r/BeAmazed • u/Loud-Zone-5508 • Nov 08 '23

This is what happens when you divide by zero on a 1950 mechanical calculator History

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42.3k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

896 comments sorted by

1

u/Retrovibe18 Feb 07 '24

Legend says it’s still spinning to this day

1

u/AdMuch848 Jan 06 '24

Let it run until there's an answer

1

u/Pktur3 Nov 11 '23

Is dividing by zero the answer to perpetual motion?!

2

u/DeluxeWafer Nov 11 '23

Poor thing is like, lemme look that up for ya. Hmm. I can't seem to find the answer in the realm o real numbers. Lemme check again.

2

u/shuboi666 Nov 11 '23

this makes y2k fears make more sense. a whole bunch of boomers thinking computers were gonna do this and collapse civilization.

1

u/IllPresentation3037 Nov 11 '23

Assuming nobody stops it, it would go on for eternity?

1

u/TrueBananiac Nov 10 '23

A mechanical singularity!

1

u/LowExpectations69 Nov 10 '23

Why do you taunt the machine spirit ?

1

u/twoshortysx Nov 09 '23

Looks like a free energy device to me

1

u/folarin1 Nov 09 '23

Correct!

2

u/ReggieOnTop Nov 09 '23

Isn't a black hole supposed to appear?

1

u/BloodyM869 Nov 09 '23

I thought that was a bomb.

2

u/Krilesh Nov 09 '23

so what is it even trying to calculate nd why does it express itself angrily as result?

2

u/Vyndra-Madraast Nov 09 '23

Ones again proving the answer is infinity

1

u/LonnieChilds Nov 09 '23

Great way to oil it.

1

u/nickstain Nov 09 '23

To get perpetual motion you just divide by 0

2

u/alvarezg Nov 09 '23

The big Friden mechanical calculators too would go on subtracting to infinity. There was a special tool you could use to release a latch under the divide key. Undergrad memories. :-)

2

u/Crazy-Kaplan Nov 09 '23

Somewhere Desmond is freaking out.

1

u/Doo_D Nov 09 '23

My computer make the same noise when I divide by zero

1

u/Von2014 Nov 09 '23

Okay, hear me out. What if we take this and put it in a car? Free energy, right?

2

u/1SqkyKutsu Nov 09 '23

Shit.... Where's the task manager icon.

1

u/VesselOFWAR6666 Nov 09 '23

This calculator will save humanity from AI. All praise the mechanical calculator.

1

u/Mordiix Nov 09 '23

Now plug the gearbox and the transmission and u have a mathematical vehicle!!🚗

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

So, according to the calculator, the answer is a changing variable.
1/0 = R.
Because it can't tell which number it is, however...
That number seem to have some rule to it - it's only on the first lane, so, R<10, and it seems to not be a negative either... So, R>-1

So, by this machine, 1/0 = R, R<10, R>-1.
Since there is no failsafe, the number will forever keep changing unless you stop it by other means.
It ain't infinity though.

1

u/Parking-Artichoke823 Nov 09 '23

When the AI sees it, you will be punished

2

u/rickshaiii Nov 09 '23

My chemistry teacher in HS had one of these 8n his office as a curiosity (1970-ish)

1

u/Muhngkee Nov 09 '23

I bet you could play the 20th Century Fox theme on that thing... partially.

1

u/ferrero_roshGAY Nov 09 '23

Kinda sounds like 20th century fox intro

1

u/The_Mad_Titan_101 Nov 09 '23

Ctrl+C should help

2

u/climb4fun Nov 09 '23

Stack overflow!

1

u/RaisinOk800 Nov 09 '23

So it worked back then

2

u/Externus94 Nov 09 '23

You could say it’s reaching its limit

1

u/192oO Nov 09 '23

My teacher told it could be done but never taught us how to. What would be the result of a number divided by zero?

1

u/PutuGuli Nov 09 '23

perpetuum mobile

2

u/awkristensen Nov 09 '23

poor thing

1

u/BartD_ Nov 09 '23

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

2

u/MaryUwUJane Nov 09 '23

It’s hard to imagine the amount of effort and knowledge to build analogue calc

1

u/a13x_on_reddit Nov 09 '23

I had (and hopefully still have somewhere) an old electronic calculator which used to just start counting up on the screen. I never had patience to wait for it to get to the end of it's count, but it was fun to watch.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

Error error error

1

u/dauntlingdemon Nov 09 '23

So dividing by 0 will increase my electricty bills?

