what has infinity got to do with calculus? i'm reading something that says the understanding of infinity is one of the things that brought about calculus... :s what has infinity got to do with calculus? i'm reading something that says the understanding of infinity is one of the things that brought about calculus... :s @Mathematics

Question

amistre64 · Answer

infinity and infintesimal

amistre64 · Answer

a limit is a measurement of how close you can get to something without actually getting there; and when you get there, your at the limit ....

amistre64 · Answer

but the value of the object when you get there need not even exist .....

anonymous · Answer

You have to understand the concept of infinity. When you study calculus, you will hear a lot of phrases such as "as x approaches infinity" or "as x tends to negative infinity" and so on. You need to understand what is meant by such expressions, and what infinity is as a concept. It is pretty much crucial to begin the study of calculus to at least have an abstract idea of what it is.

amistre64 · Answer

how close can you get to the edge of a cliff without falling off?

sasogeek · Answer

wth amistre... that's some crazy question lol

amistre64 · Answer

if you take steps that measure half the distance each time between you and another person, when will you meet?

amistre64 · Answer

:)

sasogeek · Answer

u need calculus to sole for that?

amistre64 · Answer

you need the concept of a limit to solve for that; you need calculus to make that concept rigid enough to apply abstractly

amistre64 · Answer

math is defined logically and consistently so that it can be applied.  Calculus does that for the limit

sasogeek · Answer

yea i read that about some greek mathematician... the distance between u and someone... that pellet is crazy to think about lol, in essense motion won't even happen

amistre64 · Answer

Zenos ....

sasogeek · Answer

yeah that's the name :P

amistre64 · Answer

some person tried yesterday to say that:

x^2 = [x+x+x+...(xtimes)]  and then say that the derivative is:

2x = x     .... they werent using math, they were using makebelieve

amistre64 · Answer

without a consistent and definable system; you got nothing but hokum

sasogeek · Answer

lol