this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2024
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Hate to break it to you, but all numbers are imaginary.
I'm not sure I agree with this... it's like if no one is around to hear a tree fall, does it make a sound?
All numbers are imaginary
They are a logistical concept, invented with the purpose of counting and calculating quantities.
Strictly speaking "Math" doesn't exist in nature.
Circles are not round because of Pi. A triangle's sides are not consistent because of the Pythagorean theorem. A thrown ball doesn't travel in a parabola because of Algebra.
Math is a tool CREATED to understand natural phenomena. Though its logistical power is so strong that it can be stretched to understand almost everything that can be measured.
If a tree falls in the woods it vibrates the air at an audible frequence. Your ears absorb the vibrations and send a signal to your brain that we understand as sound. But the tree never makes a sound. The tree exists and interacts with the environment. Your brain interprets some of those interactions as sound.
You can think of the numbers as the sound. You can understand them clearly, but they're just an interpretation of a natural phenomena.
That depends on how you define 'sound'. If it's only perception and interpretation that creates sound, then sure, a tree falling with nothing to hear or perceive it makes no sound. But if you label sound as the vibration created independent of the perception of the phenomena, then sound happens regardless of whether it's perceived or not. Since we label some sounds as imperceptible, or outside of human hearing ranges, my interpretation would be that the phenomena is the sound, rather than the perception of it.
Yeah a good friend of mine has a PHD in math. I asked him how he would describe math. His answer was a set of rules for dealing with numbers. What's important is how useful the rules are.
Strictly speaking humanity is a part of nature.
I always thought the tree falling in the forest thing was an inpenetrable koan from the depth of ancient philosophy, but it's actually a pretty simple tool to highlight the difference between sound as a physical thing and sound as perception, two related but different concepts for which we only use one word, hence the confusion.
It is, certainly. I was coming at it from the perspective of if there weren't humans to count, we would still have 10 fingers. I.e., if there's no one around to count, do numbers still exist.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGt7I4Yn3k
Its a bit long but I think its the best explanation of the Russel paradox. Essentially, numbers really aren't what we think they are.
Just thought it might be interesting to someone at least.