Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Trivia
As there are an infinite number of whole numbers, how can the number of even numbers between one and infinity always be described?
Infinity. There are also infinitely many. You could write any whole number with an even number twice as large alongside. This is called a one-to-one correspondence, and it is important because for any list of numbers with this one-to-one relationship to whole numbers, it can be seen there are infinitely many (and this infinity has the same value).
Infinity. There are also infinitely many. You could write any whole number with an even number twice as large alongside. This is called a one-to-one correspondence, and it is important because for any list of numbers with this one-to-one relationship to whole numbers, it can be seen there are infinitely many (and this infinity has the same value).
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Trivia
So what is infinite? Is time infinite?
Maybe. Scientists are uncertain as to whether time is infinite. It all depends on whether the total mass of the universe is sufficient to drag it all back together in a reversal of the Big Bang, which would effectively end time, or whether the universe will continue expanding, which would mean an infinite amount of time lies ahead.
Maybe. Scientists are uncertain as to whether time is infinite. It all depends on whether the total mass of the universe is sufficient to drag it all back together in a reversal of the Big Bang, which would effectively end time, or whether the universe will continue expanding, which would mean an infinite amount of time lies ahead.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Random Car Fact
The world's longest traffic hold-up was between Paris and Lyon on the French Autoroute in 1980. it was about 110 miles long
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Trivia
If you want to move from A to B, you must first move half the distance from A to B. Then you must travel half the remaining distance. Then half of that, and so on, doing infinitely many moves. So, assuming you are moving at a constant speed, how is it possible to ever get anywhere?
Because each move takes proportionally less time. This is known as Zeno's Paradox after Zeno of Elea, a fifth century BC philosopher who proposed many paradoxes on the subject of infinity. Fortunately, this particular one can be refuted, otherwise nothing would ever get done!
Because each move takes proportionally less time. This is known as Zeno's Paradox after Zeno of Elea, a fifth century BC philosopher who proposed many paradoxes on the subject of infinity. Fortunately, this particular one can be refuted, otherwise nothing would ever get done!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
2012 Infiniti FX35 AWD SUV
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Trivia
So if there are different kinds of infinity, which is the biggest?
There is no biggest infinity. Confusingly, it can be mathematically proven that whichever infinity you might create, there is always a bigger infinity. As to whether 'everything in the universe' is infinite, cosmologists are debating that as we speak. It depends on the shape of four-dimensional space time, which is slightly too complex to explain here, but the answer is a resounding 'perhaps'.
There is no biggest infinity. Confusingly, it can be mathematically proven that whichever infinity you might create, there is always a bigger infinity. As to whether 'everything in the universe' is infinite, cosmologists are debating that as we speak. It depends on the shape of four-dimensional space time, which is slightly too complex to explain here, but the answer is a resounding 'perhaps'.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Trivia
It can be shown that the total number of real numbers (that is, numbers including fractions, pi, etc.) is different to the total number of whole numbers (1,2,3,etc.). So how is the second of these, the total number of whole numbers, described?
Aleph0. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is used with a subscript to describe these two kinds of infinity. Other infinities are described Aleph1, Aleph2, and so on. The total number of real numbers might be equal to Aleph1 - but all that is known for sure is that it is at least Aleph1 - it might be more!
Aleph0. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and it is used with a subscript to describe these two kinds of infinity. Other infinities are described Aleph1, Aleph2, and so on. The total number of real numbers might be equal to Aleph1 - but all that is known for sure is that it is at least Aleph1 - it might be more!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Trivia
There are an infinite number of whole numbers between one and infinity. So, using that definition of infinity, which of these amounts is the greatest?
They are all the same. They are all the same. Infinity is everything, so there is nothing to add to it, and nowhere to add it. No matter how you try to increase it, it remains infinity.
They are all the same. They are all the same. Infinity is everything, so there is nothing to add to it, and nowhere to add it. No matter how you try to increase it, it remains infinity.
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