Important Math Question

[Ran-Taro]

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Hmmmm, I seem to have hit a problem here. My previous post started out as a statement showing why Phoenix-D was right, that an infinite universe would not be infinitly hot.

However, in my post I stated that any particular point in in infinite universe would contain not an infinite number of photons, but very small and finite fraction of the total number of photons in the universe. However, according to those that are supposed to know about this stuff, any fraction of infinity is still infinity. Of course mathematics also tells us that any number divided by itself is 1. Therefore infinity divided by infinity is simultaneously equal to infinity, and 1. (By the way, if noone has thought of that before I am going to name it the Geoschmo paradox. )

So I guess Phoenix-D and Grandpa Kim are both right. Glad we cleared that up.

Infinity is not a number. It is a concept.

Dividing Infinity by Infinity is like dividing an apple by an apple.

[edit] However dividing infinity in half is not like dividing an apple in half. You would get two infinities, not two halves of infinity (because you cannot reduce something that is limitlessly big in size by dividing it, since the half would still, by definition, be limitlessly big).

Imagine trying to halve all the possible idea's in the world - both halves would still be limitlessly big, hence infinite.

My head hurts.

[ November 04, 2003, 20:59: Message edited by: Ran-Taro ]