From: Virgil on
In article <1175275431.897052.225580(a)y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
"MoeBlee" <jazzmobe(a)hotmail.com> wrote:

> On Mar 30, 9:39 am, Tony Orlow <t...(a)lightlink.com> wrote:
>
> > They
> > introduce the von Neumann ordinals defined solely by set inclusion,
>
> By membership, not inclusion.

By both. Every vN natural is simultaneously a member of and subset of
all succeeding naturals.

> > and
> > yet, surreptitiously introduce the notion of order by means of this set.
>
> "Surreptitiously". You don't know an effing thing you're talking
> about. Look at a set theory textbook (such as Suppes's 'Axiomatic Set
> Theory') to see the explicit definitions.

On the other hand, Tony Orlow is considerably less of an ignoramus than
Lester Zick.
From: Virgil on
In article <460d4813(a)news2.lightlink.com>,
Tony Orlow <tony(a)lightlink.com> wrote:


> An actually infinite sequence is one where there exist two elements, one
> of which is an infinite number of elements beyond the other.

Not in any standard mathematics.

In standard mathematics, an infinite sequence is o more than a function
whose domain is the set of naturals, no two of which are more that
finitely different. The codmain of such a function need not have any
particular structure at all.
From: MoeBlee on
On Mar 30, 11:17 am, Virgil <vir...(a)comcast.net> wrote:
> In article <1175275431.897052.225...(a)y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>,
>
> "MoeBlee" <jazzm...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> > On Mar 30, 9:39 am, Tony Orlow <t...(a)lightlink.com> wrote:
>
> > > They
> > > introduce the von Neumann ordinals defined solely by set inclusion,
>
> > By membership, not inclusion.
>
> By both. Every vN natural is simultaneously a member of and subset of
> all succeeding naturals.

Of course. I just meant as to which is the primitive, in the sense
that the definitions revert ultimately solely to the membership
relation.

MoeBlee

From: Virgil on
In article <460d489b(a)news2.lightlink.com>,
Tony Orlow <tony(a)lightlink.com> wrote:

> Lester Zick wrote:
> > On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:37:21 -0500, Tony Orlow <tony(a)lightlink.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >>> Just ask yourself, Tony, at what magic point do intervals become
> >>> infinitesimal instead of finite? Your answer should be magnitudes
> >>> become infintesimal when subdivision becomes infinite.
> >> Yes.
> >
> > Yes but that doesn't happen until intervals actually become zero.
> >
> >> But the term
> >>> "infinite" just means undefined and in point of fact doesn't become
> >>> infinite until intervals become zero in magnitude. But that never
> >>> happens.
> >> But, but, but. No, "infinite" means "greater than any finite number" and
> >> infinitesimal means "less than any finite number", where "less" means
> >> "closer to 0" and "more" means "farther from 0".
> >
> > Problem is you can't say when that is in terms of infinite bisection.
> >
> > ~v~~
>
> Cantorians try with their lame "aleph_0". Better you get used to the
> fact that there is no more a smallest infinity than a smallest finite,
> largest finite, or smallest or largest infinitesimal. Those things
> simply don't exist, except as phantoms.

But all other mathematical objects are equally fantastic, having no
physical reality, but existing only in the imagination. So any statement
of mathematical existence is always relative to something like a system
of axioms.
From: Mike Kelly on
On 30 Mar, 18:25, Tony Orlow <t...(a)lightlink.com> wrote:
> Lester Zick wrote:
> > On Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:37:21 -0500, Tony Orlow <t...(a)lightlink.com>
> > wrote:
>
> >>>> If n is
> >>>> infinite, so is 2^n. If you actually perform an infinite number of
> >>>> subdivisions, then you get actually infinitesimal subintervals.
> >>> And if the process is infinitesimal subdivision every interval you get
> >>> is infinitesimal per se because it's the result of a process of
> >>> infinitesimal subdivision and not because its magnitude is
> >>> infinitesimal as distinct from the process itself.
> >> It's because it's the result of an actually infinite sequence of finite
> >> subdivisions.
>
> > And what pray tell is an "actually infinite sequence"?
>
> >> One can also perform some infinite subdivision in some
> >> finite step or so, but that's a little too hocus-pocus to prove. In the
> >> meantime, we have at least potentially infinite sequences of
> >> subdivisions, increments, hyperdimensionalities, or whatever...
>
> > Sounds like you're guessing again, Tony.
>
> > ~v~~
>
> An actually infinite sequence is one where there exist two elements, one
> of which is an infinite number of elements beyond the other.
>
> 01oo

Under what definition of sequence?

--
mike.