Method of successive substitution Method of successive substitution In modular arithmetic, the method of successive substitution is a method of solving problems of simultaneous congruences by using the definition of the congruence equation. It is commonly applied in cases where the conditions of the Chinese remainder theorem are not satisfied. There is also an unrelated numerical-analysis method of successive substitution, a randomized algorithm used for root finding, an application of fixed-point iteration. The method of successive substitution is also known as back substitution. Consider the simple set of simultaneous congruences Now, for "x" ≡ 3 (mod 4) to be true, "x" = 3 +
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? The question "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" (alternatively ""How many angels can stand on the "point" of a pin?"") is a reductio ad absurdum of medieval scholasticism in general, and its angelology in particular, as represented by figures such as Duns Scotus and Thomas Aquinas. It is first recorded in the 17th century, in the context of Protestant apologetics. The question has also been linked to the fall of Constantinople, with the imagery of scholars debating about minutiae while the Turks besieged the