29.7M views · Apr 9, 2016 · 23:46 · 6 HN recommenders · 10 mentions · discussed 2016–2022
Vsauce's Michael Stevens takes viewers past infinity using transfinite numbers, ordinals and cardinals, with input from mathematician Hugh Woodin. It is a fast-paced, mind-bending tour of different sizes of infinity.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN recommends it as the most accessible introduction to what lies beyond infinity.
“The most accessible resource I found was this VSauce video”HN comment, 2016
“My personal favourite to illustrate infinity (as possible) and some math concepts around it”
Personal favourite illustration of infinity and related math concepts
My personal favourite to illustrate infinity (as possible) and some math concepts around it is still the video "How To Count Past Infinity" from Vsauce: this video "This is math, not science." (~12:30)
“highly recommended while waiting for the movie”
Accessible tour of counting beyond infinity with ordinals
Completely offtopic, except for math and title, but highly recommended while waiting for the movie: "How To Count Past Infinity" this video
“The most accessible resource I found was this VSauce video”
Most accessible resource on what lies past infinity
The issue is that there are different infinities. The infinity the parent is talking about, the one that you generally run into in calculus class and the like, is straightforward. The research in the past century was about what happens _past_ infinity, e.g. ordinal numbers. I'm no mathematician either, so I'll stop there before I embarrass myself. The most accessible resource I found was this VSauce video [1]. [1] this video
“Vsauce's explanation is approachable”
Approachable explanation of different mathematical infinities
There is one English definition of infinity, but when applied to ordinals ("degrees of freedoms"), you get different mathematical concepts of infinity. Vsauce's explanation is approachable: this video
“VSauce is a science channel which I find both entertaining and educational.”
Fun, fast-paced, mind-bending science channel
VSauce is a science channel which I find both entertaining and educational. Fun and fast paced and often mind-bending. this video
“I enjoyed the vibe he put into it”
Related video with an enjoyable vibe about infinity
(related - and I enjoyed the vibe he put into it): this video - Vsauce's "How to Count Past Infinity"
“mind suitably blown :)”
Mind-blowing introduction to counting past infinity
Thanks for that, I hadnt' bumped into that channel before. After watching this one I watched the one on how to count past infinity....mind suitably blown :) this video
“Related (a bit of Cantor and Hilbert”
Related material on Cantor and Hilbert
Related (a bit of Cantor and Hilbert, no direct relation to Ramsey’s theorem): "How To Count Past Infinity" this video
“The VSauce video [1] on the topic only made me more curious”
Touched transfinite ordinals but left the commenter wanting more
I really need a video on transfinite cardinals and ordinals beyond Aleph_0 and Epsilon_0. The VSauce video [1] on the topic only made me more curious with an elusive tree diagram displaying a few, and PBS Infinite Series [2] [3] just barely touched it. The mention of the Veblen hierarchies really piqued my interest, but much of what I've found on them has been a bit too dense for me. 1. this video 2. link 3. link
One item in a curated list of infinity resources
Thanks for sharing. I'm going to add here some links that I've been curating regarding the "existence" of infinity: The physics of infinity - link - Discussion: link Is infinity Real? - link - Solution: link Do infinities exist in nature? - link Does infinity exist? - link - Discussion: link How to count past infinity - this video How real are real numbers? - link - Discussion: link / link Are Real Numbers Real? - link - Discussion: link
