Math's question ???

[Brainy J]

Can anyone help with my sons homework...........
He has been asked to find out..... What is the longest number??????
Any ideas, pleeeeeeease

[jake-the-peg]

Well if that blows your minds hold on to your hats because there are different infinities and some are bigger than others!

Yep that's right - a guy called Cantor basically showed that whilst there are an infinite number of counting numbers and an infinite number of points on a line there are more points on a line than counting numbers.

He had mental problems and died in a sanatorium - infinity can mess with your head - but if you fancy your chances check out this beginners guide

http://scidiv.bcc.ctc.edu/Math/infinity.html

[China Doll]

Ouch, ouch, ouch!!

Now I need some asprin. Thanks a lot Jake

[beryllium]

infinite binary?

ω

[wildwood]

I'd have thought the answer might have been something like the sum of pi.

[Nautilus]

I would go with Pi,but why stop at a billion digits..........it goes on forever!

[SteveD]

7.

In your word-processor, type the word "seven" and underneath, type "eight". You will see that 7 is longer than 8 and the question was "What is the longest number?" not "What is the biggest number?"

Just a thought.

[mibn2cweus]

If by "the longest number" the teacher is referring to a number with the most digits then there are in theory an infinite variety of such numbers possible. Therefore to specify one as unique among them requires some further kind of specificity. Among the set of irrational numbers like pi are a myriad of others including the �golden ratio� a host of square roots and logarithms etc.

Although Graham�s Number is the largest number I know of that has a defined value, if there existed as many universes as there are sub-atomic particles in our universe and all those particles combined were universes in their own right the length of the number describing the total sum of particles would not approach the length of Graham�s Number. Forget about writing it out in non-exponential form (even if our entire universe were one giant vat of ink). While being a tribute to the power of exponentiation even that is but a speck in relation to the infinite string of digits that would be required to completely describe the value presented by the humble pi constant (whatever they may be?).

SteveD brings up a valid argument yet there are other variations on that theme such as the numerical digit 8 being the longest when stretched out in a straight line.

At this point I suggest the possibility that this is one of those unanswerable questions that nevertheless seem to spawn an almost infinite variety of answers. Go figure!

[kyra16]

Pi ... i think