![]() (I wouldn't recommend this as a sound way to pick up a date, but hey. When infinity comes up, start doodling sets and you're sure to be the resident expert who wows all the other guests with your l337 knowledge of epic maths. Take a few minutes to gather your brain and be sure to bring a paper and pencil to your next dinner party. Think of infinity as being like "the sides of a circle." It's not a number, it's just a concept we use to visualize that which we can't understand. Here's some things to remember - Infinity is neither even nor odd. Infinity is "not complicated," but it can be a little tricky to understand. Hooray! Using sets we've proven the idea that "between any two finite points there is an infinite and uncountable set of numbers between those two endpoints." Thus, we've stumbled upon an infinity that is logically bigger than the infinity alpeh-null. The contradiction extends forever to infinity.Ĭonclusion: It's impossible to create a one-to-one correspondence between counting numbers and every possible real number. It can't be part of SET C because the 1 is opposite the zero. Is that number part of any of the sets we just created? It can't be a part of SET A because the 1 is opposite the 0, right? It can't be part of SET B because the 0 is opposite the 1. ![]() As Humphrey is excited to discover, that set could just have easily been a set of numbers or. He took a group of stuff and put it into a defined set: six fish. In order to do epic maths, Humphrey demonstrates that a clip on collar and tie is essential.Įssentially, what Humphrey was doing was set theory. Humphrey can't contain his amazement as he realizes how "this counting thing can really save a person a lot of trouble." Mercifully, Ernie interjects, telling Humphrey it's a lot easier to just count the fish and tell the kitchen a number. Mathematician Steve Strogatz, in his excellent series on numbers for The New York Times, recalled a sketch from "Sesame Street" where the slow-witted Humphrey takes an order of fish by trying not to count them: "Go tell the kitchen fish, fish, fish, fish, fish fish," Humphrey tells an overwhelmed assistant. So buckle up, here are five big ideas you need to understand to wow your friends with epic math skillz at that next dinner party:īefore kids learn to count, they learn to group stuff. And actually, we can explain this idea using logic those kids sitting with that guy would understand. ![]() (Yes, I'm sad to say that ad with the guy in the suit sitting with the kids is lying to you.)īut there are ways infinity can be bigger than infinity. Heck, it's not even infinity times infinity. Spoiler! The answer's not infinity plus one. ![]()
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