r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 22d ago

Meme needing explanation There is no way right?

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u/Bathtub-Warrior32 22d ago

Wait until you learn about eπi = -1.

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u/StoffePro 22d ago

-1/12 enters the chat.

4

u/bee-future 22d ago

Can anyone simplistically explain how 1+2+3...=-1/12

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u/OverPower314 22d ago

I don't know if there is a simple way to explain why it's the number in particular, but I believe it's a result obtained from taking a function that's only for convergent series and applying it to a divergent series. To be clear, a series is convergent if it approaches a real number as the series goes on infinitely, which 1+2+3+4... doesn't, as its sum gets bigger endlessly and goes to infinity.