Quote Originally Posted by Raistlin View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Rantzien
Three thirds together make a whole, so the number .999... is a human construct that doesn't exist in the practical world.
Yeah it does. I'm pretty sure you can identify a single object in the "practical world". ".999..." is just a different representation of it, but just as valid as "1."
I'm not talking about what the rules about mathematics are, I'm debating the actual merit of ever using the representation .999... when all it does is cause confusion. Some would undoubtedly say that the .999... representation exists to increase clarity, but as proven by this discussion and countless others, it clearly does just the opposite. The simple fact that they are equal renders the representation .999... obsolete as far as I'm concerned.