Verified Document

George Cantor Term Paper

Mathematics George Cantor

The purpose of the paper is to develop a concept of the connection between mathematics and society from a historical perspective. Specifically, it will discuss the subject, what George Cantor accomplished for mathematics and what that did for society. George Cantor's set theory changed the way mathematicians of the time looked at their science, and he revolutionized the way the world looks at numbers.

George Cantor was a brilliant mathematician and philosopher who developed the modern mathematical idea of infinity, along with the idea of an infinite set of real numbers, called transfinite sets, or the "set theory." In addition, Cantor found that real numbers were not countable, while algebraic numbers were countable (Breen). Cantor's views were quite controversial when he first developed them in the late 1800s, and some mathematicians today question some of his hypothesis ("Transfinite Number"), however, his work is recognized as some of the most important mathematical thought of our time. Not only did Cantor get other mathematicians thinking about problems that had...

It also stirred up interest in mathematics that had waned during the Victorian era. Even more importantly, his theories spilled over into many other innovations of the day, including the atomistic statistical thermodynamics, stop-motion photography, and even the color-plane type of painting by Gauguin and Bernard (Everdell 46). In addition, Cantor's works also inspired philosophical thought in any number of his contemporaries, because mathematicians like Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein turned to philosophical thought to explain and even try to disprove Cantor's theories. Cantor's set theories inspired others to create, think, prove, and disprove, and so, his work not only created a more understandable and workable form of arithmetic, it created new thought and new art forms that changed society…

Sources used in this document:
References

Author not Available. "Georg Cantor." Fact-Index.com. 2004. 13 April 2004. http://www.fact-index.com/g/ge/georg_cantor.html

Breen, Craig. "Georg Cantor Page." Personal Web Page. 2004. 13 April 2004. http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Union/3461/cantor.htm

Everdell, William R. The First Moderns: Profiles in the Origins of Twentieth-Century Thought. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.

O'Connor, J.J. And Robertson, E.F. "Georg Cantor." University of St. Andrews. 1998. 13 April 2004. http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Cantor.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Georg Cantor: A Genius Out of Time
Words: 2882 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Georg Cantor: A Genius Out of Time If you open a textbook, in high school or college, in the first chapter you will be introduced to set theory and the theories of finite numbers, infinite numbers, and irrational numbers. The development of many theories of math took years upon years and the input of many mathematicians, as in the example of non-Euclidean geometry. This was the case with most math theories,

Conditions Necessary for Design and
Words: 689 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

This approach also makes students with different learning styles, such as those who learn best kinesthetically rather than verbally feel more competent in the classroom: One of the greatest 'resources' for a truly interactive classroom is a flexibly-minded instructor who is willing to use the community as a resource, and to demand more from his or her students. Experiential learning is often more time-consuming for both the teacher as well

Theories Tactics Methods and Techniques
Words: 24173 Length: 76 Document Type: Term Paper

EDSE 600: History and Philosophy of Education / / 3.0 credits The class entitled, History and Philosophy of Education, focused on the origin of education and the "philosophical influences of modern educational theory and practice. Study of: philosophical developments in the Renaissance, Reformation, and revolutionary periods; social, cultural and ideological forces which have shaped educational policies in the United States; current debates on meeting the wide range of educational and social-emotional

The Transformation of the US into Oceania
Words: 2807 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

The Greatest Issue Facing 21st Century Ethical Leadership Big Brother is Watching You. -- George Orwell, 1984 The chilling but fictitious epigraph above is becoming all too real for many people around the world today. Indeed, a growing number of authorities believe that threats to the fundamental right to privacy have become the greatest issue facing 21st century ethical leadership. Indeed, public and private sector organizations of all types routinely collect consumers’

Black Death and Disease
Words: 2669 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Black Death and Religion in Western Europe The Black Death is perhaps considered as the most devastating pandemic that has happened to humanity in the previous to the present century. The disease was transmitted from Asia into and through Europe. The disease set feet in Europe by the sea in October of 1347 when trading ships belonging to Genoese set their dock at the Silician Port of Messina when it

Racial Discrimination and Racism
Words: 1526 Length: 4 Document Type: Data Analysis Chapter

Race in Sociology The sociology of racism, according to Clair and Denis (2015) is the study concerning racial inequality, racial discrimination, and racism and the associated features. Racism basically is the domination of another race based on the percept and preconception that the dominating race is superior culturally or biologically. This thinking of superiority is used to justify the ill treatment of people from other races. Racialization has led to people

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now