[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

View post   
File: 1.95 MB, 464x296, 1559801147926.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10746437 No.10746437 [Reply] [Original]

Hi /sci/, just visiting.
So the other day I was talking to someone about the number googolplex, and how stupidly big it is. I talked about how even a googol was redundantly large, given there are approximately 10^70 atoms in the universe, and how a googolplex is really just a silly number, as a number that large would have no purpose in mathematics.
Then Graham's Number was mentioned. I hadn't heard of it, but being of the mind that a googolplex was basically "the biggest number" and that Graham's sounded like it had a mathematical purpose behind it, it couldn't possibly be bigger. Oh boy was I wrong.
Thanks to a rather excellent page on waitbutwhy (seriously one of only 2 blogs that after 25 years online I can confidently say are worthy of your time) I've learned new mathematical notation and come to grasp (if not yet quite comprehend) just how large Graham's number is.
However, what I can't get a handle on is exactly what the number is supposed to represent. Looking online I see the same mention in a few places that has something to do with planes, but I'm not math-savvy enough to understand it. So I post this thread for two reasons:
1) Can anyone explain to me what use such an insanely large number can have?
2) Can anyone explain to me in layman's tsrms the relevance of this particular number? Something to do with planes...

Pic unrelated.

>> No.10746689

What a qt

>> No.10746729

This is peak pop sci posting, should probably try passing calculus before delving into this type of stuff

>> No.10747224

>>10746729
I've done quite a lot of math academically, I was able to follow how this works, just not the meaning of it. A lack of responses suggests to me that people here don't really know the answer themselves.

>> No.10747269

>>10747224
What kind of math did you do academically? The way you talk in the OP (what's the utility for these numbers, etc.) suggests otherwise.

>> No.10747291

>>10747269
>>10747224
By the way. Graham's number is an upper bound to the solution to the following question:
>Connect each pair of geometric vertices of an n-dimensional hypercube to obtain a complete graph on 2n vertices. Colour each of the edges of this graph either red or blue. What is the smallest value of n for which every such colouring contains at least one single-coloured complete subgraph on four coplanar vertices?
You could have literally just looked at wikipedia

>> No.10747293

>>10746437
Of the two examples.

googol: Just a miss named? representation of a number of non relative origins.
Graham's number: A solution to Ramsey theory.

So if you cant figure out the answer, I have some bad news.

>> No.10747302

>>10747291
I read that, but that's what I couldn't get my head around. I was asking for a layman's explanation of exactly what you just posted.

>> No.10747312

>>10747302
There isnt one. That's the clearest, most concise way of phrasing the question. If we break down every one of the "math terms" into lay speak, the question would be like 6 paragraphs long. If you don't know a word, look it up. Refer back to >>10746729 except instead of calculus you need discrete math.

>> No.10747319

>>10747312
If you can't do it just say so

>> No.10747324

>>10747319
I just said I can't. Did you even read my post?

>> No.10747326

>>10747302
Think he means the extended hypercube. How many extensions on it till you're able to origami it so [math]4^2[/math]? sides exist on a single plane with the same color.

>> No.10747328

>>10747324
No, you said "there isn't one". That's not the same as "I can't do it".

>> No.10747329

>>10747302
https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham%27s_number

>> No.10747337

>>10747328
Whichever you like. The point is I'm unwilling to spoonfeed you an entire lecture of elementary graph theory when all you need to do is look up the fucking definitions. Stop expecting pure mathematics to have some sort of nifty, intuitive thing you can draw a parallel to in reality.

>> No.10747343

>>10747329
Thanks anon, exactly what I was looking for. It's amazing how most people don't understand how to be helpful. x

>> No.10747348

>>10747343
the question isnt even posed in that article but ok

>> No.10747350

>>10747343
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=answer+to+the+universe
Now gimmie the succ. My URL is immensely more valuable.

>> No.10747357

>>10747350
you genuinely have a mental illness. stop posting.

>> No.10747364
File: 939 KB, 964x1268, 1275554866322.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10747364

>>10747357