On the never-ending question of infinity (1)
In his article, Timothy Revell asks: “Mathematically, infinity is useful, but does it really exist in the physical world?” This question raises issues beyond the nature of infinity, questions about the ontology of mathematics and its relation to physics and the physical (16 April, p 38).
Our knowledge of arithmetic seems to be at least as secure as that of the physical world. It is therefore hard to see why numbers should be seen as less real than physical objects. Moreover, mathematical physics is full of references to numbers, so the physical and mathematical worlds appear to overlap. Nobel prizewinner Eugene Wigner called this “the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences”.
On the never-ending question of infinity (2)
Infinity has always been an uplifting, almost spiritual, concept for me, so I was interested to read about the knots mathematicians tie themselves in while trying to define its mathematical nature.
The concept of nothingness is harder for me to live with than infinity. It feels scary, unnatural and dispiriting.
On the never-ending question of infinity (3)
Mathematics can’t address infinity as suggested. That infinity comes in different sizes is a nonsense because infinity isn’t a number. Any infinity that can be doubled, or broken down into a great number of smaller numbers, isn’t an infinity to begin with.
On the never-ending question of infinity (4)
Having grappled with infinity for as long as I can recall, your cover line, “A new answer to the largest question of all”, sent me eagerly seeking the article. Alas, I was disappointed.
The big problem, as I see it, lies in attempting to analyse infinity as if it were an actual, tangible mathematical entity 鈥� an exceedingly big number. It isn’t. Infinity is a convenient concept, in the same way that i, or an imaginary number, is a convenient concept. It is a tool invented for a job. It performs its tasks admirably, but it needs to have been eliminated by the end of any calculation, otherwise the conclusion is meaningless.
On the never-ending question of infinity (5)
Thanks for the very interesting article highlighting some of the difficulties with infinity.
Quite a few mathematicians have problems with the concept of infinite sets and has released a number of videos that have elaborated at great length on infinity, the difficulties of real numbers, functions and calculus.
An interesting recent development is the use of by physicist Nicolas Gisin to reformulate some of the laws of physics. This rejects the existence of numbers with infinitely many digits. His approach seems to offer hope of closing the gap between relativity and quantum mechanics.
Memories can linger for millennia
In your article about people in what is now Chile who maintained memories of coastal threats for 1000 years, you quote Eugenia Gayo on her belief that people “usually have a short memory” for events like tsunamis, and that maintaining behaviour linked to such memories for 1000 years “is a lot” (16 April, p 12). However, I understand that some Indigenous people in the far north of Australia still maintain memories of land that was submerged by rising sea levels after the last glacial period, many thousands of years ago.
The article states this memory happened “despite not having a system of writing”. I’d say people were able to maintain those memories because they weren’t written. Oral tradition may be longer lived than written history.
Open-plan office sounds good until reality dawns (1)
You reported on preferences for open-plan spaces in your look at the psychology of design, often based on virtual reality experiments (16 April, p 44). Yes, most people would rather work in a brightly lit open space, but only up to a point. In reality, real-world studies show that when it comes to offices, working in an open-plan space with more than half a dozen other people is a .
You are . Constant movement in your peripheral vision is exhausting. You are often hot-desking. Sales people bellow all day. Everyone else gets noise-cancelling headsets and pretends nothing around them exists, so .
So hurrah for the dingy closet workspace! I went from an open-plan office to a bedroom for the pandemic. Many workplace experts seemed to think it would plunge me into depression. Instead, it was a huge productivity and morale boost. I could open a window for fresh air and focus on getting work done.
Open-plan office sounds good until reality dawns (2)
The article “Better by design” at last presents a science-based approach that takes architecture and interior design seriously. I particularly valued the “habitat theory” of open-plan living.
I have recently introduced wood-frame glass doors into the ground-floor living areas of my dual-aspect house after watching a video of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the Prairie (savannah-like?) style. I find this to be more secure and comforting, as there are now across-vistas to the front and back gardens. Worth every penny, as better design often is.
Amazon destruction is just so worrying (1)
You report the truly frightening destruction of the Amazon rainforest, which seems to be aided by the actions of Brazil’s president (9 April, p 20). Perhaps environmental protest groups in the UK, like Extinction Rebellion, could make an impression by blockading the Brazilian embassy instead of disrupting ordinary citizens’ lives.
Amazon destruction is just so worrying (2)
A strategy to halt the deforestation of the Amazon is to encourage a blanket ban on the import of all products sourced from the Amazon. This could be done via the COP27 climate summit.
This would have the additional benefit of promoting a drastic reduction in beef cattle ranching, which would lead to significant greenhouse gas reduction. In compensation, farmers could be paid to reforest their land for carbon offsetting.