OFF TOPIC: Philosophy of maths and other stuff thread

[Jenny_2108]

Omg, if you're male, I'm turning gay <3

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Pretty good chance

Real numbers don't exist either.

I just searched in the internet and they said imaginary numbers exist 

If imaginary numbers exist, why can't real numbers exist btw?
Are you talking about real numbers as a component of complex number or set R?

Imaginary component doesn't exist in real life, does it?

What do you mean by real life? Like a tradie? Or a trip to Woolies?

Like how we apply the knowledge of complex number in the real life?
For example: vectors can be used to indicate direction and magnitude etc,...

[BubbleWrapMan]

I was talking more about how numbers don't physically exist. They both exist in the sense that we invented them, so they exist in our minds. Similar to how there are no perfect circles, perfect triangles, et cetera, we just use them to get things done. We envisioned a quantity i whose square is a negative number, which ends up completing a lot of things.

[paulsterio]

Hahah, we're delving too deeply into what does exist and what doesn't - but most things in maths don't exist because they are purely abstract concepts. For example, how does a function "exist". It exists in our minds only.

I just explained how we can apply complex numbers to real life, there are many many applications, especially within physics and its subdisciplines.

[Biceps]

They do exist on our papers but in reality are just ideas to represent real life concepts using quantitative values...
Wow that is an amazing way to look at math. Among the many reasons i find it so intriguing.

[Jenny_2108]

Hahah, we're delving too deeply into what does exist and what doesn't - but most things in maths don't exist because they are purely abstract concepts. For example, how does a function "exist". It exists in our minds only.

I just explained how we can apply complex numbers to real life, there are many many applications, especially within physics and its subdisciplines.

I asked whether they exist or not because in my spesh class, we asked our teacher: "why do we have to study about complex numbers while it doesn't really apply in real life?" and she couldn't answer it.

Well, don't do physics though but AC involves the electricity current between (+) and (-) charged, it doesn't relate to complex number here I guess

[abeybaby]

Real numbers don't exist in that you can't observe them. Who came out and said that were gonna count to 10, then start again, then to 100? Why don't we count like this:
1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 etc.

You can observe gravity, you can observe water turning to steam, you can't observe numbers, addition, multiplication... These are arbitrarily assigned symbols... They don't exist in the world, just like language doesn't exist either - we made it up to communicate, it was never observed...

[Jenny_2108]

Real numbers don't exist in that you can't observe them. Who came out and said that were gonna count to 10, then start again, then to 100? Why don't we count like this:
1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 etc.

You can observe gravity, you can observe water turning to steam, you can't observe numbers, addition, multiplication... These are arbitrarily assigned symbols... They don't exist in the world, just like language doesn't exist either - we made it up to communicate, it was never observed...

If the language doesn't exist, your post doesn't exist either LOL

[abeybaby]

Real numbers don't exist in that you can't observe them. Who came out and said that were gonna count to 10, then start again, then to 100? Why don't we count like this:
1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 etc.

You can observe gravity, you can observe water turning to steam, you can't observe numbers, addition, multiplication... These are arbitrarily assigned symbols... They don't exist in the world, just like language doesn't exist either - we made it up to communicate, it was never observed...

If the language doesn't exist, your post doesn't exist either LOL

This hurts my brain..

[BubbleWrapMan]

There are certain kinds of differential equations that can be solved using complex numbers, even though the solution ends up as a real-valued one.

e.g.: y'' - 2y' + 2y = 0

That's one example that I've encountered, there are of course other uses for it. The major reason to use any math is modelling. But I am (and many others are) the type of guy who studies math for the sake of it/because it's awesome, the application just comes as a by-product.

[Jenny_2108]

Real numbers don't exist in that you can't observe them. Who came out and said that were gonna count to 10, then start again, then to 100? Why don't we count like this:
1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 etc.

You can observe gravity, you can observe water turning to steam, you can't observe numbers, addition, multiplication... These are arbitrarily assigned symbols... They don't exist in the world, just like language doesn't exist either - we made it up to communicate, it was never observed...

If the language doesn't exist, your post doesn't exist either LOL

This hurts my brain..

I was just kidding. Why did you do that???     

You changed it now

[Elegant_Chaos]

Here is a post.

[Elegant_Chaos]

Here is another post

[COSEC]

Real numbers don't exist in that you can't observe them. Who came out and said that were gonna count to 10, then start again, then to 100? Why don't we count like this:
1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 30 etc.

You can observe gravity, you can observe water turning to steam, you can't observe numbers, addition, multiplication... These are arbitrarily assigned symbols... They don't exist in the world, just like language doesn't exist either - we made it up to communicate, it was never observed...

If the language doesn't exist, your post doesn't exist either LOL

Lol...what he meant is that numbers and words are not just found on the earth, they are merely human creation which were intended to help communicate or understand, through modelling real life physical scenarios...you're taking it too literally 

[Elegant_Chaos]

There are at least two two posts on AN.

[Elegant_Chaos]

Therefore posts on AN exist and so does language.