# What exactly is infinite

I'm still missing something.

Infinity can be put into a variable. Let's call it a. a - 4..... It's simplified.
If infinity is a concept then why does it appear in real life situations.

Inf^2- okay, my understanding of this statement is there is this limitless number ( not a mathmatical limit ) and this strange irrational endless number is multiplied by itself. I believe in no real life situation does infinity^2 EVER happen so no use going any farther.

Inf - inf = 0. Okay so, we don't know what infinite is, but infinite = infinite in all cases.
Here's an inequality that IS true infinite - (positive C) < infinite. If this paragraph is completely wrong then infinite does not equal infinite. If inf - inf = 0 then inf - C must be less than infinity. Why? Who knows!!

Infinite * 2 is 2infinity. If not then infinite^n * Real number (plus or minus c) is infinity. This makes no sense however this isn't how infinity shows up in real life.

Infinite/infinite this is in fact 1

1/0 = infinity but, 0 times infinite equals 0. This means you can divide one into as many groups of zero as you want. Until you reach infinity groups.( this will never happen ). Why is zero times infinite 0? Well 0 + 0 + 0... Will never reach the sum of a number > 0.

Infinite + C. Just the inverse of inf - C.

mfb
Mentor
I'm still missing something.

Infinity can be put into a variable. Let's call it a. a - 4..... It's simplified.
To do this, you first have to define a set of "objects" where you want such operations take place, and what subtraction and addition means in this set of objects. This is easy to do with natural or real numbers without infinity, but it gets more problematic if you want to include something that looks like infinity.

If infinity is a concept then why does it appear in real life situations.
3 is another mathematical concept. Does 3 appear in real-life situations?

Inf^2- okay, my understanding of this statement is there is this limitless number ( not a mathmatical limit ) and this strange irrational endless number is multiplied by itself. I believe in no real life situation does infinity^2 EVER happen so no use going any farther.
If you consider the infinite number of real numbers in an interval (like "between 0 and 1"), an area has something like "infinity^2" points.

Inf - inf = 0.
Or undefined. Depends on the way you define your inf and subtraction. This is your choice!

Okay so, we don't know what infinite is, but infinite = infinite in all cases.
Here's an inequality that IS true infinite - (positive C) < infinite. If this paragraph is completely wrong then infinite does not equal infinite. If inf - inf = 0 then inf - C must be less than infinity. Why? Who knows!!
As you can see: if you do those definitions wrong, you get contradictions.

phinds
Gold Member
2021 Award
If infinity is a concept then why does it appear in real life situations.

It doesn't. AGAIN, I ask you to state an example of what you think is infinity in the real world. Stick with demonstrable/observable things. You tried that before and all you did was talk about math.

I'm still missing something.

Infinity can be put into a variable. Let's call it a. a - 4..... It's simplified.
If infinity is a concept then why does it appear in real life situations.

Inf^2- okay, my understanding of this statement is there is this limitless number ( not a mathmatical limit ) and this strange irrational endless number is multiplied by itself. I believe in no real life situation does infinity^2 EVER happen so no use going any farther.

Inf - inf = 0. Okay so, we don't know what infinite is, but infinite = infinite in all cases.
Here's an inequality that IS true infinite - (positive C) < infinite. If this paragraph is completely wrong then infinite does not equal infinite. If inf - inf = 0 then inf - C must be less than infinity. Why? Who knows!!

Infinite * 2 is 2infinity. If not then infinite^n * Real number (plus or minus c) is infinity. This makes no sense however this isn't how infinity shows up in real life.

Infinite/infinite this is in fact 1

1/0 = infinity but, 0 times infinite equals 0. This means you can divide one into as many groups of zero as you want. Until you reach infinity groups.( this will never happen ). Why is zero times infinite 0? Well 0 + 0 + 0... Will never reach the sum of a number > 0.

Infinite + C. Just the inverse of inf - C.

The operations have nothing to do with "real life" they have to do with a consistent definition that preserves field properties. Math can be used to solve real world problems, but math is not about or limited to the real world. As mfb said, you could define these things however you want, as long as your definitions do not produce contradictions.

Infinite occurs in real life. Look up the definition of infinity on Wikipedia. ;

phinds
Gold Member
2021 Award
Infinite occurs in real life. Look up the definition of infinity on Wikipedia. ;

You must be reading a different Wikipedia definition that the one I saw, since the one I saw does NOT say that.

You keep refusing to actually give any meaningful example of what you think is infinite in the real world. This is getting old.

pwsnafu
Infinite occurs in real life. Look up the definition of infinity on Wikipedia. ;

You mean this?

In physics, approximations of real numbers are used for continuous measurements and natural numbers are used for discrete measurements (i.e. counting). It is therefore assumed by physicists that no measurable quantity could have an infinite value,[citation needed] for instance by taking an infinite value in an extended real number system, or by requiring the counting of an infinite number of events. It is for example presumed impossible for any body to have infinite mass or infinite energy. Concepts of infinite things such as an infinite plane wave exist, but there are no experimental means to generate them.[citation needed]