Infinity - A question for those with a thing for maths ....
Discussion
Rambling idlings of a brian distressed having to think too much today ...
Infinity... the thing that goes on for ever. Infinite... as in there is no fixed number of ..
Is it possible to create infinity in the 'real' world?
So the brain thinks. Take a box with 100 pieces of lego , old school way of measuring them , lets assume a 4x2. Assuming they could be connected in the normal way, i.e. from on top or underneath there must be a finite number of ways of connecting the 100 blocks. (Any ideas how many that would be anyone?)
OK, so assuming there is (which is likely to be the case) then lets get a bit bigger. Moleculues. Fill a glass with water - is there an infinite number of ways that these molecules can rest in the glass? or is it finite (assuming no evaporation etc)? What about the oceans, assuming no 'leakage' anywhere, is there an infinite number of ways for the molecules to rest next to each other?
So all you in the know...
Is it possible to 'create' infinity out of finte objects?
Infinity... the thing that goes on for ever. Infinite... as in there is no fixed number of ..
Is it possible to create infinity in the 'real' world?
So the brain thinks. Take a box with 100 pieces of lego , old school way of measuring them , lets assume a 4x2. Assuming they could be connected in the normal way, i.e. from on top or underneath there must be a finite number of ways of connecting the 100 blocks. (Any ideas how many that would be anyone?)
OK, so assuming there is (which is likely to be the case) then lets get a bit bigger. Moleculues. Fill a glass with water - is there an infinite number of ways that these molecules can rest in the glass? or is it finite (assuming no evaporation etc)? What about the oceans, assuming no 'leakage' anywhere, is there an infinite number of ways for the molecules to rest next to each other?
So all you in the know...
Is it possible to 'create' infinity out of finte objects?
drivin_me_nuts said:
OK, so assuming there is (which is likely to be the case) then lets get a bit bigger. Moleculues. Fill a glass with water - is there an infinite number of ways that these molecules can rest in the glass? or is it finite (assuming no evaporation etc)? What about the oceans, assuming no 'leakage' anywhere, is there an infinite number of ways for the molecules to rest next to each other?
Each of those examples are infinite for practical purposes but anything you can count (even molecules) and has a set mass (even the sea) surely has a number. OK, it's unfathomable to us, and infinite for all practical purposes, but at some point it could theoretically be counted.Is space even infinite? Probably not. The universe is expanding, but we can tell where the edge is, even though we cant get to it and it's moving faster than we could travel.
Are there any examples of something which is infinite (and not a theoretical concept)?
I always thought infinity came about as a product of division by 0 (i could be wrong, i'm not a very good mathematician), which in nature, is impossible. I suppose the universe in our (or rather my own) understanding is finite in mass, energy, space and time. So yeah, no infinities in nature.
Edited by scorp on Thursday 20th August 07:45
Maxf said:
drivin_me_nuts said:
OK, so assuming there is (which is likely to be the case) then lets get a bit bigger. Moleculues. Fill a glass with water - is there an infinite number of ways that these molecules can rest in the glass? or is it finite (assuming no evaporation etc)? What about the oceans, assuming no 'leakage' anywhere, is there an infinite number of ways for the molecules to rest next to each other?
Each of those examples are infinite for practical purposes but anything you can count (even molecules) and has a set mass (even the sea) surely has a number. OK, it's unfathomable to us, and infinite for all practical purposes, but at some point it could theoretically be counted.Only things I can think of that would be infinite are mathematical series, or something in computer programming?
Unfortunately all of the examples given are (from a distant memory) not examples of infinity but some of the more extreme would be deemed or treated as infinity for practical purposes.
I remember in Further Maths and applied Maths that we often simply had to use infinity in order to solve a problem? If not, we would simply go round in circles etc.
In addiiton, as someone above says, divide by zero = infinity obviously.
I think - long time ago
I remember in Further Maths and applied Maths that we often simply had to use infinity in order to solve a problem? If not, we would simply go round in circles etc.
In addiiton, as someone above says, divide by zero = infinity obviously.
I think - long time ago
Theoretically, yes. Practically no.
In theory, Pi has an infinite number of digits - in practice, this can't be proved - even if you go up to trillions of digits and still don't see a repeated pattern, it doesn't mean that it's infinite.
anything divided by 0 is infinite - except 0, which gives the answer 1.
In theory, Pi has an infinite number of digits - in practice, this can't be proved - even if you go up to trillions of digits and still don't see a repeated pattern, it doesn't mean that it's infinite.
anything divided by 0 is infinite - except 0, which gives the answer 1.
Slaav said:
Unfortunately all of the examples given are (from a distant memory) not examples of infinity but some of the more extreme would be deemed or treated as infinity for practical purposes.
I remember in Further Maths and applied Maths that we often simply had to use infinity in order to solve a problem? If not, we would simply go round in circles etc.
In addiiton, as someone above says, divide by zero = infinity obviously.
I think - long time ago
Not sure if this makes sense.. In nature, were we quantify things, like mass/energy, etc, you would never use the divide operator, and hence never get an (observable) infinity. In other words, division = evil I remember in Further Maths and applied Maths that we often simply had to use infinity in order to solve a problem? If not, we would simply go round in circles etc.
In addiiton, as someone above says, divide by zero = infinity obviously.
I think - long time ago
drivin_me_nuts said:
Is it possible to 'create' infinity out of finte objects?
Put two pegs in the ground a couple of meters apart.Then mark the half way point.
Now mark the half way point between these marks.
Keep going.
When you reach the point that you are having trouble physically marking the half way point then apply a virtual magnifying glass and put two new pegs in the ground but note that the scale has now changed, the 2meters represents the 2cm that you had got down to on the original posts.
Apart from the fact that you will reach a point where you cannot physically fit markers in, that will generate an infinite number of points. Each division getting smaller and smaller as the size of the division approaches but never reaches zero.
You are generating the infinite sequence 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16,1/32.....
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