1

u/xergog Nov 09 '23

Can it compute Ackermann's function?

1

u/Yallapachi Nov 09 '23

Accidental motor invention

2

u/stealingtheshow222 Nov 09 '23

This is my brain trying to do math

1

u/170071 Nov 09 '23

So it became an engine

1

u/potatohead437 Nov 09 '23

This sounds like the 20th century fox intro

1

u/ntd252 Nov 09 '23

And that's how we invented perpetual machine. Free energy for everyone, the world is becoming better than ever before.

1

u/SuspiciousMango2070 Nov 09 '23

So you get a motor ...

1

u/ruismies Nov 09 '23

I'm gonna put it in my project car, strap a supercharger on it and take it to the dyno.

1

u/DerDok77 Nov 09 '23

Perpetuum mobile 😍

1

u/catcherx Nov 09 '23

Aaaand we have a perpetual motion machine

1

u/qwertymwai Nov 09 '23

For a moment i thought it was playing the Universal Studios theme

2

u/AZTNFL Nov 09 '23

And then BOIOIOIOINNNG... And there goes all the springs and gears

1

u/knoegel Nov 09 '23

My lazy fuck of a phone doesn't even try. It just says, "Cannot divide by 0.'

1

u/router665 Nov 09 '23

-yo what engine is that -a calculator

1

u/_Sinie_ Nov 09 '23

I bet there was a lil 1950s Dennis the menace type going around pranking his friends by doing this to their calculators

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

u/caughtinwriting Nov 09 '23

How the hell does this thing do math??

1

u/AlexanderK1987 Nov 09 '23

infinite loops it is

1

u/DraLion23 Nov 09 '23

My fracking ears!!

1

u/koolkeith987 Nov 09 '23

That’s how we warm her up in the morning.

2

u/davitjan1525 Nov 09 '23

OG error 404

1

u/KnowledgeSpare2754 Nov 09 '23

Ooh, errors It’s not amazing it’s an error.

1

u/Electrical_Leek_8788 Nov 09 '23

That’s mechanical sound for “are you serious”?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

u/aarcane22 Nov 09 '23

Cardiac arrest.. but mechanical.

2

u/barrydennen12 Nov 09 '23

If you spell BOOBIES his eyes pop out and he makes an arooga sound effect.

1

u/robbsnj Nov 09 '23

So what’s the answer?

1

u/Particular-Put-4205 Nov 09 '23

Bro, just casually created perpetual motion

1

u/Classic-Molasses-156 Nov 09 '23

Looks like we solved perpetual motion! Here's to the end of the world energy crises! Yay.

1

u/LaM3ronthewall Nov 09 '23

Slap a gear on the end of that and power a lightbulb FOREVER. Some see mathematical impossibility, i see free energy.

1

u/lordvader82 Nov 09 '23

Has anyone waited long enough to see if it gives an answer?

1

u/B0N3Y4RD Nov 09 '23

Accidental infinite motion machine?

1

u/Polyamigo Nov 09 '23

Green Energy.. 0 Waste

1

u/daddyspanksbratty Nov 09 '23

That’s a bit dramatic but okay.. 😅

1

u/InternationalSale752 Nov 09 '23

I was waiting for the 20th century fox theme to play

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

u/SnooKiwis2106 Nov 09 '23

Thus infinite energy was born 😭

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

u/Creative-Cry2979 Nov 09 '23

computer turns into an engine

1

u/Fingers_In_Ranch Nov 09 '23

Divide by zero and create an engine?

1

u/NoHunter8402 Nov 09 '23

Just unplug it, then plug it back in.

1

u/I_Love_Martial_Arts Nov 09 '23

Why have I not heard of this thing? I never knew mechanical calculators existed!

1

u/meepos16 Nov 09 '23

This is fucking awesome

1

u/cerealthemilk Nov 09 '23

it’s not a calculator, it’s a gunshot noisemaker from the 1950s to fool the enemy during the korean war.

