virus: more on the concept of infinity

Tracy Yucikas (tyucikas@cts.com)
Sun, 24 May 1998 12:49:14 -0700


.... Dan Plante wrote:
>the Planck length. Push the glass forward on the table about an inch.
>Based on the mathematical assumption that the distance traveled by the
>glass can be viewed as a segment of a number line with an infinite number
>of rational numbers contained therein, you've just made the glass assume
>an infinite number of positions on the table in a finite amount of time.
>If the transition from one infinitesimal point to the other takes some
>finite amount of time, however minute, the glass's journey would take

Hmmm, if the time corresponding to these
infinitesimal transitions is, say "epsilon"(>0) seconds,
and the distance traversed by these transitions,
is "delta" inches, then to be completely
non-paradoxical, observe that
delta = 0.765(inches/sec)*epsilon(sec) …
(assuming constant speed)
.. further, note that this relationship holds
for even an "infinite" number of transitions…
………. no paradox here ….. the main problem
I see is the application of mathematics
consistent with both "real" and "complex"
numbers to expressions containing "unreal" numbers …
"Infinity " may well be a reality,
but it isn't a "real number" ……….
My good buddy George Cantor gave of his
sanity so that we who remain could be free
from the confusion surrounding this
land where some say "here there be dragons" ….
("alas poor George, we hardly knew ye …")

>forever, which is obviously not the case. If, on the other hand, the
>transitions happen instantaneously, you have a seeming paradox, where
>one infinity tries to cancel out the other, leaving you with however
>long it took you to move the glass, say, 0.765 seconds. Obviously,
>something is wrong here as well.
>A paradox is nature's way of telling us one of three things:
>1) Our initial assumptions were erroneous
>or
>2) Our assumptions were sound but out analysis was faulty
>or
>3) Both.
well, ok … but I suppose there could be more possibilities …
such as the communication of non-verbal ideations