Related papers: Analyzing Benardete's comment on decimal notation
In this paper we present a new mathematical conception based on a new method for ordering the integers. The method relies on the assumption that negative numbers are beyond infinity, which goes back to Wallis and Euler. We also present a…
In this article we consider alternative definitions-descriptions of a set being Infinite within the primitive Axiomatic System of Zermelo.
The usual $\epsilon,\delta$-definition of the limit of a function (whether presented at a rigorous or an intuitive level) requires a "candidate $L$" for the limit value. Thus, we have to start our first calculus course with "guessing"…
In this paper we use theoretical frameworks from mathematics education and cognitive psychology to analyse Cauchy's ideas of function, continuity, limit and infinitesimal expressed in his Cours D'Analyse. Our analysis focuses on the…
In which a review of the concept of countability is done in mathematics, subjecting review some of the theorems so far accepted, showing their inconsistency and also taking concrete elements on the countability of all the powers of the set…
The mathematical study of infinity seems to have the ability to transport the mind to lofty and unusual realms. Decades ago, I was transported in this way by Rudy Rucker's book Infinity and the Mind. Despite much subsequent learning and…
We present a new way of organizing the few mathematical statements which form introduction to Calculus: the epsilon-delta characterization of the limit is now d e r i v e d from four simple, intuitive and frequently used statements, which…
The existence of non trivial zeros off the critical line for a function obtained by analytic continuation of a particular Dirichlet series is studied. Contrary to what has been presumed for a long time, we prove that such zeros cannot…
Non standard analysis is an area of Mathematics dealing with notions of infinitesimal and infinitely large numbers, in which many statements from classical analysis can be expressed very naturally. Cheap non-standard analysis introduced by…
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…
When mathematical/computational problems reach infinity, extending analysis and/or numerical computation beyond it becomes a notorious challenge. We suggest that, upon suitable singular transformations (that can in principle be…
We apply a framework developed by C. S. Peirce to analyze the concept of clarity, so as to examine a pair of rival mathematical approaches to a typical result in analysis. Namely, we compare an intuitionist and an infinitesimal approaches…
We show that the field of complex numbers $\mathbb C$ contains non-zero infinitesimals by observing that $\mathbb C$ contains non-Archimedean subfields. Our observation is based on an old theorem in algebra due to E. Steinitz, discussed in…
Traditional computers work with finite numbers. Situations where the usage of infinite or infinitesimal quantities is required are studied mainly theoretically. In this paper, a recently introduced computational methodology (that is not…
I present a novel mathematical technique for dealing with the infinities arising from divergent sums and integrals. It assigns them fine-grained infinite values from the set of hyperreal numbers in a manner that refines the standard…
In relation to a thesis put forward by Marx Wartofsky, we seek to show that a historiography of mathematics requires an analysis of the ontology of the part of mathematics under scrutiny. Following Ian Hacking, we point out that in the…
We present a characterization of the completeness of the field of real numbers in the form of a \emph{collection of several equivalent statements} borrowed from algebra, real analysis, general topology, and non-standard analysis. We also…
Although Bolzano's concept of the continuum has gradually evolved, the basis remained the same: the continuum as an infinite class of points arranged in such a way that the so-called \emph{Bolzano completeness} holds. Bolzano realized over…
This article exemplifies a novel approach to the teaching of introductory differential calculus using the modern notion of ``infinitesimal'' as opposed to the traditional approach using the notion of ``limit''. I illustrate the power of the…
Georg Cantor was the genuine discoverer of the Mathematical Infinity, and whatever he claimed, suggested, or even surmised should be taken seriously -- albeit not necessary at its face value. Because alongside his exquisite in beauty…