Related papers: Bolzano's Infinite Quantities
The embracing of actual infinity in mathematics leads naturally to the question of comparing the sizes of infinite collections. The basic dilemma is that the Cantor Principle (CP), according to which two sets have the same size if there is…
Bolzano and Cantor were the first mathematicians to make significant attempts to measure the size (numerosity) of different infinite collections. They differed in their methodological approaches, with Cantor's prevailing. This led to the…
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…
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…
The paper introduces the notion of the size of countable sets that preserves the Part-Whole Principle and generalizes the notion of the cardinality of finite sets. The sizes of natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, and all their…
Discussions surrounding the nature of the infinite in mathematics have been underway for two millennia. Mathematicians, philosophers, and theologians have all taken part. The basic question has been whether the infinite exists only in…
From 1873 to 1897, Georg Cantor worked on developing set theory, and despite a strong initial resistance, it rapidly became accepted as the foundation of mathematics. In this work, however, we'll demonstrate that Cantor's use of infinity is…
During the early 1830's Bernard Bolzano, working in Prague, wrote a manuscript giving a foundational account of numbers and their properties. In the final section of his work he described what he called `infinite number expressions' and…
This text tries to give an elementary introduction to the mathematical properties of infinite sets. The aim is to keep the approach as simple as possible. Advanced knowledge of mathematics is not necessary for a proper understanding, and…
This thesis presents an alternative to Cantor's theory of cardinality, insofar as that is understood as a theory of set size. The alternative is based on a general theory, ClassSize. ClassSize contains all sentences in the first order…
Since the theory developed by Georg Cantor, mathematicians have taken a sharp interest in the sizes of infinite sets. We know that the set of integers is infinitely countable and that its cardinality is Aleph0. Cantor proved in 1891 with…
We present the model theoretic concepts that allow mathematics to be developed with the notion of the potential infinite instead of the actual infinite. The potential infinite is understood as a dynamic notion, being an indefinitely…
In this article, we explore the notion of infinity by studying Cantor's contribution to this field. A brief history of set theory is given. As an example of infinity, we consider Hilbert's famous hotel. A graphical construction is used to…
According to Cantor, a set is a collection into a whole of defined and separate (we shall say distinct) objects. So, a natural question is ``How to treat as `sets' collections of indistinguishable objects?". This is the aim of quasi-set…
For more than a century, Cantor's theory of transfinite numbers has played a pivotal role in set theory, with ramifications that extend to many areas of mathematics. This article extends earlier findings with a fresh look at the critical…
We discuss two main ways in comparing and evaluating the size of sets: the "Cantorian" way, grounded on the so called Hume principle (two sets have equal size if they are equipotent), and the "Euclidean" way, maintaining Euclid's principle…
Four constructions result from a desire to create enhancements to Cantor's infinite real set cardinality. Each continues to keep Cantor's cardinality formulation in place while providing new comparisons of arbitrary infinite sets. To…
The inconsistencies involved in the foundation of set theory were invariably caused by infinity and self-reference; and only with the opportune axiomatic restrictions could them be obviated. Throughout history, both concepts have proved to…
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…
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…