Related papers: The grounding for Continuum
We present a detailed and elementary construction of the real numbers from the rational numbers a la Bourbaki. The real numbers are defined to be the set of all minimal Cauchy filters in $\mathbb{Q}$ (where the Cauchy condition is defined…
This note describes a representation of the real numbers due to Schanuel. The representation lets us construct the real numbers from first principles. Like the well-known construction of the real numbers using Dedekind cuts, the idea is…
19th century real analysis received a major impetus from Cauchy's work. Cauchy mentions variable quantities, limits, and infinitesimals, but the meaning he attached to these terms is not identical to their modern meaning. Some Cauchy…
Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions involved in…
Axiomatizing mathematical structures and theories is an objective of Mathematical Logic. Some axiomatic systems are nowadays mere definitions, such as the axioms of Group Theory; but some systems are much deeper, such as the axioms of…
In intuitionistic mathematics, the Brouwer Continuity Theorem states that all total real functions are (uniformly) continuous on the unit interval. We study this theorem and related principles from the point of view of Reverse Mathematics…
A quantum theoretic representation of real and complex numbers is described here as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of quantum states of finite strings of qubits. There are 4 types of qubits each with associated single qubit…
We introduce an axiomatization for the notion of computation. Based on the idea of Brouwer choice sequences, we construct a model, denoted by $E$, which satisfies our axioms and $E \models \mathrm{ P \neq NP}$. In other words, regarding…
We propose an axiomatic foundation of mathematics based on the finite sequence as the foundational concept, rather than based on logic and set, as in set theory, or based on type as in dependent type theories. Finite sequences lead to a…
All constructive methods employed in modern mathematics produce only countable sets, even when designed to transcend countability. We show that any constructive argument for uncountability -- excluding diagonalization techniques --…
We develop new aspects of the the of numerosity theory; more exactly, we emphasize its relation with the ordinal numbers, cardinal numbers, hyperreal numbers and surreal numbers. In particular, we combine the notion of numerosity with the…
An alternative mathematics based on qualitative plurality of finiteness is developed to make non-standard mathematics independent of infinite set theory. The vague concept "accessibility" is used coherently within finite set theory whose…
In recent publications in physics and mathematics, concerns have been raised about the use of real numbers to describe quantities in physics, and in particular about the usual assumption that physical quantities are infinitely precise. In…
We are used to the fact that most if not all physical theories are based on the set of real numbers (or another associative division algebra). These all have a cardinality larger than that of the natural numbers, i.e. form a continuum. It…
We introduce a formalism to analyze partially defined functions between ordered sets. We show that our construction provides a uniform and conceptual approach to all the main definitions encountered in elementary real analysis including…
A real number is a rule that, when provided with a rational interval, answers Yes or No depending on if the real number ought to be considered to be in the given interval. Since the goal is to define the real numbers, this can only motivate…
It is well known that the R, the set of real numbers, is an abstract set, where almost all its elements cannot be described in any finite language. We investigate possible approaches to what might be called an epi-constructionist approach…
Based on the intuitive notion of convexity, we formulate a universal property defining interval objects in a category with finite products. Interval objects are structures corresponding to closed intervals of the real line, but their…
In this note we introduce and define half Cauchy sequences. We prove that a sequence of real numbers is convergent if and only if it is bounded and half Cauchy. We also provide an example of how the concept may be used.
This article critically reappraises arguments in support of Cantor's theory of transfinite numbers. The following results are reported: i) Cantor's proofs of nondenumerability are refuted by analyzing the logical inconsistencies in…