more from George Cantor

Single Idea 15903

[catalogued under 6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / h. Reals from Cauchy]

Full Idea

Cantor's theory of Cauchy sequences defines a real number to be associated with an infinite set of infinite sequences of rational numbers.

Gist of Idea

A real is associated with an infinite set of infinite Cauchy sequences of rationals

Source

report of George Cantor (works [1880]) by Shaughan Lavine - Understanding the Infinite II.6

Book Reference

Lavine,Shaughan: 'Understanding the Infinite' [Harvard 1994], p.38


A Reaction

This sounds remarkably like the endless decimals we use when we try to write down an actual real number.