|Discuss| Is Infinity a number? - Page 2

~~Metallic Rilldo~~ · 10-08-2008

So infinity is the limit to numbers but also a number is what I am saying.

Separate_From_Society · 10-08-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by hello92

So infinity is the limit to numbers but also a number is what I am saying.

in·fin·i·ty

1.the quality or state of being infinite.
2.something that is infinite.
3.infinite space, time, or quantity.
4.an infinite extent, amount, or number.
5.an indefinitely great amount or number.

Infinity is not the limit to numbers, and it is not a number itself.

**Punxx** · 10-08-2008

Infinity is not a number it is a concept. Read through the wikipedia article thoroughly and all of it's source material to learn more.

Take a number that cannot be broken down any further. 10 divided by 3 for example being 3.33333-. The decimal 3 goes on for ever. Infinity indicates the fact that number does not stop. It doesn't go 3.3333333333333333infinity and then ends.

I can tell you that it's far too complex to explain in great detail here. It has taken many men, many moons to come up with a plausible explanation for infinity and how it affects us. I can say though that infinity is not the end of numbers, it is not a number in that way at all.

**Ivan** · 10-08-2008

Something being finite just means having an end. Being infinite means not having an end. Infinity is just a concept.

The symbol is just an easier way of showing infinity. It probably sounds better than saying an endless amount of _______.

**Inu** · 10-08-2008

BBC Documentary - Dangerous Knowledge

In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians - Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing - whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide.

The film begins with Georg Cantor, the great mathematician whose work proved to be the foundation for much of the 20th-century mathematics. He believed he was God's messenger and was eventually driven insane trying to prove his theories of infinity.

YouTube - BBC-Dangerous Knowledge (Part 1-10)

SSJBulma · 10-08-2008

I really want to quote Buzz Lightyear, but I won't.
I usually think of infinity for something that has no ending in terms of numerical value. But apart from that others here have answered it.

**LegendarySSJ7** · 10-09-2008

It's not a far cry away from asking "is zero a number?" when zero is commensurate to no number. We classify it as such in a textual and contextual premise, but if thought about in more than just fleeting ganders, infinity and eternity may be different things. Numbers are just that - humanity's way of communicating amounts of things through the inert and dead limitations of words.... it's only as good as we can perceive and make of it. Now, whether so many harken away from often answering this question because they're indolent or fearful.... that's another topic of discussion.

But I would say it's a number if you want to give it such context and background. Or perhaps it's beyond a number - not just beyond measurement, but beyond a number - quite the deep school of thought to contemplate upon.

Oh, and by the by, I don't think knowledge is dangerous, so much as it is open to philosophy and beyond...

TobiGoodBoy · 10-10-2008

I describe infinty as everything. So infinity is 1,2,3,4,5,6. It's every number you can think of. It's all the numbers and everything.

QuickLearner · 10-17-2008

Think about it this way:

When you cout to ten, you go up by 1 every time.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

But there aren't ten numbers between 0 and 10. There aren't even ten numbers between 0 and 1. Not even between 0 and 1x10^-99. If you count to ten, as soon as you reach 1, you'll have skipped an infinite amount of decimal numbers, and there's no limit to how many you skipped because you can always go up by a smaller amount. There is no "lowest number" because whatever you say is the lowest can still be divided by anything, resulting in an even smaller one. It's the same as getting bigger. If you say that one googolplex is the largest number here is, I'll just respond with "What about two googolpex?".

Astner · 10-25-2008

Infinity is a set of numbers, meaning that it would be a number. Simply not finite. Now, in maths we learn that there are levels of infinity, also known as transfinite numbers. For some this appear to be a hard concept to grasp.

Imagine a one-dimensional line with the length of 1 cm. How many dots (zero-dimensional points) would that line consist of? Now, a point has no length, meaning we could set it as 0. Meaning that we would have to go on forever adding them in order to get the desired line.

So now we know that the 1 cm long line consists of a infinite amount of dots. But wouldn't a 2 cm long line consist of a greater number of dots? If we removed the dots required to make the 1 cm long line from the 2 cm long line we'd still have 1 cm left of the two dimensional line. Proving that there in fact are levels of infinity. Hence indicating that it is a number--simply not finite.

QuickLearner · 4 Weeks Ago

Infinity is one of those things that doesn't fit into mathematic theory, like dividing by zero, or square roots of negatives. Infinity exists solely to express anything with no end. For example:

Say that you start with 9, and add 0.9. The result will almost be ten. Then, you add 0.09. The result will be even closer, but still not quite there. Then, you add 0.009, 0.0009, etc. With every number you add, you're increasing by a number that's alomst enough to reach ten, but not quite enough. Continuing this pattern, you'll never get to ten.

