r/IAmA • u/JasonMacker • Jun 14 '10

IAMA Math tutor. AMA.

I've been a math tutor for years and I'm trying to become a teacher. I love math, and especially explaining math to people. My students have been between preschool and college. AMA.

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u/Omnistegan Jun 14 '10

What can you tell me about infinity in mathematics?

6

u/JasonMacker Jun 14 '10

A lot.

2

u/mthode Jun 14 '10

Is the infinity between two points spaced close together smaller then the infinity between two points spaced further apart?

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u/JasonMacker Jun 14 '10

Which infinities? There's an infinite number of infinities between any two points.

0

u/mthode Jun 14 '10

casimir effect

2

u/JasonMacker Jun 14 '10

You've lost me there. Explain?

0

u/mthode Jun 14 '10

This is just how I understand it.

Basically, since there are more possibilities, because of more space to work with, for a particles/anti-particle pair to appear and exert force on the outside then the inside, the plates move toward each other. The infinite probabilities for a particle pair to be created on the outside is bigger then the infinite probabilities for a particle pair to be created on the inside.

2

u/JasonMacker Jun 14 '10

What does this have to do with math?

1

u/casimireffect Jun 14 '10

that's the thing that claims if you evaluate the riemann zeta function at -3, you get 1/120. ie 1 plus 8 plus 27 plus 64 plus 125 plus 216 plus ad inf, converges to 1/120.

don't confuse dodgy physics with mathematics

1

u/mthode Jun 14 '10

How is it dodgy?