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> The physical world is by definition finite This isn't obvious to me, would you elaborate?
by gkop 6y ago
> The physical world is by definition finite
This isn't obvious to me, would you elaborate?
- anamexis 6y agoClassic HN: from article on new Microsoft Excel feature to semantic debate on the definition of the universe in record time.
- willhslade 6y agoTake everything in the world. Every physical piece. Break it into the smallest slice you care to: (atoms, quarks, whatever). The count of those things is bounded. It's a huge number, but it's finite. Infinity is not a real concept, it's imaging that there is no number that can be bounded.
- Dangeranger 6y agoMaybe, there are hypothesis’ that the Universe is infinite. The observable Universe is finite.
- bickeringyokel 6y agoIf the universe is infinite, Then the observable universe is only as finite as the length of your life and capability to traverse through space.
- Dangeranger 6y agoNot necessarily. The observable Universe could also be reducing over time. Distant galaxies are accelerating in their travel away from our observation position because space itself is expanding. This means that over long periods of time, objects at the periphery of the observable Universe will red shift out of view.
- sullyj3 6y agoThis demonstrate countability, not finiteness. If by "world" you mean universe, there's no guarantee that you can "take everything in it", because it might be infinite.
- jaza 6y agoIs the universe finite? https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20200123104919AA1982X https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20200123104919A... Sadly that thread will soon be gone due to the approaching Yahoo Answers apocalypse. Hopefully Internet Archive will save it!