Infinitely small?

[Davidc]

If anyone tells you that you are as thick as two short planks, just inform them that

1 Planck length= 10-35 meters

not really that thick!

You'll be his constant companion for ever afterwards....

 

[Davidc]

Er, Pete, Calculus went off the "school" syllabus some time in the early-mid 80s.

Anyway I didn't see the programme. Presumably they were talking about "infinitely small" in terms of the big bang?

It went off the physics syllabus, but did it go off the pure maths one:?:

 

[02GF74]

it is an infintiely stupid phrase that means bugger all.

 

[Aperitif]

it is an infintiely stupid phrase that means bugger all.

pleonasm?

 

[661-Pete]

Er, Pete, Calculus went off the "school" syllabus some time in the early-mid 80s.

...along with Compound Interest in Pounds Shillings and Pence no doubt (with the odd Guinea or Halfcrown thrown in) *snarl* *mutter*.

Never mind. Certainly I needed the differential and integral bits (along with differential equations - Ordinary, not Partial) for my 'A'-level maths. Though I've forgotten most of it . Perhaps Shaun would care to set up a 'maths lessons' section on this forum ?

 

[aJohnson]

1/n where n is infinitely big?

 

[marinyork]

Black holes were being bandied about. Beards were being worn and quasars were mentioned.

You don't need calculus to understand the infinite actually. It is actually based on other things and is real headbanging stuff. Anyway I've been trying to avoid muddying the discussion.

Right. Black Holes. These are generally believed to have singularities which are infinitely small because you have so much mass crammed into a small space there is a runaway gravitational effect, which makes things smaller and so gravity increases and so on. Of course because you can't see beyond the event horizon of a black hole, some people have speculated on all sorts of things such as singularities don't really exist (very much a minority view). It is best explained really in these sorts of programmes.

 

[Crash]

Black holes were being bandied about. Beards were being worn and quasars were mentioned.

Knitted jumpers also worn by any chance, or was it a posh program where they had cardigans ?

 

[Aperitif]

I just googled 'event horizon' Marin - come well briefed for the FNRttC because it is a load of old <teatowels> to me...

 

[garrilla]

1/n where n is infinitely big?

It is one of those mass confusions that infinite means 'big'.

Simply put, 'infinite' means a series which has no predicited ending. While n+1 is an example of an infinite series, so is n-1.

 

[aJohnson]

It is one of those mass confusions that infinite means 'big'.

Simply put, 'infinite' means a series which has no predicited ending. While n+1 is an example of an infinite series, so is n-1.

Yup, pie is infinite and that isn't a "big" number.

 

[Aperitif]

It is one of those mass confusions that infinite means 'big'.

Simply put, 'infinite' means a series which has no predicited ending. While n+1 is an example of an infinite series, so is n-1.

Yebbut. One is about getting bikes, and the other one means not having them...

 

[garrilla]

Yebbut. One is about getting bikes, and the other one means not having them...

One is about getting them, the other is about giving them away. Mildy different

 

[Archie_tect]

Pie is delicious and in our house it most certainly is finite.
Pi, on the other hand.... ultimately must have a finite limit otherwise a circle couldn't exist in reality.

 

[aJohnson]

Pie is delicious and in our house it most certainly is finite.
Pi, on the other hand.... ultimately must have a finite limit otherwise a circle couldn't exist in reality.

Damn, I'm not used to writing it as a word I seem to have got it confused with the food.

The value is infinite last time I checked though. It is a infinite sequence.