What is the meaning of Infinity?

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In summary, Infinity is a concept that has no physical counterpart in our universe and is often used as a shorthand for unbounded behavior in mathematics. It is similar to other philosophical concepts such as 'nothing' or 'everything'. In science, unphysical models are disregarded as they cannot be quantified. The simplest way to understand infinity is to think of it as something that is not finite, rather than trying to define it as its own entity.
  • #1
deydas
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I have a few questions regarding infinity. Its pretty long so I thought of putting it up on my site instead of here, sorry about that.

The URL is: http://deydas.com/blog/archives/4-What-is-infinity.html .

Can anybody answer my question please?!

Thank you.
 
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  • #2
I think I can simplify. Infinity is an unphysical result. That it is to say it is meaningless in this universe. It is a concept that has no counterpart in perceptual reality. Much like the concept of 'nothing' or 'everything' in philosophy. In science, unphysical models of perceptual reality are routinely disregarded. They cannot be quantified, hence have no predictive power in this universe.
 
  • #3
The simplest way to grasp the definition (and like all maths that's all this is) is to only ever use the word infinite, as in not finite, instead of trying to shoe horn in "infinity" which, mathematically, is just a shorthand for behaviour that is unbounded.

Rather than say "there is an infinity of natural numbers", instead think "the set of natural numbers is infinite" ie "the set of natural numbers is not finite".
 

Related to What is the meaning of Infinity?

1. What is infinity?

Infinity is a concept that represents something that has no limit or end. It is often used in mathematics and physics to describe values or concepts that are unbounded or infinite.

2. Can infinity be measured?

No, infinity cannot be measured in the traditional sense. It is not a tangible quantity and cannot be assigned a numerical value. However, it can be represented symbolically in equations and calculations.

3. Is infinity a number?

No, infinity is not considered a number in traditional mathematics. It is a theoretical concept used to describe something without limit or end. However, some branches of mathematics, such as transfinite arithmetic, do assign numerical values to infinity.

4. Can infinity be divided?

No, infinity cannot be divided. When we divide a number by another number, we are essentially finding how many times the second number can fit into the first. However, with infinity, there is no limit or end, so it cannot be divided in this way.

5. Does infinity exist in the real world?

The concept of infinity is often used in theoretical and abstract mathematics and physics. While it may not exist in a tangible form in the physical world, it is a useful concept for understanding and describing the universe and its infinite possibilities.

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