LESS achievable. Multiplication by zero still gives a product of zero in the real number system.

>> Multiplication by zero still gives a product of zero in the real number system.

Yeah which is why its more achievable:

  factor = final / initial

         = 3 customers / 0 customers = ZOMGx more customers

Ah, the usual division by zero error.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_by_zero

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.divideby0.html

http://www.math.utah.edu/~pa/math/0by0.html

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DivisionbyZero.html

Perhaps more to my original point is that cperciva replied to the thread-opening post

I plan to end 2010 with 10x as many customers as I start it with.

so the the comment by woid (grandchild comment to cperciva's comment) is CORRECT that such a goal is not achievable if

you start with zero customers

because there isn't any defined number of customers that is exactly ten times as many customers as zero customers.

It's funny that this isn't taught in all mathematics classes.

I understand the math; sure, 10*0=0. Looking lim a->0: x/a, though, which goes to infinity, I was implying it was easier to achieve because mathematically he'd be way past his target of 10x. But you're right that it's impossible to hit exactly 10x.