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When is .999... less than 1?
2010
The Mathematics Enthusiast
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We examine alternative interpretations of the symbol described as nought, point, nine recurring. Is "an infinite number of 9s" merely a figure of speech? How are such alternative interpretations related to infinite cardinalities? How are they expressed in Lightstone's "semicolon" notation? Is it possible to choose a canonical alternative interpretation? Should unital evaluation of the symbol .999 . . . be inculcated in a pre-limit teaching environment? The problem of the unital evaluation is
doi:10.54870/1551-3440.1381
fatcat:p5ph73ey65csxbbr4rzsw245eu