Related papers: Infinity - A simple, but not too simple introducti…
The need to describe abrupt changes or response of nonlinear systems to impulsive stimuli is ubiquitous in applications. Also the informal use of infinitesimal and infinite quantities is still a method used to construct idealized but…
It is shown that the pillars of transfinite set theory, namely the uncountability proofs, do not hold. (1) Cantor's first proof of the uncountability of the set of all real numbers does not apply to the set of irrational numbers alone, and,…
We explore a general method based on trees of elementary submodels in order to present highly simplified proofs to numerous results in infinite combinatorics. While countable elementary submodels have been employed in such settings already,…
We present a coherent collection of finite mathematical theorems some of which can only be proved by going well beyond the usual axioms for mathematics. The proofs of these theorems illustrate in clear terms how one uses the well studied…
In this article we will review some notions of infiniteness that appear in Hilbert space operators and operator algebras. These include proper infiniteness, Murray von Neumann's classification into type I and type III factors and the class…
This is a short text covering some topics on the Foundations of Quantum Theory and it includes some comments on the recent Nature article by D. Frauchiger and R. Renner. The so-called "paradox" is simply due to a misunderstanding on the…
We discuss views about whether the universe can be rationally comprehended, starting with Plato, then Leibniz, and then the views of some distinguished scientists of the previous century. Based on this, we defend the thesis that…
This paper is an investigation into Cantor works about representing a function with trigonometric series, and his proofs about its uniqueness. These works are important, because they cause invention of point-set topology, and foundation of…
The literature dealing with G\"{o}del's legacy is largely preoccupied with challenging his philosophical views, regarding them as outdated. We believe that such an approach prevents us from seeing G\"{o}del's views in the right light and…
A 1910 theorem of Brouwer characterizes the Cantor set as the unique totally disconnected, compact metric space without isolated points. A 1920 theorem of Sierpinski characterizes the rationals as the unique countable metric space without…
This book invites readers to see mathematics not just as formulas and rules, but as the deepest expression of human thought. It begins by exploring the timeless idea of mathematics as a universal language, contrasting its precision with the…
The concept of infinity took centuries to achieve recognized status in the field of mathematics, despite the fact that it was implicitly present in nearly all mathematical endeavors. Here I explore the idea that a similar development might…
The classical Hausdorff dimension of finite or countable sets is zero. We define an analog for finite sets, called finite Hausdorff dimension which is non-trivial. It turns out that a finite bound for the finite Hausdorff dimension…
Rationals are known to form interesting and computationally rich structures, such as Farey sequences and infinite trees. Little attention is being paid to more general, systematic exposition of the basic properties of fractions as a set.…
Infinity, in various guises, has been invoked recently in order to `explain' a number of important questions regarding observable phenomena in science, and in particular in cosmology. Such explanations are by their nature speculative. Here…
The uncountability of the real numbers is one of their most basic properties, known (far) outside of mathematics. Cantor's 1874 proof of the uncountability of the real numbers even appears in the very first paper on set theory, i.e. a…
We provide the first examples of finitely generated simple groups that are amenable (and infinite). This follows from a general existence result on invariant states for piecewise-translations of the integers. The states are obtained by…
A new computational methodology for executing calculations with infinite and infinitesimal quantities is described in this paper. It is based on the principle `The part is less than the whole' introduced by Ancient Greeks and applied to all…
Gottlob Frege ingeniously presented a purely logical definition of the concept of number. However, one can claim that his definition is, in some way, circular, as it relies on the concept of one-to-one relation. The concept of number only…
The 75th anniversary of Turing's seminal paper and his centennial year anniversary occur in 2011 and 2012, respectively. It is natural to review and assess Turing's contributions in diverse fields in the light of new developments that his…