A Remark about Addition of Real Numbers

Matthew Pollard
(Dedicated to Sam Harper)

15th October 2006

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two is five. If that
is granted, all else follows.” – Winston Smith; Part Three, Chapter
Two, Nineteen Eighty Four.

Claim

2 + 2 = 5.

Proof
Let a and b be equal non-zero real numbers, i.e. a = b. Then multiplying by a,

ab = a2 .

Subtracting b2 ,
ab − b2 = a2 − b2 ,
and factorizing both sides gives

b(a − b) = (a − b)(a + b).

Divide both sides by (a − b),

b = (a + b),
and add 3b on both sides:

b + 3b = (a + b) + 3b

Since a = b and b + 3b = 2b + 2b, we have

2b + 2b = 2b + 3b

Dividing by b yields
2 + 2 = 5.