Course Description: Our intuitions about sets, numbers, shapes, and logic all break down in the realm of the infinite. The paradoxical facts about infinity are the subject of this course. We will discuss what infinity is, how it has been viewed through history, why some infinities are bigger than others, how a finite shape can have an infinite perimeter, and why some mathematical statements can be neither proved nor disproved. This will very likely be quite different from any mathematics course you have ever taken. Surprises at Infinity focuses on ideas and reasoning rather than algebraic manipulation; a calculator will be entirely useless. The class will be a mixture of lecture and discussion, based on selected readings. You can expect essay tests and frequent writing assignments. No prerequisites.
This course satisfies Kenyon's quantitative reasoning (QR) requirement.
Texts: Infinity and the Mind by Rudy Rucker.
To Infinity and Beyond by Eli Maor.
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges.
If you have any questions, please ask. Come see me in my
Or E-mail me at schumacherc@kenyon.edu
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