What Is Infinity?

At the beginning of class, our first group discussion was to introduce ourselves and state why we were interested in taking this course. For many, the interest laid in infinity and what connections it had in both mathematics and art. Next, the most basic question was asked; “what is infinity?” Everyone had an opinion. We could all agree the infinity was something large scale, something massive, that doesn't have an end. When asked for examples of infinity the universe was brought up. This seemed logical at first, yet we were stumped. Our critical thinking skills began to take place as everyone pondered at this question. Seeing our confusion, Professor Hamman asked us what defined something finite. Surely, if we can determine what makes something finite, then we must be able to determine what is infinite! As a class, we began throwing out examples of things finite: Oil, an inch, life, roads. What makes these things finite? We determined that if something has an end, it must be finite. Therefore, something that does not have an end must be infinite. We began to look back at the universe, as we debated whether this is really an example of something infinite or not. Part of the class argued yes, while others disagreed. After much debate, it was decided that if you believed in the big bang theory, then all the matter in the universe is the same as it has always been, just more widespread. This meant that the universe wasn't infinite after all. However, this is only true if you believe in the big bang theory, thus; your perception plays a part in what’s infinite or not. Could something be infinite? What about the number of books that could be written? We examined this notion. We found that if you wrote a book with one letter, or two letters, or three or four, the number could go on indefinitely creating an infinite library. We began to look at things differently. We thought of infinity as something large, but what about something small? Can the space between two items be divided infinity? One half of an inch is a half inch. Half of a half inch is a quarter inch and so forth. This theory shows that space can divide infinitely. Have we discovered what infinity is? Or are we just as lost as we were? 

By the end of class I think we all understood why the concept of infinity could drive a person crazy. Professor Carter introduced us to John Stuart Mill, a musician who believed that music was finite and went into depression. So if the idea of infinity will drive you mad, and finite make you sad, I ask us as a class; what have we gotten ourselves into? Although our class extended past our release time, we still only seemed to scratch the surface.