# Divide By Zero > Divide By Zero is a 2005 image-macro and internet-slang meme from 4chan and YTMND treating division by zero as triggering black holes, time paradoxes, and cosmic destruction. "Divide By Zero" is an internet slang term and meme format built around the mathematical impossibility of dividing a number by zero, treating the act as something that would trigger catastrophic consequences like black holes, time paradoxes, or the total destruction of the universe. The joke originated on YTMND and 4chan's /b/ board between 2005 and 2006, and spread across forums, image boards, and demotivational posters throughout the late 2000s[4]. It got a second wind in 2015 when Apple's Siri was discovered to have a snarky pre-programmed response to "What is zero divided by zero?"[6]. ## Origin The mathematical concept behind the meme goes back centuries. Philosopher George Berkeley first formally addressed the logical problems of division by zero in his 1734 work *The Analyst*, a critique of the foundations of calculus[12]. In standard arithmetic with real numbers, division by zero is undefined because multiplying any number by zero always returns zero, making it impossible to reverse the operation[5]. In computing, attempting to divide by zero can generate error messages, crash programs, or return infinity values[5]. The earliest known internet reference turning this into a joke appeared on YTMND on October 3, 2005. A site titled "1/0!!!!!!!!!!!!" featured an artist's illustration of a black hole, framing division by zero as a universe-ending event[4]. The catchphrase took its more recognizable form on 4chan's /b/ board. According to Encyclopedia Dramatica, the earliest documented thread dates to December 8, 2006, where users shared their chat logs with ChaCha.com's search engine[4]. One anonymous poster asked the search representative, "do you know what happens when you divide by 0? things go BOOM so I hear." The representative apparently ignored the question entirely. - **Platform:** YTMND (earliest reference), 4chan /b/ (popularization) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from mathematical concept) - **Date:** 2005 ## Overview The Divide By Zero meme takes a real mathematical problem and turns it into a running joke about apocalyptic consequences. In math, dividing any number by zero is an undefined operation because no real number can satisfy the equation[1]. The meme extrapolates this impossibility to absurd extremes: if someone actually managed to divide by zero, it would rip a hole in spacetime, create a black hole, or just blow up the entire universe[10]. The format typically pairs the concept with images of destruction, black holes, or explosions, often captioned with the interrupted exclamation "OH SHI-" to suggest the poster was cut off mid-sentence by the resulting catastrophe[4]. It also frequently appeared as demotivational posters showing impossible or paradoxical images with captions warning against dividing by zero[3]. ## How It Spread The joke moved off 4chan quickly. The earliest known instance outside the boards appeared on December 13, 2006, in the comments section of gaming blog Joystiq[8]. The article described a series of satirical posts aimed at Joystiq by another gaming blog called The Game Rag, and commenters jokingly proposed that the recursive criticism would "cause a rift in time space, ultimately opening up a black hole"[8]. Throughout 2007, Divide By Zero references popped up across multiple platforms. Fan art appeared on DeviantArt, with users creating illustrations of characters reacting to the mathematical impossibility[9]. The joke spread to eBaum's World forums and 4chan's /v/ (video games) board[4]. On September 22, 2007, someone added a formal definition to Urban Dictionary explaining the 4chan usage, describing it as an act that would cause "the implosion of the universe" and noting that Chuck Norris was supposedly the only person who could do it safely[3]. A February 2008 4chan thread suggested that "OH SHI-" should be the title for an imaginary video game achievement awarded for "successfully dividing by zero without creating a time paradox"[4]. The meme got a boost in late 2008 when the Large Hadron Collider launched. CERN's particle accelerator triggered widespread (and mostly joking) speculation that it might accidentally create a tiny black hole on Earth's surface. The LHC quickly became linked to Divide By Zero humor on 4chan, since both involved the threat of reality-breaking consequences[4]. That same year, a Yahoo! Voices article about a DDoS attack on 4chan cited "Divide By Zero" as a prime example of the site's meme culture alongside "O RLY"[7]. Various image macros depicting hypothetical consequences of dividing by zero circulated on FunnyJunk, Very Demotivational, and Tumblr throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s[4]. ## How to Use The Divide By Zero meme works in a few different ways: - **As a reaction:** When someone does something logically impossible or self-contradictory, respond with "don't divide by zero" or post an image showing catastrophic destruction. - **As an image macro:** Take a photo of something paradoxical, impossible, or glitchy and caption it with text like "Someone divided by zero" or "OH SHI-." - **As a demotivational poster:** Frame an image of a black hole, explosion, or spatial anomaly with "DIVIDING BY ZERO" as the title and a warning as the subtitle. - **As a comment punchline:** When online discussions reach circular logic or recursive arguments, drop a Divide By Zero reference to suggest the thread is about to collapse reality. The "OH SHI-" element typically appears cut off to imply the writer was consumed by the resulting catastrophe before finishing their sentence[4]. ## Cultural Impact The meme peaked as a recognizable reference during the golden age of demotivational posters and 4chan culture (roughly 2006-2010), but it got an unexpected mainstream revival in June 2015. Users discovered that asking Apple's Siri "What is 0 divided by 0?" triggered a pre-programmed Easter egg response[6]. Siri would reply: "Imagine that you have zero cookies, and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn't make sense. And Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies. And you are sad that you have no friends."