© Erik Seligman 2016
Erik SeligmanMath Mutation Classics10.1007/978-1-4842-1892-1_2

2. Into the Infinite

Erik Seligman
(1)
Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
 
What does the word “infinity” mean? This is one of the strangest mathematical ideas we can try to twist our mind around. Does it represent everything in the universe? Is it just a number that is bigger than all other numbers? Can something be greater than infinity? When you try to think carefully about the concept of infinity, all your preconceived notions start to fly out the window. There also seems to be some implied tie-in with religion: how many modern faiths refer to god as “The Infinite” in some form? The idea of multiple infinities was the theme of the very first Math Mutation podcast, and there ...

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