What is 0^0 equal to?
By Murray Bourne, 22 Jan 2009
In the introduction to Laws of Integral Exponents, I mention the debate about the value of 00. Is it zero or is it one?
Why is it a problem? Look at the following 2 patterns:
Multiply 0 as many times as you like, you get 0.
0^3 = 0
0^2 = 0
0^1 = 0
0^0 = 0
But then again, any number raised to the power 0 is 1:
3^0 = 1
2^0 = 1
1^0 = 1
0^0 = 1
That's why there is dispute about the value of 0^0.
On the page linked to before, I wrote:
It is most commonly regarded as having value 1
An interesting conundrum. Sometimes our wonderful, (normally) consistent system of math breaks down.
See the 42 Comments below.