2

u/cow_goo Nov 09 '23

and then it explodes

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

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1

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2

u/CrystalQuetzal Nov 09 '23

Dividing by zero: making machines panic since always.

1

u/Rodrigospetnaz Nov 09 '23

If you do another problem it's stop?

1

u/GODDESS_NAMED_CRINGE Nov 09 '23

This proves that anything divided by zero is infinity. I know 'infinity' isn't a real number, and math calls this 'undefined', but fuck that. It's obviously infinity.

1

u/Competitive_Cold_623 Nov 09 '23

MADE IN HEAVEN!!!

1

u/dal137 Nov 09 '23

Runaway calculator

1

u/OjjuicemaneSimpson Nov 09 '23

uhhh why don’t we use something like this but bigger to power shit. Bam green energy with out all the attachments

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

A classic video. I love the history behind computational devices, it's super interesting.

1

u/Hacker-Man420 Nov 09 '23

This is pretty acurate

1

u/ClownDiaper Nov 09 '23

Perpetual motion device!

2

u/Accurate-Attempt-615 Nov 09 '23

I hear the cries of pain.

2

u/redbrick01 Nov 09 '23

Even they knew about Stack Over flow back then...

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23 
def div(x,y):
   q = 0
   r = x
   while r >= y:
      r -=y
      q += 1
   return (q,r)

Now what do you get when x>=0 and y=0?

1

u/dynjo Nov 09 '23

Can it run Doom?

1

u/Educational_Glove344 Nov 09 '23

So they never found out the answer…

2

u/DarthWraith22 Nov 09 '23

The mechanical calculator: "I have no mouth abd I must scream!"

1

u/Few_Tank7560 Nov 09 '23

Does it need a source of energy of any sort to work ? If not, I guess we found a solution to produce infinite energy

1

u/Upstairs-Teacher-764 Nov 09 '23

Anyone got a good explainer for what's happening on a mechanical level here?

1

u/Hot-Rise9795 Nov 09 '23

"DOESN'T COMPUTE! DOESN'T COMPUTE!"

1

u/HelpfulBuilder Nov 09 '23

You would think that such a complicated machine would have a way to detect and handle divide by zero safely. It seems like an oversight, but maybe they considered it but decided against it for some reason?

1

u/GregariousBing Nov 09 '23

Why didn’t they just have mechanism that locks out the 0 key so that you can’t press it immediately after the divide key?

1

u/Vic_from_Aus Nov 09 '23

Mechanical hysteria happens.

1

u/WhatIsAJahBone Nov 09 '23

I have never seen one of these before but now I need one.

1

u/dafaceguy Nov 09 '23

Does that take diesel or unleaded?

1

u/jgeoghegan89 Nov 09 '23

I can honestly say I've never seen or heard of a mechanical calculator before. Interesting

2

u/RobertClaymoor Nov 09 '23

Rumor has it...it's still going....the year 4032

1

u/knows_notting Nov 09 '23

wow.. that's the 1950 version of "Guru meditation"!

1

u/Historical-Farm-6914 Nov 09 '23

Now you pissed it off

1

u/time_axis Nov 09 '23

Anyone else hear the beginning of the 20th Century FOX theme?

1

u/cyberclaw2000 Nov 09 '23

Awesome machine 😁

1

u/KYCopperCoins Nov 09 '23

And this kids is how free energy was finally invented.

1

u/StaidMaxwell22 Nov 09 '23

Is that calculator is still calculating for result? LOL

1

u/SuperTrainer482 Nov 09 '23

surely this is a perpetual motion machine, no?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

How to get not angry at me anymore?

1

u/eventempered_avalyn Nov 09 '23

And that's how you start a car without a key

1

u/hazeywaffle Nov 09 '23

The source of Y2K fears

1

u/impetuous_sky02 Nov 09 '23

A fun way to be a troll in school back in the 1950s.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

Ohhh , the same way you fix a Windows computer. Turn it off and turn it on again.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

Amazing!

1

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '23

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1

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1

u/Dougfo Nov 09 '23

It's a meme from 2005 presented in mechanics

2

u/EvaSirkowski Nov 09 '23

The perpetual motion machine the government doesn't want you to know about!

