Related papers: Infinitesimal Gunk
I develop a new view of the structure of space--called infinitesimal atomism--as a reply to Zeno's paradox of measure. According to this view, space is composed of ultimate parts with infinitesimal size, where infinitesimals are understood…
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…
I propose a theory of space with infinitesimal regions called \textit{smooth infinitesimal geometry} (SIG) based on certain algebraic objects (i.e., rings), which regiments a mode of reasoning heuristically used by geometricists and…
Infinitesimals are natural products of the human imagination. Their history goes back to the Greek antiquity. Their role in the calculus and analysis has seen dramatic ups and downs. They have stimulated strong opinions and even vitriol.…
Many historians of the calculus deny significant continuity between infinitesimal calculus of the 17th century and 20th century developments such as Robinson's theory. Robinson's hyperreals, while providing a consistent theory of…
Using standard analysis only, we present an extension ${^\bullet\R}$ of the real field containing nilpotent infinitesimals. On the one hand we want to present a very simple setting to formalize infinitesimal methods in Differential…
We explore the issue of providing a foundational framework for Leibnizian infinitesimals in the light of modern standard and nonstandard approaches. We outline a trichotomy of ordinals, cardinals and ringinals as a historiographic tool. A…
We explore the notion of spatial extent and structure, already alluded to in earlier literature, within the formulation of quantum mechanics on the noncommutative plane. Introducing the notion of average position and its measurement, we…
The infinitesimal space of a quasiregular mapping was introduced by Gutlyanskii et al and generalized the idea of a derivative for this class of mappings which is only differentiable almost everywhere. In this paper, we show that the…
The notion of asymptotic space for an unbounded metric space has been introduced by Micha Gromov in 1980s. It is intended to capture the structure of a metric space at infinity. The most comprehensive definition of asymptotic space is given…
This paper shows certain classes of metric spaces characterized by volume growth properties of balls can viewed as graphs with infinitesimal edges. Our approach is based on nonstandard analysis.
Leibniz entertained various conceptions of infinitesimals, considering them sometimes as ideal things and other times as fictions. But in both cases, he compares infinitesimals favorably to imaginary roots. We agree with the majority of…
This paper aims to build a new understanding of the nonstandard mathematical analysis. The main contribution of this paper is the construction of a new set of numbers, $\mathbb{R}^{\mathbb{Z}_< }$, which includes infinities and…
F.: Good morning Hermann, I would like to talk with you about infinitesimals. G.: Tell me Pierre. F.: I'm fed up of all these slanders about my attitude to be non rigorous, so I've started to study nonstandard analysis (NSA) and synthetic…
The notion of geometric version of an infinitely divisible law is introduced. Concepts parallel to attraction and partial attraction are developed and studied in the setup of geometric summing of random variables.
In his remarkable paper Formalism64, Robinson defends his philsophocal position as follows: (i) Any mention of infinite totalities is literally meaningless. (ii) We should act as if infinite totalities really existed. Being the originator…
Differential geometry may be generalized to allow infinitesimals to any order. The purpose of the present contribution is to show that the theory so developed expands received geometrical ideas in an interesting way, rich in potential for…
We discover a new class of topological solitons. These solitons can exist in a space of infinite volume like, e.g., $\mathbb{R}^n$, but they cannot be placed in any finite volume, because the resulting formal solutions have infinite energy.…
A new sequential approach to investigations of structure of metric spaces at infinity is proposed. Criteria for finiteness and boundedness of metric spaces at infinity are found.
The presence of infinitesimals is traced back to some of the most general algebraic structures, namely, semigroups, and in fact, magmas, [1], in which none of the structures of linear order, field, or the Archimedean property need to be…