Some people, however, say that eventually, it WILL reach ten... But when? When does it finally reach ten? Logically, there's no way to reach ten with this method of addition. This is when infinity comes in. You will add (9*10^-x) -infinity- times to the total for it to reach ten.

As a quick note, I'd like to add that 3 divided by ten will produce an endless decimal, resulting in a number that will take -infinity- to write down or process in a computer.

Skrrp · 4 Weeks Ago

Guys, you're doing it wrong.

I can produce infinity for you really easily. Try either of these on your computer:

Code:

i = 1 / 0;

for (x = 0; x++; x < 0) { i++; }

Being serious though, as stated many times in this thread, infinity is a concept, not a number. It can never be calculated. It exists inside some pure mathematicians heads. I was going to talk about some other pure maths quirks, but these have already been perfectly covered:

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuickLearner

Infinity is one of those things that doesn't fit into mathematic theory, like dividing by zero, or square roots of negatives.

The only other thing to add is a quick nod to algebra, but that doesn't really fit here as it is the tokenisation of symbols that represent unknown (but calculable) values for the duration of the problem. They will come out with numbers at the end.

To understand numbers more, these concepts are a good starting point:

Real number - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Discrete mathematics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I also disagree that infinity is a representation of everything. The counter to this is (as already used previously) is that:

Code:

everything++ > everything

And that is a game we can play all day. Even Einstein in his famous quote doubted that the universe was infinite. (And this gives me great trouble, leading to questions like 'what's at the edge of the universe and what's beyond it?')

Orancello · 4 Weeks Ago

Infinity is described as being never ending, it's not a number. It's a word. The symbol can't fit in anywhere on the number line, because it doesn't, technically speaking, exist. Infinity is a concept that says that if you can associate infinity to the concept then it never ends. So, infinity is not a number, nor will it ever be a number, because it's an adjective, so to speak, while numbers are nouns.

10-08-2008	#16 (permalink)
~~Metallic Rilldo~~ Banned Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: your closet O.O Posts: 3,240 Blog Entries: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Is Infinity a number? So infinity is the limit to numbers but also a number is what I am saying.

10-08-2008	#18 (permalink)
Punxx Administrator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: New Zealand Posts: 4,522 Rep Power: 200	Re: Is Infinity a number? Infinity is not a number it is a concept. Read through the wikipedia article thoroughly and all of it's source material to learn more. Take a number that cannot be broken down any further. 10 divided by 3 for example being 3.33333-. The decimal 3 goes on for ever. Infinity indicates the fact that number does not stop. It doesn't go 3.3333333333333333infinity and then ends. I can tell you that it's far too complex to explain in great detail here. It has taken many men, many moons to come up with a plausible explanation for infinity and how it affects us. I can say though that infinity is not the end of numbers, it is not a number in that way at all. __________________ Much love to Goku for the sig...! \|\| Praise Manic for the sweet avy MFG Rules: Don't be a Dumbass!

10-08-2008	#19 (permalink)
Ivan Moderator Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Halcyon Posts: 3,270 Rep Power: 131	Re: Is Infinity a number? Something being finite just means having an end. Being infinite means not having an end. Infinity is just a concept. The symbol is just an easier way of showing infinity. It probably sounds better than saying an endless amount of _______.

10-08-2008	#20 (permalink)
Inu Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 3,078 Blog Entries: 5 Rep Power: 68	Re: Is Infinity a number? BBC Documentary - Dangerous Knowledge In this one-off documentary, David Malone looks at four brilliant mathematicians - Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing - whose genius has profoundly affected us, but which tragically drove them insane and eventually led to them all committing suicide. The film begins with Georg Cantor, the great mathematician whose work proved to be the foundation for much of the 20th-century mathematics. He believed he was God's messenger and was eventually driven insane trying to prove his theories of infinity. YouTube - BBC-Dangerous Knowledge (Part 1-10)

10-08-2008	#21 (permalink)
SSJBulma (29) Great Lord of Worlds Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a soup-kitchen stealin your soupz! Posts: 8,763 Blog Entries: 7 Rep Power: 154	Re: Is Infinity a number? I really want to quote Buzz Lightyear, but I won't. I usually think of infinity for something that has no ending in terms of numerical value. But apart from that others here have answered it. __________________ http://revandesigns.weebly.com/gaming-newsreviews.html

10-09-2008	#22 (permalink)
LegendarySSJ7 Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: LA, CA, USA. Posts: 2,735 Rep Power: 48	Re: Is Infinity a number? It's not a far cry away from asking "is zero a number?" when zero is commensurate to no number. We classify it as such in a textual and contextual premise, but if thought about in more than just fleeting ganders, infinity and eternity may be different things. Numbers are just that - humanity's way of communicating amounts of things through the inert and dead limitations of words.... it's only as good as we can perceive and make of it. Now, whether so many harken away from often answering this question because they're indolent or fearful.... that's another topic of discussion. But I would say it's a number if you want to give it such context and background. Or perhaps it's beyond a number - not just beyond measurement, but beyond a number - quite the deep school of thought to contemplate upon. Oh, and by the by, I don't think knowledge is dangerous, so much as it is open to philosophy and beyond... __________________ Last edited by LegendarySSJ7; 10-09-2008 at 10:54 AM.

