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 December 6th, 2017, 06:48 AM #1 Senior Member   Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 230 Thanks: 2 The biggest constant What is the biggest constant [except the radius of the universe or diameter of it]? Thanks for the responders... Last edited by shaharhada; December 6th, 2017 at 06:51 AM.
 December 6th, 2017, 07:53 AM #2 Senior Member   Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 230 Thanks: 2 Opps, I think I made the biggest mistake of Einstein, right?!
 December 6th, 2017, 08:32 AM #3 Math Team   Joined: Dec 2013 From: Colombia Posts: 7,445 Thanks: 2499 Math Focus: Mainly analysis and algebra I think you are writing cheques that you are ill-equipped to cash.
December 6th, 2017, 08:34 AM   #4
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 Originally Posted by v8archie I think you are writing cheques that you are ill-equipped to cash.
A political refugee from Prague was denied asylum at the American embassy. They told him No Czechs Cached!

 December 6th, 2017, 01:21 PM #5 Global Moderator   Joined: May 2007 Posts: 6,610 Thanks: 617 Lengths (and many other things) are measured in units (inches, meters, parsecs, etc.) so the radius of the universe has a number in each of these units - not unique.
 December 6th, 2017, 01:36 PM #6 Senior Member   Joined: May 2016 From: USA Posts: 1,148 Thanks: 479 We already had this conversation if we are talking about real numbers: there is no largest one. Thanks from Joppy
 December 6th, 2017, 04:39 PM #7 Senior Member   Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 230 Thanks: 2 So, I can a link, please...
December 6th, 2017, 05:41 PM   #8
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Suppose $x$ is a real number. Then $x + 1$ is a real number, since the addition of two real numbers is a real number.

We know that $0$ and $1$ are real numbers, and that $0 < 1$.

Now adding $x$ to both sides shows that $x < x + 1$. Therefore $x$ could not have been the largest real number.

Since $x$ was arbitrary, meaning that it could be any real number whatsoever, we conclude that there is no largest real number.

On the other hand, a digital computer does have a largest real number. No matter what encoding scheme you use to represent real numbers, can only represent finitely many. All the computers in the world together can only represent finitely many real numbers. Perhaps you are thinking of that.

Last edited by Maschke; December 6th, 2017 at 06:06 PM.

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