video, we will explain the reasoning behind this common mathematical phenomenon.In general...
Published ย  March 19, 2023
๐ŸŒ
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org โ€บ wiki โ€บ Indeterminate_form
Indeterminate form - Wikipedia
December 30, 2025 - Fig. 1: y = โ x/xโ  ยท Fig. 2: y = ... Fig. 3: y = ... Fig. 4: y = ... Fig. 5: y = ... Fig. 6: y = ... {\displaystyle 0/0} is particularly common in calculus, because it often arises in the evaluation of derivatives using their definition in terms of limit.
Find elsewhere
๐ŸŒ
Math Central
mathcentral.uregina.ca โ€บ qq โ€บ database โ€บ qq.02.06 โ€บ evan1.html
1/infinity and 1/0
Question: I was thinking the other day when i was in math class that when you divide 1 by say n you'll get 1/n. As the value of n increases the smaller the number you get. So if you divide 1/infinity would that equal zero? And if that is true then would 1/0=infinity be true also ยท Your observation ...
๐ŸŒ
Cut the Knot
cut-the-knot.org โ€บ WhatIs โ€บ Infinity โ€บ BigNumber.shtml
Infinity As a Limit
For example, assuming that indeed 1/0 = โˆž, we should also accept (by exactly same reasoning) that ... 2ร—โˆž = โˆž. Obviously, this is a property that is not shared by any real number. Similarly, โˆž + 1 = โˆž which after ยท 2ร—โˆž = โˆž should not come as a surprise for the latter may be ...
๐ŸŒ
MathsisFun
mathsisfun.com โ€บ calculus โ€บ limits-infinity.html
Limits to Infinity
We have seen two examples, one went to 0, the other went to infinity. In fact many infinite limits are actually quite easy to work out, when we figure out "which way it is going", like this: Functions like 1/x approach 0 as x approaches infinity.
๐ŸŒ
Physics Forums
physicsforums.com โ€บ mathematics โ€บ calculus
Why 1 / โˆž = 0 but โˆž * 0 is not equal to 1? โ€ข Physics Forums
December 20, 2021 - The discussion also reflects varying ... = c, then a = b*c and b = a/c Therefore if 1/ โˆž = 0, โˆž * 0 should be equal to 1 and 1/0 = โˆž...
๐ŸŒ
Physics Forums
physicsforums.com โ€บ mathematics โ€บ general math
Disputing 1 / 0 = Infinity: Agree or Disagree? โ€ข Physics Forums
January 11, 2024 - There are an infinite amount of zero's that can go into 1, therefore we can say 1 / 0 = infinity, but it is useless to say that because infinity isn't a number. That is why we say the answer is undefined.
๐ŸŒ
Free Math Help Forum
freemathhelp.com โ€บ forums โ€บ free math help โ€บ advanced math
Infinity: Are 1/0 and 2/0 same or we have different infinities ? | Free Math Help Forum
May 16, 2016 - 1/0 = โˆž , since, if you were to divide 1 into zero pieces, you would need to divide an infinite number of times. similarly2/0 = โˆž . So, 1. Are 1/0 and 2/0 same or we have different infinities ? 2. 2/0-1/0 = 1/0 , so we still have infinity so is 2/0 bigger infinity than 1/0 ? Click to expand... ...
๐ŸŒ
Quora
quora.com โ€บ Why-do-some-people-say-that-1-0-is-undefined-while-other-people-say-it-is-infinity-Which-side-of-this-endless-debate-is-right
Why do some people say that 1/0 is undefined while other people say it is infinity? Which side of this endless debate is right? - Quora
You can think that this is the same thing as before, but now we declare that the positive infinity and the negative infinity are the same (now our interval becomes a circle). We lose something by doing this, but we also gain something. In particular now we can say that [math]1/0=\infty[/math]. But we should keep in mind that / now has a slightly different meaning, itโ€™s no more a division of numbers, but a continuous function which has two arguments, and when they are non-zero and finite it coincides with the division of numbers.
๐ŸŒ
Quora
quora.com โ€บ If-1-0-is-infinity-then-what-is-1-0
If 1/0 is infinity then what is -1/0? - Quora
Answer (1 of 11): If you define some number structure where 1/0 = โˆž, then, if itโ€™s going to be as nicely behaved as possible, -1/0 = โˆž too. Shouldnโ€™t it be -โˆž? Yes, it shouldโ€”but -โˆž should equal โˆž, if โˆž is defined as 1/0. Think ...