10-10-2008	#23 (permalink)
TobiGoodBoy (22) Super Saiyan 3 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Under your bed. Posts: 2,246 Blog Entries: 2 Rep Power: 79	Re: Is Infinity a number? I describe infinty as everything. So infinity is 1,2,3,4,5,6. It's every number you can think of. It's all the numbers and everything. __________________

10-17-2008	#24 (permalink)
QuickLearner (11) Student of Lord Kaio Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 163 Rep Power: 23	Re: Is Infinity a number? Think about it this way: When you cout to ten, you go up by 1 every time. 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 But there aren't ten numbers between 0 and 10. There aren't even ten numbers between 0 and 1. Not even between 0 and 1x10^-99. If you count to ten, as soon as you reach 1, you'll have skipped an infinite amount of decimal numbers, and there's no limit to how many you skipped because you can always go up by a smaller amount. There is no "lowest number" because whatever you say is the lowest can still be divided by anything, resulting in an even smaller one. It's the same as getting bigger. If you say that one googolplex is the largest number here is, I'll just respond with "What about two googolpex?". __________________ /b/ is the forum from Satan. NEVER read it. Same goes for Encyclopedia Dramatica. It's written by the same idiots. I'll rep anyone who reps me. Or anyone who posts something I like, but that's a given. Last edited by QuickLearner; 10-19-2008 at 12:38 AM.

10-25-2008	#25 (permalink)
Astner (17) Super Saiyan Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Sweden Posts: 732 Rep Power: 13	Re: Is Infinity a number? Infinity is a set of numbers, meaning that it would be a number. Simply not finite. Now, in maths we learn that there are levels of infinity, also known as transfinite numbers. For some this appear to be a hard concept to grasp. Imagine a one-dimensional line with the length of 1 cm. How many dots (zero-dimensional points) would that line consist of? Now, a point has no length, meaning we could set it as 0. Meaning that we would have to go on forever adding them in order to get the desired line. So now we know that the 1 cm long line consists of a infinite amount of dots. But wouldn't a 2 cm long line consist of a greater number of dots? If we removed the dots required to make the 1 cm long line from the 2 cm long line we'd still have 1 cm left of the two dimensional line. Proving that there in fact are levels of infinity. Hence indicating that it is a number--simply not finite. __________________ "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

4 Weeks Ago	#26 (permalink)
QuickLearner (11) Student of Lord Kaio Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 163 Rep Power: 23	Re: Is Infinity a number? Infinity is one of those things that doesn't fit into mathematic theory, like dividing by zero, or square roots of negatives. Infinity exists solely to express anything with no end. For example: Say that you start with 9, and add 0.9. The result will almost be ten. Then, you add 0.09. The result will be even closer, but still not quite there. Then, you add 0.009, 0.0009, etc. With every number you add, you're increasing by a number that's alomst enough to reach ten, but not quite enough. Continuing this pattern, you'll never get to ten. Some people, however, say that eventually, it WILL reach ten... But when? When does it finally reach ten? Logically, there's no way to reach ten with this method of addition. This is when infinity comes in. You will add (9*10^-x) -infinity- times to the total for it to reach ten. As a quick note, I'd like to add that 3 divided by ten will produce an endless decimal, resulting in a number that will take -infinity- to write down or process in a computer. __________________ /b/ is the forum from Satan. NEVER read it. Same goes for Encyclopedia Dramatica. It's written by the same idiots. I'll rep anyone who reps me. Or anyone who posts something I like, but that's a given.

4 Weeks Ago	#28 (permalink)
Orancello (13) Great Ape Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 312 Rep Power: 21	Re: Is Infinity a number? Infinity is described as being never ending, it's not a number. It's a word. The symbol can't fit in anywhere on the number line, because it doesn't, technically speaking, exist. Infinity is a concept that says that if you can associate infinity to the concept then it never ends. So, infinity is not a number, nor will it ever be a number, because it's an adjective, so to speak, while numbers are nouns. __________________ Nothing until I take the time to make something fun to go here.