[6] The salty response went viral quickly. *Breaking Bad* actor Aaron Paul tweeted telling his followers to try the trick[6]. A Vine user named Mark W Smith captured the response on video. The HuffPost reported that the Easter egg worked on both iOS 8 and iOS 7, contrary to initial claims[6]. The Siri moment tapped into the same energy as other "things virtual assistants say" jokes that were popular in that era. The mathematical discussion around dividing by zero also attracted serious treatment. Popular Mechanics published an explainer noting that while dividing by zero breaks standard arithmetic, Newton's calculus actually relies on a version of dividing by zero through the concept of limits, where two points on a curve are moved infinitely close together[2]. Physics Forums hosted discussions about whether zero and infinity could ever be formally defined in relation to each other[11]. ## Fun Facts - The mathematical impossibility of dividing by zero was first formally noted almost 300 years ago in George Berkeley's 1734 paper *The Analyst*, making the underlying concept far older than the internet itself[12]. - In computing, dividing by zero doesn't always crash programs. Depending on the language and context, it can return positive infinity, negative infinity, or a special "NaN" (Not a Number) value[5]. - The expression 0/0 is technically "indeterminate" rather than "undefined" because it could theoretically equal any number. As MathIsFun puts it: "Are there no zeros in zero at all? Or perhaps there is exactly one zero in zero?"[1] - Some mechanical calculators, when given a division by zero, will physically loop forever, repeatedly subtracting zero from the dividend and never reaching a result[5]. - The Joystiq comment thread that first spread the joke outside 4chan was itself about recursive criticism between two gaming blogs, making it a meta-joke about infinite loops[8]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Divide By Zero? Divide By Zero is an internet meme and slang term that treats the mathematical impossibility of dividing by zero as an act that would cause catastrophic real-world consequences like black holes or the end of the universe[10]. ### Where did Divide By Zero come from? The earliest known internet reference appeared on YTMND on October 3, 2005, with a page titled "1/0!!!!!!!!!!!!" showing a black hole illustration. The meme was popularized on 4chan's /b/ board starting in December 2006[4]. ### What does Divide By Zero mean? In meme usage, it describes any action leading to an impossible outcome, a spectacular failure, or a theoretical universe-ending disaster. It plays on the fact that dividing by zero is mathematically undefined[5]. ### How do you use Divide By Zero? Post an image of something impossible or paradoxical with a caption like "someone divided by zero" or "OH SHI-." It works as a reaction to circular logic, broken software, or any situation that defies normal rules[4]. ### Is Divide By Zero still popular? The meme is a classic of mid-2000s internet culture. While no longer a trending format, it's still widely recognized and occasionally referenced, especially in math and programming communities[7]. ### What does "OH SHI-" mean in Divide By Zero memes? The interrupted exclamation represents someone being cut off mid-sentence by the catastrophic results of dividing by zero, as if reality itself collapsed before they could finish[4]. ### What happens when you ask Siri to divide zero by zero? Siri responds with a pre-programmed Easter egg about having zero cookies and zero friends, ending with "Cookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies. And you are sad that you have no friends"[6]. ### Why can't you divide by zero in math? Because no real number, when multiplied by zero, produces any number other than zero. The equation x/0 = n would require 0 × n = x, which is impossible for any non-zero x[1]. ### What is the connection between Divide By Zero and the Large Hadron Collider? When the LHC launched in 2008, speculation about it creating black holes merged with the Divide By Zero meme on 4chan, since both involved the humorous threat of destroying reality[4]. ### Is 0 divided by 0 the same as dividing a number by zero? Not exactly. Dividing a non-zero number by zero is "undefined" because no answer works. But 0/0 is "indeterminate" because any number could technically satisfy the equation[1]. ## References 1. [What is the Divide by Zero Meme? - Answers]() 2. [Dividing by Zero]() 3. [Can We Define the Undefined Concepts of Zero and Infinity? • Physics Forums]() 4. [Divide By Zero - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Absolute zero]() 6. [Divide By Zero - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Real number]() 8. [Undefined (mathematics)]() 9. [George Berkeley]() 10. [Division by zero]() 11. [Undefined (mathematics) - Wikipedia]() 12. [Urban Dictionary: divide by zero]() 13. [ChanArchive.com is for sale | HugeDomains]() 14. [Divided by Zero... Oh Shi... by KuyaSaysRawr on DeviantArt]() 15. [ChanArchive.com is for sale | HugeDomains]() 16. [Very Demotivational - Demotivational Posters | Very Demotivational | Funny Pictures | Funny Posters | Funny Meme]() 17. [4Chan.org Suffers DDOS Attack - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com]() 18. [Ask Siri What Zero Divided By Zero Is; Prepare To Be Burned By Some Major Snark | HuffPost Life]() 19. [The Secret Magic of Dividing by Zero]() 20. [The game rag's latest target? Joystiq. - Joystiq]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/divide-by-zero Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library