1+1=3-y Stuff


Why 1+1=3

  1. Say a=1, and so does b.
  2. a2=a2; and b2=ab
  3. Subtract both of them (since they're equal):  a2-b2=a2-ab
  4. Factor: (a-b)(a+b)=a(a-b)
  5. Divide both sides by (a-b): a+b=a
  6. Subtract a from both sides: b=0
  7. Since b=1, then 1=0
  8. Add 2 to both sides: 3=2
  9. Since 1+1=2, you substitute that in.
  10. 1+1=3*

Why It's 3 and Not Some Other Number

Well, 3 has its advantages:
  1. It's the smallest prime number
  2. The divisibility rule is quite magic-like
  3. 3 is 1 more than 2
  4. 3 is in the middle of 2 and 4
  5. and 1+1=3, after all!

*Based on the book Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife. (Appendix A)