VirginiaMartinez

Aug.28,2014
QCCQ:TheirInfiniteWisdom
Quote:
Indeed,largepartsofmodernmathematicsconsistofnothingelsethanasystematicwaytohandlethe
infinite

Comment:
Itsinterestinghowthisquoteplaysdownthevalueofmoderndaymathandlaterprovesit.Anexample
isgivenofaninfiniteequationthatissolvedusingourlogicandresultswith3differentanswers.Itleftme
withaninitialfeelingthatinfinitywassomethingthatdoesntfollowreasonandlogic.Butthereal
significanceofthequoteisthatitleadsthereadertoprobedeeperintohowthosethreereasonable
methodsleadtoanswersthatdidntcorrespondwitheachother.Thequoteleadmetosurfacetheidea
thatpossiblyitactuallyisourmathlogicthatdoesntmakesense.Orpossiblythatourcomprehension
ofmathematicscanthandletheirrationalinfinity.

Connection:
Icannotconnectthisquotejustyettomycurrentmathclassjustyet,butIcanconnectittoabookIam
reading.Inthisbook,theauthorexplainshowinthelate18thandearly19thcentury,contradictions
werefoundinthemoderndaygeometrymath.Theproblemwastherewasntawaytotellwhich
geometrylogicwastruesincetherewasntanythingtobaseitoffof.Lateramathematicianand
philosophernamedPoincardecidedthatitdidntmatterwhichonewastrue,sinceOnegeometry
cannotbemoretruethananotheritcanonlybemoreconvenient.RobertM.Pirsig,ZenandtheArt
ofMotorcycleMaintenance,p.269.WhenIreadthequotefromTheirInfiniteWisdomit
immediatelyremindedmeofmybook.Yesourreasoningleadustothreedifferentanswersbythesame
infiniteequation,butweareclosertoacomprehensionofinfinity.Sincewehavenothingtobasea
decisiononastowhichmethodleadstothecorrectanswer,wecanseethegreaterpowerofinfinity.It
seemsasifweareatadeadend,butreallywehavegainedinformation.Ifinfinitycandefyourrulesof
logic,itexposessomeofhiddencolors.Itdoesmakesensedoesntitforsomethingdefinedas
boundless,neverending,andallthesamesimpletonotfollowlogicandreason.

Questions:
SomequestionsIhaveare:
a.Howdoadvancedmathematiciansgoaboutusingandworkingwithinfinity?Dotheyleaveitas
undefinableorincomprehensible?
b.Whatadvancementshavebeenmadetounderstandinginfinity?Mathematicallyandphilosophically.
c.Whatusecananunderstandingofinfinitybeused?
d.Whowasthefirstmathematicianwhodiscoveredinfinity?