Related papers: Real numbers as infinite decimals -- theory and co…
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…
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…
Invariants withstand transformations and, therefore, represent the essence of objects or phenomena. In mathematics, transformations often constitute a group action. Since the 19th century, studying the structure of various types of…
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…
In this paper we deal with a classical problem in elementary number theory, namely repeating decimals. We show how the digits of the period of the decimal representation of any fraction $\frac{k}{m}$, where $k$ and $m$ are positive integers…
This is a survey of several approaches to the framework for working with infinitesimals and infinite numbers, originally developed by Abraham Robinson in the 1960s, and their constructive engagement with the Cantor-Dedekind postulate and…
Geometric number systems, obtained by extending the real number system to include new anticommuting square roots of +1 and -1, provide a royal road to higher mathematics by largely sidestepping the tedious languages of tensor analysis and…
We introduce the continued logarithm representation of real numbers and prove results on the occurrence and frequency of digits with respect to this representation
It is shown how Dedekind cuts can be used to introduce the extended real numbers along with sound arithmetic laws via one simple rule for the addition of sets. The crucial idea is that the use of the lower and the upper part of the cuts,…
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…
Modern mathematics is known for its rigorous proofs and tight analysis. Math is the paradigm of objectivity for most. We identify the source of that objectivity as our knowledge of the physical world given through our senses. We show in…
In order to verify programs or hybrid systems, one often needs to prove that certain formulas are unsatisfiable. In this paper, we consider conjunctions of polynomial inequalities over the reals. Classical algorithms for deciding these not…
Philosopher Benardete challenged both the conventional wisdom and the received mathematical treatment of zero, dot, nine recurring. An initially puzzling passage in Benardete on the intelligibility of the continuum reveals challenging…
After reviewing a universal characterization of the extended positive real numbers published by Denis Higgs in 1978, we define a category which provides an answer to the questions: \begin{itemize} \item what is a set with half an element?…
Number theory as a coherent mathematical subject started with the work of Fermat in the decade from 1630 to 1640, but modern number theory, that is, the systematic and mathematically rigorous development of the subject from fundamental…
We propose a reinterpretation of the continuum grounded in the stratified structure of definability rather than classical cardinality. In this framework, a real number is not an abstract point on the number line, but an object expressible…
We consider the problem of enumerating integer tetrahedra of fixed perimeter (sum of side-lengths) and/or diameter (maximum side-length), up to congruence. As we will see, this problem is considerably more difficult than the corresponding…
The signed-bit representation of real numbers is like the binary representation, but in addition to 0 and 1 you can also use -1. It lends itself especially well to the constructive (intuitionistic) theory of the real numbers. The first part…
This is a survey article on real algebra and geometry, and in particular on its recent applications in optimization and convexity. We first introduce basic notions and results from the classical theory. We then explain how these relate to…
The real numbers, it is taught at universities, correspond to our idea of a continuum, although the hyperreal numbers are located ``in between'' the real numbers. The number $x + dx$, where $dx$ should be an infinitesimal number and $x$…