Re: [Mid] A lesson in Algorism

>Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 15:05:51 EDT
>From: DukeAndrew@aol.com
>Subject: Re: [Mid] A lesson in Algorism
>
>In a message dated 6/12/99 8:45:48 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>charles@eecs.umich.edu writes:
>
><< p.s. If it did make it finite, then pi wouldn't be as interesting as
> it is now, and the Greeks would have been able to square the circle. >>
>
> I begin to see our difference, the number *Pi* is non-repeating. The
>*0* would make no difference in any such sequence (most roots of most
numbers
>included).
>However in the case of an arbitrarily specified infinite sequence being
>specified, it may/must be presumed to be cut off at some equally arbitrary
>point when, but only when, multiplied by any factor containing 10.

Sorry, Andrew, but you're incorrect. All that results when you multiply an
infinite sequence by 10 is that you take the decimal point and move it one
position to the right. The sequence is *still* infinite.

This confusion results from a misunderstanding of how "infinite" works.
There's a whole subset of mathematics that concerns itself with infinite
and 'trans-infinite' calculus. And, it's very non-intuitive (but internally
self-consistent, and consistent with the rest of mathematics).

                                     ...phil
From: Phil Reed <pcr@ic.net>
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+ to unsubscribe, send a message to
`~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~`~-, ,-~` majordomo@midrealm.org with
. | | | | | | | | 'unsubscribe sca-middle' as its body.
Received on Sat Jun 12 17:43:00 1999