Vent: my math teacher told us calculators were wrong about 0.999, I walked out, then spent 2 years proving her right | Bad Math, Good Stories - Vivisector
Vent: my math teacher told us calculators were wrong about 0.999, I walked out, then spent 2 years proving her right
In 10th grade in Akron my teacher said 0.999 repeating does not equal 1 and my calculator was lying. I argued with her for a whole class period over it, told everyone she was bad at math. Then in college I had to write the actual proof with infinite series and I sat there feeling dumb, because she was right and my TI-84 had been right too. I tracked down her email 2 years later and told her I got it. Did anyone else have a teacher who was right the whole time while you made a scene about it?
So when you say "she was right" do you mean she was right that 0.999 repeating does not equal 1, or right that your calculator was lying? Cause those are two totally different things and the way you wrote it makes it sound like she told you it does not equal 1 but then the proof you wrote showed it does equal 1? I'm confused about which side she was actually on. Also what was the exact thing she said that made you walk out, like did she bring up limits or did she just say trust me bro? I need the full story here cause a teacher flat out saying a calculator is wrong about math is a wild move.