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ASTOUNDING: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + ... = -1/12

Numberphile · explainer · Watch on YouTube

Recreational & visual mathPure mathematics

What it is

A Numberphile video in which physicists Tony Padilla and Ed Copeland show a seemingly astounding result that 1+2+3+4+... equals -1/12. The argument is informal and has drawn criticism for glossing over what the result actually means.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN uses it as the standard reference for the -1/12 meme, with commenters split between enjoying it and calling it a cheat.

  • 3 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2014, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “you should definitely subscribe to numberphile”

    Entertaining simple proof of the sum, with bonus advanced video

    alternize, 2014-01 · Strong recommendation · in “1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ... = - 1/12”

  2. “Watch this entertaining Numberphile video about this topic”

    Entertaining Numberphile explanation of the -1/12 sum

    yelnatz, 2014-01 · Recommendation · in “1 + 2 + 3 + .. = -1/12”

  3. “This is a good video explaining it”

    Good explanation of the -1/12 result

    barbs, 2021-10 · Recommendation · in “Conterintuitive facts in mathematics, CS, and physics”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: -1/12, riemann zeta, infinite series, numberphile, ramanujan summation

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