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The answer is either '1' or '0'

CP/M User

CP/M User

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But is it really??

Yes and No are both valid responses and even "nothing" can constitutes as "something".

Which made me wonder what the true meaning of '0' is and it hit me, '0' represents and lie and if a language was simplified to '1s' and '0s' then anyone would realise that anyone using '0s' are lying and that anyone using '1s' are being truthful.

I was particularly thinking about this problem because I've got a test coming up, I'm unsure if the teacher will accept '1s' or '0s', though in all truth anyone should be able to pass using '1s'! :-D
 
Although some programming languages assign truth values to 0 and 1 (sometimes -1), I don't think they generally should be seen as that. Rather, 0 and 1 represent to me off/on states of a switch. If you want to put more emotional thought in what it means something is "off" compared to being "on", maybe that is what you just did.

Anyway, not always something positive or true is a good thing. Take for example a drug test, which preferrably is negative (false).
 
I think someone has got a bottle and they are not sharing :)

As Carlsson indicated, 0 & 1 indicate no/yes and off/on type of information. The binary numbering system uses only zero and one to represent values.
 
From what I remember of a freind's maths degree, they spent the first few weeks defining one and zero, and kind of worked outwards from there. There's a lot of philosophy tied up in those two numbers!
 
Yeah I suppose, a lie if cleverly crafted can become a belief to other people, though the only thing real about a lie is the mind which started it. Obvious lies obviously don't stand much of a chance for example "Pigs do fly on their own accord" won't happen, hence that's a false statement.

In programming a 0 does represent something which requires no further action, in reality though it may trigger all sorts of events which might not have occured if the responce was different. If a lie represented a 0 then sure it'll follow a pattern of events though the underlining 0 would eventually catch the person out.

I suppose if the test was setout as a true/false test, then it would have all sorts of errors in it, yeah cause it's conditional the Answer is either 1 or 0. I'm unsure how a written test would follow that pattern though cause the correct action would have to be followed so the answer would have to be 1.
 
OMG, there is a GREAT book on ONEs and ZEROes. Title is "Laws of Form" by G. Spenser-Brown. It develops all of boolean algebra from the ground up. I hope I haven't tossed it! I see used copies go for $72 to $999 now, grumble grumble.
 
Wow, I just went to a website http://www.lawsofform.org/. I remember the book was tough going, even for us math major types. That website is even tougher going. No wonder it was such a rude awakening when I got to college. It is a great book but looks like about 50 people in the U.S. can understand it.
 
bless you Terry... I was pondering exactly what you were pondering!!!

____________________________________________
Brain: Here we are, Pinky--at the dawn of time!
Pinky: Narf, Brain. Wake me at the noon of time --- (Pinky and the Brain show)
 
Terry Yager wrote:

If the Universe sprang forth from a cozmik 'singularity' at the Big Bang, then there never was a 0, but 1 has always existed (at least in this Omniverse)...

Which answers my concerns of there never being nothing - nothing is something.
 
As sung by Madonna (music/lyrics by Stephen Sondheim) :

Something's better than nothing - YES!
But nothing's better than more, more, more.. (except all, all, all)
Except once you have it all, you may find all else above,
that though things are bliss, there's one thing you miss,
and that's MORE!

I like those lyrics, they can relate to anything from traditional wealth and greed to die-hard collecting of various items.
 
Terry Yager said:
If the Universe sprang forth from a cozmik 'singularity' at the Big Bang, then there never was a 0, but 1 has always existed (at least in this Omniverse)...

--T
Click to expand...

Thanks Terry,
I was thinking about your post and my brain exploded.

What a mess.

:)

Andrew Lynch
 
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