Sam... I know you are going to love this one.
(So I am going to ask for your help and input here).

I was reading this book and it was talking about infinities and how they are not equal to each other.

Code:
Lets take infinite :

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + ...... infinity

Now lets take 2 x infinity :

2 x ( 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + .... infinity)

OR

2.1 + 2.2 + 2.3 + 2.4 + 2.5 + 2.6 + ....

which leaves us :

2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 + ....
Here is the interesting thing. If the second infinity is only the sum of every SECOND number (ie no odd numbers) then isn't it only HALF as big as the first infinity which contains EVERY number?

So doesn't that mean :

Code:

infinity
--------       = 2
2 x infinity
and NOT a 1/2? or even infinity?


I know its mathematical so I don't know what relevance it has in our real world (I just had to add that Sam).... Maybe if we one day FIND an infinity in our universe (and how would we know the end isn't just around the next corner) how do we know they actually exist in the real world?

I just found the maths interesting

[Edited by Gen-X on 05-26-2000 at 12:05 AM]