Category: Mathematics
-
Gödel's incompleteness theorem: The non-Cretan way out...
Gödel's incompleteness theorem is well known for proving that the dream of most mathematicians to formulate foundations for a complete and self-consistent theory of mathematics is a futile exercise. Gödel proved that any set of axioms you could posit as a possible foundation for math will inevitably be incomplete; there will always be true facts…
-
Measuring the cosmos… Ghosts and numbers…
A groundbreaking experiment in physics has for the first time provided a precise measurement of a force between electrons and protons called the weak nuclear force. The value 0.0719 (give or take 0.0045) won't mean much to most of us, but the way they did it makes way for some exciting possibilities for pushing physics…
-
Counting till the end… Numbers… Infinite… Water and fire…
Gisin, of the University of Geneva, debates the physical reality of real numbers. His main problem lies with real numbers that consist of a never-ending string of digits with no discernable pattern and that can’t be calculated by a computer. Such numbers (like π for example) contain an infinite amount of information: You could imagine…
-
Calculating probabilities.
Our whole life we must make decisions and weigh up probabilities of different events. By learning to estimate which event is more likely to happen, we become better at analyzing risks and benefits to guide our actions. But when do we start to gain a sense of stochasticity? Are babies even able to determine likelihood?…
-
Changing color. Turing. Von Neumann. Automata. Thinking. Tautologies.
Skin colour patterns in animals arise from microscopic interactions among coloured cells that obey equations discovered by the mathematician Alan Turing. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics reported in the journal Nature that a southwestern European lizard slowly acquires its intricate adult skin colour by changing the…
You must be logged in to post a comment.