Actually, he gives a definition of a finite number in the previous chapter:
http://fair-use.org/bertrand-russell/the-principles-of-mathematics/s119
He repeats the first definition in Philosophical Essays on page 72 in the chapter "Science and Hypothesis (A review)"
I didn't ask that question, I just happened to stumble on the thread. I understand that Pi is not infinite, I just don't understand how a number itself can be finite.
I did some more searching and there doesn't seem to be much information online about what a finite number really is, and it...
That's what I suspected. However, this wikipedia page says all Real Numbers are finite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite
So either it's wrong, or "finite" has a different meaning when applied to numbers. In this case, it would appear that they mean "not equal to positive or negative...
This is the thread I'm referring to:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=12557
I understand that Pi is not infinite, but what I'm not quite sure of is how a number itself is finite.
I understand the concept of finite and infinite sets, but what I get from this definition is that...
What does "finite" mean in mathematical terms?
I was reading a discussion on here about whether or not Pi is infinite. It seems intuitive to me that it's not, but I'm having trouble grasping the idea that it (or any other number) is finite.
From what I understand, if something is finite...