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Single Idea 14139

[filed under theme 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / e. Ordinal numbers ]

Full Idea

Unlike the transfinite cardinals, the transfinite ordinals do not obey the commutative law, and their arithmetic is therefore quite different from elementary arithmetic.

Clarification

'Commutativity' is to still work if you change the order of the terms

Gist of Idea

Transfinite ordinals don't obey commutativity, so their arithmetic is quite different from basic arithmetic

Source

Bertrand Russell (The Principles of Mathematics [1903], §290)

Book Ref

Russell,Bertrand: 'Principles of Mathematics' [Routledge 1992], p.312