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Single Idea 14123

[filed under theme 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / b. Quantity ]

Full Idea

Some quantities cannot be measured (such as pain), and some things which are not quantities can be measured (such as certain series).

Gist of Idea

Some quantities can't be measured, and some non-quantities are measurable

Source

Bertrand Russell (The Principles of Mathematics [1903], §150)

Book Ref

Russell,Bertrand: 'Principles of Mathematics' [Routledge 1992], p.158

The 4 ideas with the same theme [specifying amounts of things numerically]:

14123 Some quantities can't be measured, and some non-quantities are measurable [Russell]
14158 Quantity is not part of mathematics, where it is replaced by order [Russell]
17782 Greek quantities were concrete, and ratio and proportion were their science [Mayberry]
17781 Real numbers were invented, as objects, to simplify and generalise 'quantity' [Mayberry]