Thread: ∞

Question... In a spot that has the absence of time, would infinity exist there?

Originally Posted by spockman

Question... In a spot that has the absence of time, would infinity exist there?

Without infinity, nothing exists. Time arises in the context of eternity, but time itself is not eternity, since is eternity is not subject to it.

Don't listen to these hippies, they are as credible as religious people when it comes to science.

'Infinity' is mostly a mathematical term. In every case, 'infinity' is just a human concept to decribe certain things. Such as the length you can follow the line of a circle without coming across a dead end. That doesn't make any supernatural power arise from the circle.

So it's just a word, again. A lot of questions come down to just realizing what the word signifies doesn't mean it exists in the way the word implies it does. The definition of 'infinity' that the 'really'-person uses is completely arbitrary.

If you really want to know, you should ask a mathematics professor and a physics professor. (Note that no or almost none of the current, university-related, philosophers really see anything special about the term 'infinity', but I am sure there were philosophers in the past that thought 'infinity' to be something special. Then again, philosophers in the past thought a lot of wrong things.)

Originally Posted by Neruo

Don't listen to these hippies, they are as credible as religious people when it comes to science.

'Infinity' is mostly a mathematical term. In every case, 'infinity' is just a human concept to decribe certain things. Such as the length you can follow the line of a circle without coming across a dead end. That doesn't make any supernatural power arise from the circle.

Hippies? Supernatural power?

Originally Posted by Neruo

So it's just a word, again. A lot of questions come down to just realizing what the word signifies doesn't mean it exists in the way the word implies it does. The definition of 'infinity' that the 'really'-person uses is completely arbitrary.

Originally Posted by Oxford Dictionary

• eternity
noun (pl. eternities) 1. infinite or unending time.

• infinite
adjective 1. limitless in space, extent, or size.

The implication is, that the general reference to "beginning" and "ends" of time; periods and instances do not exist as Reality. Often time is said to be non-existent because, in its universal context it has no beginning nor end and has nowhere to go. Life appears as a sequence but this does not make it an actual sequence, because is merely a perceptual artifact. This also relates to causality and why it is not Real.

Originally Posted by spockman

Question... In a spot that has the absence of time, would infinity exist there?

where would you find someplace without time?

a blackhole? does that have time?

Originally Posted by really

Without infinity, nothing exists. Time arises in the context of eternity, but time itself is not eternity, since is eternity is not subject to it.

i almost see what you're saying.

time is not eternity but it can be found in eternity.

Originally Posted by Neruo

'Infinity' is mostly a mathematical term. In every case, 'infinity' is just a human concept to decribe certain things. Such as the length you can follow the line of a circle without coming across a dead end. That doesn't make any supernatural power arise from the circle.

Infinity does hold sway apart from mathematics though, doesn't it?

Originally Posted by Neruo

So it's just a word, again. A lot of questions come down to just realizing what the word signifies doesn't mean it exists in the way the word implies it does. The definition of 'infinity' that the 'really'-person uses is completely arbitrary.

I realize infinity is just word, as is frisbee, toadstool, and balloon.

A word is a label so we as humans can communicate with each other with those words.

What would you describe infinity as?

Originally Posted by Neruo

If you really want to know, you should ask a mathematics professor and a physics professor. (Note that no or almost none of the current, university-related, philosophers really see anything special about the term 'infinity', but I am sure there were philosophers in the past that thought 'infinity' to be something special. Then again, philosophers in the past thought a lot of wrong things.)

Huh.

This is weird to me.

I thought a physics professor would definitely be curious about infinity.

Go figure.

Originally Posted by poog

i almost see what you're saying.

time is not eternity but it can be found in eternity.

Yeah, that's what I mean.

It is rare to have a conversation with someone, who responds to "What time is it?" by answering "Now". Of course, that is not a proper answer within the limits of the given question, but ask yourself - how aware am I of this moment?

Infinity is not a number. In mathematics it does not really exist at all.

If you're interested in the mathematical description, it's more like this. Say you had the infinite sum,

∞
Σ½^r = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 +... = 1
1

We don't say that this is the sum of an infinite number of terms, because infinity is not defined in maths. Instead, we say, as the number of terms gets bigger, the sum gets closer to 1. Infinity is just shorthand for that phrase.

Originally Posted by Xei

Infinity is not a number. In mathematics it does not really exist at all.

If you're interested in the mathematical description, it's more like this. Say you had the infinite sum,

∞
Σ½^r = 1/2 + 1/4 + 1/8 + 1/16 +... = 1
1

We don't say that this is the sum of an infinite number of terms, because infinity is not defined in maths. Instead, we say, as the number of terms gets bigger, the sum gets closer to 1. Infinity is just shorthand for that phrase.

Aside from mathematics, what do you believe infinity to be?

