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Question posted on June 13, 2013; 1 response
Is 0 really a fraction? Because some do not agree that it is not a fraction. But I have a thought Fraction=no. of equal parts considered/total no. of parts So if I divide a chocolate in 4 parts and eat no...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on June 7, 2013; 1 response
In mathematics numbers are abstract notions. But when we divide number say we do 1 divided by 2 i.e. ½ does this mean abstract notions are divisible. It gives me a feeling like abstract notions have magnitude but then it...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 9, 2013; 2 responses
How would a philosopher of math describe what happened when ancient mathematicians discovered (?) the number zero?...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 9, 2013; 1 response
Does a point in geometry (cartesian and euclidean) occupy space or have volume (if we consider 3-D geometry)? And is a line segment always perpendicular to its point of origin? Or can we frame this as, is a line perpendicular...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 2, 2013; 1 response
What does it mean when a certain axiom is neither provable nor deniable? Does it imply that such axiom is self-evident and can't be doubted? I don't think that "real skeptics"(a skeptic who is so deep in doubt that he...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on April 11, 2013; 1 response
Are mathematical truths such as 2+2 =4 arguable exceptions to the correspondence theory of truth? I mean is 2+2=4 a truth that corresponds to "the world"?...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on April 4, 2013; 1 response
Hi, I love your website and I have enjoyed reading the articles. Please could you help me with a question? I would like to ask the question regarding 'negative numbers'. Can there be such a thing as a negative? Please allow me...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 21, 2013; 2 responses
Are 3 and √9 the same mathematical object (in light of the fact that they have the same numerical value), or are they distinct mathematical objects? In other words, are the expressions '3' and '√9' co-referential names (both referring to the...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 15, 2013; 1 response
Dear philosophers, I really appreciate your website, which I just discovered! I'd like to make one comment regarding the recent questions about infinite sets on March 7 and March 14. In your responses (Allen Stairs and Richard Heck on March 14), you...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 14, 2013; 3 responses
Hi, I was hoping for some clarification from Professor Maitzen about his comments on infinite sets (on March 7). The fact that every natural number has a successor is only true for the natural numbers so far encountered (and...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on March 7, 2013; 2 responses
Do infinite sets exist? Most mathematicians say yes, but to me it seems like infinite sets can only exist if we use inductive reasoning but not deductive reasoning. For example, in the set {1,2,3,4,...} we can't prove that the ......
Mathematics Show

Question posted on February 14, 2013; 1 response
Euclid in "Elements" wrote that "things which equal the same thing also equal one another." Is this true in all cases? I've read that it is only true for "absolute entities," but not to "relations," although I do not understand...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on January 10, 2013; 1 response
I've recently read that some mathematician's believe that there are "no necessary truths" in mathematics. Is this true? And if it is, what implications would it have on deductive logic, it being the case that deductive logical forms...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on October 4, 2012; 2 responses
Is it possible for a mathematical equation to both be fundamentally unsolvable and also have a correct answer?...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on August 16, 2012; 1 response
Is mathematics grounded in logic or is logic grounded in mathematics?...
Logic, Mathematics Show

Question posted on July 19, 2012; 2 responses
Having an almost three year old daughter leads me into deep philosophical questions about mathematics. :-) Really, I am concerned about the concept of "being able to count". People ask me if my daughter can count and I can't avoid...
Children, Mathematics Show

Question posted on June 14, 2012; 1 response
We use logic to structure the system of mathematics. Lord Russell was described as bewildered upon learning that original premises must be accepted on some human's "say so". Since human knowledge is so fragile (it cannot have all...
Logic, Mathematics Show

Question posted on May 31, 2012; 1 response
I've read in several places that scientists have estimated the number of atoms in our galaxy to be (very) roughly 10 to the 65th power. This is an extraordinarily huge and basically incomprehensible number. However, this figure is more than...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on April 26, 2012; 1 response
The equality x-x=0 and 0=x-x are suppose to be the same. The first equality is easy to understand while the second equality( 0=x-x )is somewhat mind boggling to me for the following reason: where do the 2x's on the right...
Mathematics Show

Question posted on February 29, 2012; 1 response
I know some philosophers think numbers exist, and some others think the opposite. Do some of you think that this question is or may be "undecidable"? I mean, perhaps both the idea that numbers exist and the idea that numbers...
Mathematics Show




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