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Professor Egghead entered his classroom one morning when one of his undergraduate students boasted that he could prove that 2 is equal to 1. The student then showed the professor the following proof:
Given:
x = 1 and
y = 1 therefor:
x = y
1. Multiply each side by
x:
x² = xy
2. Subtract
y² from each side:
x²-y² = xy-y²
3. Factor each side:
(x+y)(x-y) = y(x-y)
4. Divide by the common term
(x-y):
x+y = y
5. Put the initial values back in the equation:
1+1 = 1
or
2 = 1
Professor Egghead saw the problem right away, can you?
