Halves
| One half |
|
| prefixes | hemi- (from Greek)
semi-/demi- (from Latin) |
| Binary | 0.1 or 0.011111111111... |
| Decimal | 0.5 or 0.499999999999... |
| Dozenal | 0;6 or 0;5BBBBBBBBBBBB... |
| Hexadecimal | 0.8 or 0.7FFFFFFFFFFF... |
| Continued fraction | or |
| Single-precision
floating point |
3F000000 (hex) =
00111111000000000000000000000000 (binary) |
One half is the irreducible fraction resulting from dividing one by two (½), or any number by its double; multiplication by one half is equivalent to division by two. It appears often in mathematical equations, recipes, measurements, etc. Half can also be said to be one part of something divided into two equal parts.
For instance, the area S of a triangle is computed
- S = ½ × base × perpendicular height.
One half also figures in the formula for calculating figurate numbers, such as triangular numbers and pentagonal numbers:
- ½ × n
and in the formula for computing magic constants for magic squares
- M2(n) = ½ × .
The Riemann hypothesis states that every nontrivial complex root of the Riemann zeta function has a real part equal to 1/2.
One half has two different decimal expansions, the familiar 0.5 and the recurring 0.49999999... It has a similar pair of expansions in any even base. It is a common trap to believe these expressions represent distinct numbers: see the proof that 0.999... equals 1 for detailed discussion of a related case.
Read more about Halves: Particularities in Writing and Language
Famous quotes containing the word halves:
“For as she eats wisdom like the halves of a pear she puts one foot in front of the other. She climbs the dark wing.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“And plenitude of plan shall not suffice
Nor grief nor love shall be enough alone
To ratify my little halves who bear
Across an autumn freezing everywhere.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917)