Introduction
Many intellects enjoy posing questions about our universe and life such as: Is there an end to space around us? Does life ever come to an end even after death? Are the things we actually learn valid information or made up? I have definitely thought about these questions before. In the novel, Between the Bridge and the River, by Craig Ferguson, “The Universe is very, very big. It also loves a paradox. For example, it has some extremely strict rules. Rule number one: Nothing lasts forever. Not you or your family or your house or your planet or the sun. It is an absolute rule. Therefore, when someone says that their love will never die, it means that their love is not real, for everything that is real dies. Rule number two: Everything lasts forever.” Attempting to wrap my head around this quote and paradox can create quite the headache. On the other hand, I can relate this to my project concerning infinity. When I hear the word infinity, I think of the words “endless” and “boundlessness”.
If I were to say my love for someone or something is infinite this would mean my love would never run out or it would last forever. This is where the quote becomes somewhat confusing because it says that everything lasts forever but everything that exists will eventually die. This paradox sparks the idea that both phrases could be true depending on how one looks at it. Luckily for us, we will be looking deeper into the mathematical meaning of infinity. We will hopefully gain a more complete understanding of the questions such as: Is there an actual largest number existent? What can we consider to be infinite? Where did infinity originate from? Many of us have received simple answers to these questions. For myself, I know that there are numerous details concerning the word infinity in a mathematical context. It is important that we study the subject of infinity (not only in a mathematical context, but in an overall bigger picture standpoint) because in doing so, we are able to gain a more complete understanding concerning the nature of reality.