Find the mistake in following problem showing 1=2 Consider two real number a and

Question

Find the mistake in following problem showing 1=2

Consider two real number a and b. Assume a=b

Then it follows that                a2=ab                  (how ?)

Next we can say that      a2 –b2=ab-b2        (How so?)

Factor!                           (a+b)(a-b) =b(a-b)   Is this OK?

Cancel          a+b=b     Alright?

From the start,substitute                       (b+b) =b                 What happened?

Combine like terms        2b=b             Hmmmmmm

Cancel                            2=1               HUH????????

Explanation / Answer

in the very beginning you assumed that a = b and then in step 4 you divided both sides by a - b .note that division by zero is undefined and that is why you arrived at a strange conclusion. hope this helps

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