A human concept. As to whether or not it has physical reality... I don't know. The universe is going to exist forever so I suppose time is infinite. I'm not sure though, lots of things we have previously thought to be boundless were actually limited, such as velocity.

Originally Posted by poog

Is the universe infinite?

I'm no physics professor, but from what I understand, the universe is either spherical like earth(so if you keep going you'll eventually be back where you started), hyperbolic(not sure how that works), or flat(the infinite universe that continues in all directions).

I might be corrected on this though.

Originally Posted by poog

Infinity does hold sway apart from mathematics though, doesn't it?

Depends on your definition. I still don't see why 'infinity' should be a term that is more special than 'round' or 'slippery' or 'hetrological'. Actually, hetrological is far, far more awesome.

What would you describe infinity as?

A lot.

Either that or a word implying something is 'endless', self-repeating, or something like that. Yeah gosh, nice. I understand why we talk about 'infinite'. But I don't see why it is so special.

Huh.

This is weird to me.

I thought a physics professor would definitely be curious about infinity.

Go figure.

Maybe they are interested in certain things that have to do with infinity. I wouldn't know what exactly. Probably in physics, if you talk about infinity you are either talking about something in relation to a spacial or temporal dimension.

Still, point is that there is no point. Infinity isn't a problem. You might say 'infinity' can be used to describe certain things (such as how many times you can theoretically run around in a circle). That is it's purpose as a word. There really isn't much to say about is, as far as I am concerned.

Lets talk about 'carrot' now. What is a carrot? Is a green carrot stll a carrot? What is a carrot in mathamatics?

Originally Posted by Neruo

Infinity isn't a problem.

Never said it was.

Originally Posted by Neruo

Lets talk about 'carrot' now. What is a carrot? Is a green carrot stll a carrot? What is a carrot in mathamatics?

lolzurtron.

no.

Don't listen to these hippies, they are as credible as religious people when it comes to science.

I love the hypocritical dogma, here.

Where would you find someplace without time?

a blackhole? does that have time?

Some studies suggest it...

Nothing 'has' time. There is 'no' time. Time is not a tangible thing, it's yet another word created to fit our understanding of things.

Some studies suggest it...

You really don't know what you're talking about to be honest... there haven't been any studies on black holes. Black holes haven't even been discovered.

Black holes are an embodiment of infinity because they contain an infinitely small point of mass at the centre. Time does exist inside the black hole but it moves at a very fast rate, and approaching the centre, the rate approaches infinity; you go to the end of time.

Nothing 'has' time. There is 'no' time. Time is not a tangible thing, it's yet another word created to fit our understanding of things.

I'm not so sure. I think spacetime, and hence time, is as real as anything.

I'm no physics professor, but from what I understand, the universe is either spherical like earth(so if you keep going you'll eventually be back where you started), hyperbolic(not sure how that works), or flat(the infinite universe that continues in all directions).

I might be corrected on this though.

I think it's understood to be finite, like a sphere, but I'm not very sure. I think it could be an unresolved question actually.

Originally Posted by poog

Infinity...

... What is it really?

Infinity is boundless correct?

There is no beyond infinity as there is only more infinity.

Is the universe infinite?

I'm just running the word around in my mouth.



Please elaborate on what infinity is, where infinity could be found (if it can be), did one person come up with the idea of infinity?

Personally, I find infinity much more fascinating than anything else.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

It is the inverse of nothing. (0)

No it isn't. The inverse of 0 is undefined.

Otherwise it gives all sorts of nonsenses. To start with, why should it be positive infinity and not negative infinity, considering 0 is neither positive nor negative?

...

Er,

Because it is the inverse of zero.

The inverse of nothing is everything, whether that is positive or negative doesn't matter because it is both. I mean neither. Wait, what?

Yea.

Originally Posted by poog

Never said it was.

Infinity isn't a problem mystery.

lolzurtron.

Yes. WHY ARE THEY ORANGE AND NOT PURPLE, CARROTS?!

...

Er,

Because it is the inverse of zero.

The inverse of nothing is everything, whether that is positive or negative doesn't matter because it is both. I mean neither. Wait, what?

Yea.

Yea... that's why 1/0 is undefined.

Which is infinity

Any operation to it results in itself.

So, -∞ = -1(∞) = ∞.

And infinity divided by infinity is

a) Infinity
b) One
c) Zero

?

∞/∞ = x/x, so, 1.

Nothing divided by itself is equal to zero except zero, which infinity is not.

I think the better question is, what is ∞/0?

Or ∞*0 (Because anything * 0 = 0).

∞/∞ = x/x, so, 1.

Any operation to it results in itself.

This was my point. I could also have asked you what infinity minus infinity is.

Nothing divided by itself is equal to zero except zero

0/0 is also undefined, because by your very logic it is of the form x/x hence 1.

Or ∞*0 (Because anything * 0 = 0).

All undefined, because infinity is not a number and you cannot perform operations on it.