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In Search of Infinity N.Ya. Vilenkin

In Search of Infinity By N.Ya. Vilenkin

In Search of Infinity by N.Ya. Vilenkin


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Summary

The concept of infinity has been for hundreds of years one of the most fascinating and elusive ideas to tantalize the minds of scholars. This book presents an account of the roads followed by human thought in attempts to understand the idea of the infinite in mathematics and physics.

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In Search of Infinity Summary

In Search of Infinity by N.Ya. Vilenkin

The concept of infinity is one of the most important, and at the same time, one of the most mysterious concepts of science. Already in antiquity many philosophers and mathematicians pondered over its contradictory nature. In mathematics, the contradictions connected with infinity intensified after the creation, at the end of the 19th century, of the theory of infinite sets and the subsequent discovery, soon after, of paradoxes in this theory. At the time, many scientists ignored the paradoxes and used set theory extensively in their work, while others subjected set-theoretic methods in mathematics to harsh criticism. The debate intensified when a group of French mathematicians, who wrote under the pseudonym of Nicolas Bourbaki, tried to erect the whole edifice of mathematics on the single notion of a set. Some mathematicians greeted this attempt enthusiastically while others regarded it as an unnecessary formalization, an attempt to tear mathematics away from life-giving practical applications that sustain it. These differences notwithstanding, Bourbaki has had a significant influence on the evolution of mathematics in the twentieth century. In this book we try to tell the reader how the idea of the infinite arose and developed in physics and in mathematics, how the theory of infinite sets was constructed, what paradoxes it has led to, what significant efforts have been made to eliminate the resulting contradictions, and what routes scientists are trying to find that would provide a way out of the many difficulties.

In Search of Infinity Reviews

In fewer than 150 pages Vilenkin has packed a whole course on infinity: its history, philosophy, and mathematical theory. Abe Shenitzer's translation is very smooth and natural... When fractals have gone out of style, and chaos is no longer the flavor of the month, some kind of 'geometric set theory' or 'set-theoretic geometry' may very well remain, and In Search of Infinity may still be the best introduction to it.

--American Mathematical Monthly

Table of Contents

1. Infinity and the universe.- 2. The mysteries of infinite sets.- 3. Remarkable functions and curves, or a stroll through a mathematical hall of wonders.- 4. In search of the absolute.- Conclusion.- Notees.

Additional information

CIN0817638199G
9780817638191
0817638199
In Search of Infinity by N.Ya. Vilenkin
Used - Good
Hardback
Birkhauser Boston Inc
19950811
146
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - In Search of Infinity