| The word '''infinity''' comes from the [[Latin]] ''infinitas'' or "unboundedness." It refers to several distinct concepts (usually linked to the idea of "without end") which arise in [[philosophy]], [[mathematics]], and [[theology]]. | | The word '''infinity''' comes from the [[Latin]] ''infinitas'' or "unboundedness." It refers to several distinct concepts (usually linked to the idea of "without end") which arise in [[philosophy]], [[mathematics]], and [[theology]]. |
| In [[mathematics]], "infinity" is often used in contexts where it is treated as if it were a number (i.e., it counts or measures things: "an infinite number of terms") but it is a different type of "number" than the [[real numbers]]. Infinity is related to [[limit (mathematics)|limit]]s, [[aleph number]]s, [[class (set theory)|class]]es in [[set theory]], [[Dedekind-infinite set]]s, [[large cardinal]]s,Large cardinals are quantitative infinities defining the number of things in a [[Set|collection]], which are so large that they cannot be proven to exist in the ordinary mathematics of [[ZFC|Zermelo-Fraenkel plus Choice]] (ZFC).[[Russell's paradox]], [[non-standard arithmetic]], [[hyperreal number]]s, [[projective geometry]], [[Affinely extended real number system|extended real number]]s and the [[absolute Infinite]]. | | In [[mathematics]], "infinity" is often used in contexts where it is treated as if it were a number (i.e., it counts or measures things: "an infinite number of terms") but it is a different type of "number" than the [[real numbers]]. Infinity is related to [[limit (mathematics)|limit]]s, [[aleph number]]s, [[class (set theory)|class]]es in [[set theory]], [[Dedekind-infinite set]]s, [[large cardinal]]s,Large cardinals are quantitative infinities defining the number of things in a [[Set|collection]], which are so large that they cannot be proven to exist in the ordinary mathematics of [[ZFC|Zermelo-Fraenkel plus Choice]] (ZFC).[[Russell's paradox]], [[non-standard arithmetic]], [[hyperreal number]]s, [[projective geometry]], [[Affinely extended real number system|extended real number]]s and the [[absolute Infinite]]. |