**Ask a monkey a physics question thread**

[a500lbgorilla]

(Mathematical) Series are not things. They live in a space where the rules allow for infinite steps.

[MadMojoMonkey]

(Mathematical) Series are not things. They live [...].

:/

Don't make me ask you to define "things." That sounds tedious. Can we agree that we're talking about series as a noun and just agree that, whether person, place, thing, or idea... it's one of those.

[a500lbgorilla]

:/

Don't make me ask you to define "things." That sounds tedious. Can we agree that we're talking about series as a noun and just agree that, whether person, place, thing, or idea... it's one of those.

I'd gladly do it though.

Whatever exists is a thing.

[MadMojoMonkey]

They live in a space where the rules allow for infinite steps.

Zeno's paradox shows that we do indeed live in a similar space.

Although, having glanced at the wiki page... seems like my interpretation isn't the popular one.

I always assumed that the whole... in order to get anywhere, you have to first get half-way there. Then, in order to cover the remaining half, you must first get half-way across that... ad infinitum. The conclusion is that it takes an infinite number of steps to get anywhere and ain't nobody got time for that.

However, that conclusion is clearly false. People "get there" all the time. Not just people, even.

So a more appropriate conclusion would be that it's all too common for something modeled as taking an infinite number of steps to be concluded in a finite length of time. The only requisite is that the length of time it takes between completion of steps reduces "fast enough" to allow for a "reasonable" amount of time needed for completion.

EDIT: "Fast enough" means that it converges as x goes to + infinity.
(At some point, someone was wondering why they had to learn about convergence. Here's an example of usage.)

[a500lbgorilla]

So a more appropriate conclusion would be that it's all too common for something modeled as taking an infinite number of steps to be concluded in a finite length of time. The only requisite is that the length of time it takes between completion of steps reduces "fast enough" to allow for a "reasonable" amount of time needed for completion

I would say that is much more reasonable to see infinity as funny idea but just an idea.

[MadMojoMonkey]

I would say that is much more reasonable to see infinity as funny idea but just an idea.

I don't see how this couldn't be said for all of mathematics.

The number 1 is a funny idea, but just an idea.

[a500lbgorilla]

I don't see how this couldn't be said for all of mathematics.

The number 1 is a funny idea, but just an idea.

Yeah, I agree completely.

What is the number 1?

[OngBonga]

I would say that is much more reasonable to see infinity as funny idea but just an idea.

Infinity exists in the real world.

What's the density of a singularity with a mass of >0?

[a500lbgorilla]

Infinity exists in the real world.

What's the density of a singularity with a mass of >0?

If I told you 12, how would you show me wrong?

[OngBonga]

If I told you 12, how would you show me wrong?

By showing that mass/12 does not = 0

[a500lbgorilla]

By showing that mass/12 does not = 0

Do you really want to parse all of this nonsense to see where our points lie?

The math breaks down with the singularity. It's not the infinity that's a real problem, it's that our ability to describe the real problem is lacking.

PS mass/12 does = 0.

[a500lbgorilla]

So a more appropriate conclusion would be that it's all too common for something modeled as taking an infinite number of steps to be concluded in a finite length of time. The only requisite is that the length of time it takes between completion of steps reduces "fast enough" to allow for a "reasonable" amount of time needed for completion.

EDIT: "Fast enough" means that it converges as x goes to + infinity.
(At some point, someone was wondering why they had to learn about convergence. Here's an example of usage.)

OK, if a thing needs finite time to render, the only place that infinity ever pops up is in your head.