It’s been a long time since calculus class, but doesn’t the sum of all 1/x head to infinity? Seems to me the bartender shorted them massively on their order.
Edit: I misread. I swear I saw one order 1/2, then 1/3, then 1/4… Crazy what your mind sees when you’re tired.
It’s been a long time since calculus class, but doesn’t the sum of all 1/x head to infinity? Seems to me the bartender shorted them massively on their order.
Edit: I misread. I swear I saw one order 1/2, then 1/3, then 1/4… Crazy what your mind sees when you’re tired.
nope
1 + 0.5 = 1.5
1.25 + 0.25 = 1.75
1.750 + 0.125 = 1.875
1.8750 + 0.0625 = 1.9375
the series of the inverse powers of 2 converges to 2
if you think about it in fraction you get
1 + 1/2 = 3/2 = 6/4
6/4 + 1/4 = 7/4 = 14/8
14/8 + 1/8 = 15/8 = …
notice how the result’s numerator is always one less than double the numerator, such that the result is always under two
The math question ignores that there is a minimum volume for beer, at some point you either get beer or something less than beer added.
The bartender is right.
Yeah, but since this jumps from 1/2 to 1/4, I assume the next step would be 1/8, then 1/16 and so on, making this 1/2^x
Yeah, aka a geometric series
They can still sub-divide the two pints infinitely amongst themselves.
I hope they don’t tip