How can inifinity exist?

Davepen said:
To OP

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

Were you this girl?
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lol

If you're still having trouble understanding the concept of infinity I reccommend you download and watch

Horizon - To infinity and beyond
 
Ghosteh said:
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.
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(10^10)^100 + 1, for example! :p
 
Morbius said:
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.
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Or a circle is a shape, made up of an infinite numberof points next to each other.
You know there are an infinite number of points because you can always subdivide a point into half.
Now a circle with twice the Diamete has twice the number of infinite points?
 
A hotel has an infinite number of rooms. Yet half of those rooms are clearly odd-numbered, and the other half are even. Though there are still an infinite amount of each!

Horizon f.t.w.!
 
What are numbers? I can tell you this much, numbers don't exist. They are a tool construct the human brain has learned to employ to observe and quantify congruent realities. Where an object is observed simultaneously with another object of similar type, build and makeup a count is increased. Its sort of a paradox of the whole 'matter can't occupy the same space at the same time' phenomena. Except here, i have two, apparently same, objects, occupying different space at the same time. Of course, when you start looking into the symbolical recognition library and pattern matching ability the brain starts to fall rather short. We make very, merry, approximations and are quite content to call different objects the same so long as they share some similarity. Even then, we prefere grouping smaller objects into larger ones. Singularly defined systems can be broken into infinitely complex subtypes. That is after all, the point and expedition of research into particle physics. If we can 'count' the basic substance of all things, if indeed it is countable, then it can be controlled.
 
I always remember the infinite hotel from school.

A hotel has an infinite amount of rooms and every room is occupied.

Q1 A new guest arrives. Can the hotel accomodate him?
Q2 Infinite bus tours arrives with an infinite number of passengers. Can the hotel accomodate them?

Answers to follow but its easy.;)
 
i always though infinity couldn't possible exist and was only theoretical. Like god. You can talk about her/him/it. Theorise about her/him/it and what have you, doesnt mean she/he/it exists. It's my take on it anyway :confused:
 
kidkhaos said:
i always though infinity couldn't possible exist and was only theoretical.
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Well it doesn't "exist" per se. It's not like you can actually hold in your hand "infinity" of something. The concept of infinite on the other hand, that of a quantity without boundary, certainly does exist.

It's mathematical, and nothing at all like debating the existence of God.
 
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Greebo said:
I always remember the infinite hotel from school.

A hotel has an infinite amount of rooms and every room is occupied.

Q1 A new guest arrives. Can the hotel accomodate him?
Q2 Infinite bus tours arrives with an infinite number of passengers. Can the hotel accomodate them?

Answers to follow but its easy.;)
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Yes.
Yes.
 
What I'm saying is it can't ever be applied to anything in reality, and if it was applied it's actually just a very long loop like a circle. How can you tell you are still increasing with out checking back to near the beginning? If it did keep increasing that would mean new information could be created out of nowhere.
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
No.
It must not.
The rest of your text is unnecessary, as the basic assumption appears incorrect.
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In human terms it has to be stored by the state of the particles that make up your brain neurons or electrons in a computer, or graphite on a piece of paper. So if you just draw a sideways figure eight you aren't representing a number but just an idea. It exists as much as the idea that the universe is sitting inside the stomach of a giant cow.
 
Well if the universe was infinite no matter how unlikely something is it would happen.. and it would happen infinite times.

E.g A monkey at a computer would randomly type the works of shakespear in order with no mistakes. It would also happen infinite times.


Greebo said:
I always remember the infinite hotel from school.

A hotel has an infinite amount of rooms and every room is occupied.

Q1 A new guest arrives. Can the hotel accomodate him?
Q2 Infinite bus tours arrives with an infinite number of passengers. Can the hotel accomodate them?

Answers to follow but its easy.;)
Click to expand...


Yes, you move the person from room number 1 into room number 2, room number 2 into room number 3 ext then the new person can go in room number 1 :)
 
There is no evidence true randomness exists either.

When you are talking about infinity you are really talking about applying a function to something. Like a simple +1 to any number.

If the universe was infinite it would mean there is a function being applied, like when you get to the smallest particle repeat the function on the universe and create a new universe inside that particle. Eventually you would see a repeat of itself, like a fractal. It's really a loop, and finite in information. You could apply the function to any universe and keep going without any new information.
 
I like the posts that sound familiar from some documentaries and what not.

I don't have a problem with infinity.


Problem?
 
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