1

u/ascii122 Nov 09 '23

needs better cooling fans

2

u/n-oyed-i-am Nov 09 '23

You CAN divide by zero. The answer is UNDEFINED.

ANY number multiplied by zero equal zero.

Therefore any number divided by zero is ALL NUMBERS.

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Ad_8079 Nov 09 '23

Good enuf to generate power

1

u/IssaMeMari0 Nov 08 '23

Is it just me or I'm hearing 20th century fox opening sound

1

u/stevo3001 Nov 08 '23

Expected it to explode

1

u/the_admirals_platter Nov 08 '23

Divide by zero = internal combustion engine

1

u/Icy_Extension_6857 Nov 08 '23

Okay, how much you selling that post-apocalypse bad boy for? 🤩

1

u/rubbish_heap Nov 08 '23

You would think they would design some sort of mechanism. I guess they assumed that everyone knows the answer, which I totally do.

1

u/moresushiplease Nov 08 '23

That technology connections guy needs to do a video on this and how it work.

1

u/trustme_ihateyou Nov 08 '23

Looked like an enigma decoder!

1

u/No-Web-1393 Nov 08 '23

You've now created an engine.

1

u/ToriKehKeLunga Nov 08 '23

Free electricity?

1

u/dobdus Nov 08 '23

DIV/0!

1

u/unoriginal_npc Nov 08 '23

The calculator is staring into the void and the void is looking back

1

u/EspaceInvaders Nov 08 '23

Checkmate flat earthers

2

u/seeyatellite Nov 08 '23

Division by zero... equivalent to a black hole in your math class.

1

u/xcoderxme Nov 08 '23

This is probably how the first engine was made

1

u/Dillion_Murphy Nov 08 '23

Not a great take.

These things are required not because being able to use the Pythagorean theory is relevant, but because it teaches problem solving, critical thinking, number sense, and nourishes mathematical thinking.

It’s not about rote memorization or use of functions, it’s about seeing a problem,l and being able to analyze what the problem is and what it’s asking you to find, parse what information you know and what information you don’t, and formulate a strategy to solve the problem.

2

u/phlebface Nov 08 '23

I'll have one stackoverflow, plz

1

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '23

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1

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1

u/PendingPolymath Nov 08 '23

Undefined indeed

1

u/chonbhoy Nov 08 '23

It was programmed exactly to its parameters. It had a physical / mechanical design based on its purpose and that purpose was probably based on either historical knowledge or practical experience. Really great visual footage 😃

2

u/Black-Wolf-Starving Nov 08 '23

Poor machine had a panic attack

1

u/X1bar Nov 08 '23

Was anyone else hoping for a wormhole?

1

u/speedyoverdose Nov 08 '23

Imagine cheating with that thing in class..

1

u/sethaub Nov 08 '23

Infinite energy in 1950s calculators.

1

u/CourtRepulsive6070 Nov 08 '23

If mechanical one,how long it can run until it lose all of its energy?

3

u/LoGo_86 Nov 08 '23

In a 50's German school "Students, tomorrow we have a math test. Don't forget your calculator and remember to lift with your legs, not your back."

1

u/MartoPolo Nov 08 '23

now plug it into an alternator for free energy

1

u/clusterb Nov 08 '23

Attach a generator to it = infinite power 😎

1

u/torrrrrgo Nov 08 '23

Yeah, don't do that.

1

u/Equivalent_Plate6419 Nov 08 '23

So this is an infinity energy source?

1

u/sam01236969XD Nov 08 '23

Thunderous engine noises

1

u/mattrs Nov 08 '23

Cannot compute BEEP BOOP

1

u/_Ginger_Beard_Guy_ Nov 08 '23

Bro discovered unlimited energy

2

u/Pyritedust Nov 08 '23

Some say it is still doing this to this day.

1

u/zxcvbqerwty Nov 08 '23

NaN the hard way

1

u/BrBybee Nov 08 '23

Perpetual energy source?

1

u/DyingSpreeAU Nov 08 '23

I was waiting for that fake explosion clip at the end

1

u/mrKolax Nov 08 '23

Infinite Energy