number

number
The natural numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3… The integers are…–3, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3…The rationals, as their name implies, measure ratios: any number that can be written as a/b, where a and b are integers, and b ? 0 (in other words, values of x that give solutions of an equation b x – a = 0 where a and b are integers). The real numbers contain all the rational numbers, but also numbers such as √2 or π that are not rational. The reals can be thought of as the points of a line, with the integers equally spaced along the line. Every real number can be expressed as an infinite decimal. There are more reals than rationals ( Cantor's theorem ), and a number of rigorous ways of defining the set of reals (see also diagonal argument, Dedekind cut ). Transfinite numbers measure the size of infinite sets. The first transfinite number is aleph-null, written א0, which measures the set of natural numbers. See also continuum hypothesis . The cardinal numbers measure the size of sets: the cardinality of a set is the number of its elements. The ordinal numbers measure the length of a well-ordering (see ordering relation ). The difference is not apparent in finite cases, where an ordering is bigger simply if it has more members, but in transfinite cases the notions come apart. Thus the natural numbers can be ordered in the standard way: 1, 2, 3, 4…. The length of this ordering is ω. But they can also be ordered in ways that themselves tail off to infinite successions 1, 3, 5…; 2, 4, 6…. Even although this ordering contains just the same elements, there is no order-preserving one-to-one correspondence between members of the two orderings, and it is of greater length, 2ω.

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Number 10 — →↑No. 10 …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Number 11 — →↑No. 11 …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • number — or [num′bər] n. [ME nombre < OE < L numerus: see NOMY] 1. a symbol or word, or a group of either of these, showing how many or which one in a series: 1, 2, 10, 101 (one, two, ten, one hundred and one) are called cardinal numbers; 1st, 2d,… …   English World dictionary

  • number# — number n 1 quantity, whole, total, aggregate, *sum, amount 2 Number, numeral, figure, digit, integer are comparable when they mean the character or characters by which an arithmetical value is designated. Number is the general term and is… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Number 10 — Number 10, #10 or variations may refer to: 10 (number), a natural number #10 (The Guess Who album) , by the Canadian rock band Number 10 (drama series) on BBC Radio 4 Number Ten (novel) by Sue Townsend Number Ten (Manning album) by English… …   Wikipedia

  • Number — Num ber (n[u^]m b[ e]r), n. [OE. nombre, F. nombre, L. numerus; akin to Gr. no mos that which is dealt out, fr. ne mein to deal out, distribute. See {Numb}, {Nomad}, and cf. {Numerate}, {Numero}, {Numerous}.] 1. That which admits of being counted …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • number — ► NOUN 1) a quantity or value expressed by a word, symbol, or figure. 2) a quantity or amount of something countable. 3) (a number of) several. 4) a single issue of a magazine. 5) a song, dance, or other musical item. 6) informal an item of… …   English terms dictionary

  • Number — Num ber, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Numbered} (n[u^]m b[ e]rd); p. pr & vb. n. {Numbering}.] [OE. nombren, noumbren, F. nombrer, fr. L. numerare, numeratum. See {Number}, n.] [1913 Webster] 1. To count; to reckon; to ascertain the units of; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Number 96 — Genre Soap opera Créateur(s) David Sale Production Don Cash Bill Harmon Pays d’origine  Australie Chaîne d’origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Number 13 — can refer to a number of different things: The number thirteen A former comic strip in The Beano Number 13 (film), a film by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ernest Thesiger which was shot but never completed. The footage shot is believed to be lost …   Wikipedia

  • Number 5 — Number Five Number 5 ナンバーファイブ Genre Sci Fi, action Manga Type Seinen Auteur Taiyō Matsumoto Éditeur …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”