How can inifinity exist?

kwerk · 3 Feb 2011 at 05:25

To represent an infinite number the information must be stored somewhere right? But nobody can prove there is an infinite amount of information in the universe, so how can you "store" an infinite number?

It seems to me there must be a finite amount of information and probabilities in the universe and time, and if you expressed it as a number it would eventually be exhausted and have to start stealing information from the beginning and looping it.

It would appear to be infinite, but really it's not. You could say that process in itself is infinite but it's not, because if you counted the iterations there would be no way to store the number! You are simply taking information off the beginning and adding it to the end. Maybe that's all "time" is?

memyselfandi · 3 Feb 2011 at 05:46

You don't store an infinite number ... by definition you obviously cannot as whatever number you have is not infinity.

Infinity is more a mathematical concept rather than an actual number.

As for your second and third paragraphs ... :rolleyes:

... what is it with people on here recently and mind-bogglingly stupid maths/physics threads ....

d_brennen · 3 Feb 2011 at 06:27

Consider the O. Perfectly round, no beginning, no end. If you didn't know the point where you began measuring its circumference, would it not seem infinite?

Insomnia

daver · 3 Feb 2011 at 07:04

Man, in my six form mathematics 10 years ago i remember studying the likes of countable and uncountable infinite sets. Unfortunately I can't get that time back.

Castiel · 3 Feb 2011 at 07:07

Its a mathematical concept.

Parsifal · 3 Feb 2011 at 07:10

I don't really understand your question.

When you think of the number "1 trillion", there are not 1 trillion little things in your brain making up the number; it's more of just a concept. Whether an infinity of any particular object actually exists, or whether the universe is infinite is not knowable by us, but that does not stop us understaning the notion of infinity.

jamief · 3 Feb 2011 at 07:20

kwerk said:
To represent an infinite number the information must be stored somewhere right?

No. A number is a mathematical object, not a physical one.

icecold · 3 Feb 2011 at 07:43

kwerk said:
To represent an infinite number the information must be stored somewhere right? But nobody can prove there is an infinite amount of information in the universe, so how can you "store" an infinite number?

It seems to me there must be a finite amount of information and probabilities in the universe and time, and if you expressed it as a number it would eventually be exhausted and have to start stealing information from the beginning and looping it.

It would appear to be infinite, but really it's not. You could say that process in itself is infinite but it's not, because if you counted the iterations there would be no way to store the number! You are simply taking information off the beginning and adding it to the end. Maybe that's all "time" is?

Please leave maths alone, it never did you any harm.

Burnsy2023 · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:03

Infinity is a boundary (or lack of one) not a number.

platinum87 · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:15

kwerk said:
To represent an infinite number the information must be stored somewhere right? But nobody can prove there is an infinite amount of information in the universe, so how can you "store" an infinite number?

It seems to me there must be a finite amount of information and probabilities in the universe and time, and if you expressed it as a number it would eventually be exhausted and have to start stealing information from the beginning and looping it.

It would appear to be infinite, but really it's not. You could say that process in itself is infinite but it's not, because if you counted the iterations there would be no way to store the number! You are simply taking information off the beginning and adding it to the end. Maybe that's all "time" is?

Dont need to physically write it down for it to exist, :rolleyes:

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

The number above is larger than the amount of atoms in the observable universe

icecold · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:30

So mathematics is like a religion because it can only be internally validated?

problem?

Ghosteh · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:31

A Googolplex is a finite number (10^10)^100)). But there physically isn't enough space in the universe to write down all those zero's, even if you counted all the elementary particles, that'd only get you to 2.5×10^89, far short of a Googolplex. And that's a number you can use in maths.

And it's not the biggest finite number either lol.

uv · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:54

What's at the edge of universe, beyond the edge of all space?

Mr^B · 3 Feb 2011 at 08:55

Drunk/stoned at 5:25 in the morning? Most impressive.

mangobreeder · 3 Feb 2011 at 09:31

there are even an infinite number of infinities

Cold_And_Miserable · 3 Feb 2011 at 09:42

Burnsy2023 said:
Infinity is a boundary (or lack of one) not a number.

Let's define infinity as a real number, ∞ = N / 0, where N is > 0.

Mason- · 3 Feb 2011 at 09:55

When ever i need to think of infinity I just think of asymptotic graphs.

Deleted member 77746 · 3 Feb 2011 at 10:22

Castiel said:
Its a mathematical concept.

This is the real answer. It's just a concept. Nothing more, nothing less.

Morbius · 3 Feb 2011 at 10:27

PanMaster said:
Let's define infinity as a real number, ∞ = N / 0, where N is > 0.

And if you add ±∞ to the reals you get a set known as the extended reals.

mangobreeder said:
there are even an infinite number of infinities

Yup. Suppose there is a planet that has two moons. Now imagine an infinite number of these planets. The amount of planets and moons are both infinite, but there are twice as many moons as there are planets.

Davepen · 3 Feb 2011 at 10:53

To OP

When I was in year 10, the concept of inifinity made a girl in my class cry.

Were you this girl?

How can inifinity exist?

Wise Guy