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The concept of infinity has fascinated humans since ancient times.The first known reference comes from the 5th century B.C.E. Wikipedia presents many interesting facts and applications of the concepts of both potential infinity (as used in Calculus for example) and actual infinity (as used in Set Theory).Dennis Wildfogel also created an original TED-Ed lesson on the concept of actual infinity. You can watch it here.Another great place to watch videos on infinity and other number related concepts is Numberphile. Here are a few of their specific videos dealing with infinity, prime numbers, etc.: addition to online resources, there are also some outstanding books dealing with the concept of infinity. Here is a very short list that I would highly recommend:The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless by John Barrow The Mystery of the Aleph: Mathematics, the Kabbalah, and the Search for Infinity by Amir D. Aczel To Infinity and Beyond: A Cultural History of the Infinite by Eli Maor
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Lesson Creator
New York, NY
Why do numbers like the square root of 2 or pi, as well as other irrational (infinite decimal) numbers make a system difficult to design? Think about the systems that the manager used to fill the Natural Number Infinite Hotel. Can we adjust any of these to do the job?
01/16/2014 • 
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