I have the greatest admiration for the theorems and proofs of transfinite set theory, what we've called Cantor's transfinite set theory.

I taught it for years, wrote restatements for my students, and wrote a piece viewing it in the perspective of historical thinking about the infinite.
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:3715468

Now I've learned that #Cantor deliberately suppressed the role of #Dedekind in some of his work, particularly the proof that the set of real numbers is larger than the sets of natural and rational numbers. This was the first glimpse of the infinite hierarchy of infinite cardinalities.
https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-man-who-stole-infinity-20260225/

Cantor had the first germ of the proof, so props for that. But Dedekind helped him clarify it and Cantor published the clarified version without credit to Dedekind. I respect the math as much as ever but am now dealing with a serious case of flawed-hero syndrome.

First, make amends. Kudos to Dedekind. Second, give thanks. Kudos to the sleuths who turned up the empirical evidence of Cantor's #plagiarism -- Emmy Noether, Ivor Grattan-Guinness, José Ferreirós, and (decisively) Demian Goos.

Also thanks to Joseph Howlett for the Quanta article summarizing the evidence -- and in passing for calling Leopold #Kronecker an ideologue. Exactly!

#Infinity #Mathematics #SetTheory

On June 20th, José Ferreirós (University of Seville) will give a talk at the Centre Gilles-Gaston Granger (Aix-en-Provence), titled:

“Dedekind and the Axiomatic Method”

https://www.cggg.fr/agenda/seminaire-avec-jose-ferreiros

🕤 9:30–11:30 (CEST)
📍 Maison de la Recherche, Room 2.44

This session will include a discussion on Dedekind’s role in the emergence of the axiomatic approach, with further reflections on mathematical practice.

(Feel free to contact [email protected] to confirm attendance.)

#philosophy #mathematics #philosophyOfMathematics #seminar #Dedekind #cggg

“How The Square Root Of 2 Became A Number”, Quanta (https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-square-root-of-2-became-a-number-20240621/).

On HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40750230

#Numbers #IrrationalNumbers #Mathematics #Maths #PythagorasTheorem #Dedekind #Cantor #History #Reals #Irrationals

Arg, my memory is a sieve.

#Dedekind expert on Mastodon, where are you? I can't remember your username, your real name, nor find comments here by you, nor your website 😠

[EDIT: found her!]

When you put off your doctoral dissertation to work on a stubborn problem.

#maths #math #dedekind

https://www.quantamagazine.org/ninth-dedekind-number-found-by-two-independent-groups-20230801/

Big news in the world of math because I know that you care. 😉

"Mathematicians Discover The Ninth Dedekind Number, After 32 Years of Searching

Undeterred after three decades of looking, and with some assistance from a supercomputer, mathematicians have finally discovered a new example of a special integer called a Dedekind number.

Only the ninth of its kind, or D(9), it is calculated to equal 286 386 577 668 298 411 128 469 151 667 598 498 812 366, if you're updating your own records. This 42 digit monster follows the 23-digit D(8) discovered in 1991."

🔗: https://www.sciencealert.com/mathematicians-discover-the-ninth-dedekind-number-after-32-years-of-searching

#DedekindNumber #Dedekind #NumberTheory #Mathematics #Math #science

"Van Hirtum believes a similar jump in computer processing power will be required to calculate the 10th #Dedekind number. 'If we were doing it now, it would require processing power equal to the total power output of the sun,' he said, which makes it 'practically impossible' to calculate."

Just hold my beer while I plug into my Dyson sphere.

https://www.livescience.com/physics-mathematics/mathematics/mathematicians-finally-identify-seemingly-impossible-number-after-32-years-thanks-to-supercomputers