Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Infinity hurts your brain

A rousing discussion about infinity is underway on Andrew Sullivan's blog. Lots of readers have weighed in on its undeniable existence. Here's one of the more intriguing explanations: "Another example of infinity is the relationship between a mathematical point and a line. By definition a mathematical point has no dimension - it is 0 units long, 0 units wide, and 0 units high. A line, which is composed of such points, however has a dimension. Its length is >0. How is it possible to obtain a value >0 by adding only values of 0 together, which is essentially all you do when you place points adjacent to each other to form a line? Normally, any number multiplied by 0 is 0; however, infinity multiplied by 0 is not 0." Got that? I suggest Excedrin® Extra Strength for the headache you may now be experiencing.

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