• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.341-349
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• 2001

Infinity is one of the important concept in mathematics, science, philosophy etc. In history of mathematics, potential infinity concept conflicts with actual infinity concept. Reason that mathematicians refuse actual infinity concept during long period is because that actual infinity concept causes difficulty in our perceptions. This phenomenon is called epistemological obstacle by Brousseau. Potential infinity concept causes difficulty like history of development of infinity concept in mathematics learning. Even though students team about actual infinity concept, they use potential infinity concept in problem solving process. Therefore, we must make clear epistemological obstacles of infinity concept and must overcome them in learning of infinity concept. For this, it is useful to experience visualization about infinity concept. Also, it is to develop meta-cognition ability that students analyze and control their problem solving process. Conclusively, students must adjust potential infinity concept, and understand actual infinity concept that is defined in formal mathematics system.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.57-68
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• 2003

Infinity is very important concept in mathematics. In history of mathematics, potential infinity concept conflicts with actual infinity concept for a long time. It is reason that actual infinity concept causes difficulty in our perceptions. This phenomenon is called epistemological obstacle by Brousseau. So, in this paper, we examine the infinity in terms of mathematical didactics. First, we examine the history of development of infinity and reveal the similarity between the history of debate about infinity and episternological obstacle of students. Next, we investigate obstacle of students about infinity and the contents of curriculum which treat the infinity Finally, we suggest the methods for overcoming obstacle in learning of infinity concept.

• Bulletin of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.451-459
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• 2021

We propose the infinity wave equation which can be derived from the exponential wave equation through the limit p → ∞. The solution of infinity Laplacian equation can be considered as a static solution of the infinity wave equation. We present basic observations and find some special solutions.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.469-482
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• 2008

This study analysed difficult points on the understanding of infinity when the concept is considered as actual infinity or as potential infinity. And I consider examples that the concept of actual infinity is used in texts of elementary and middle school mathematics. For understanding of modem mathematics, the concept of actual infinity is required necessarily, and the intuition of potential infinity is an epistemological obstacle to get over. Even so, it might be an excessive requirement to make such epistemological rupture from the early school mathematics, since the concept of actual infinity is not intuitive, derives many paradoxes, and cannot offer any proper metaphor.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.31-41
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• 2015

The objective of this research is to investigate the artistic meaning of "infinity," manifested by the fourth dimensional value in the genres of photography and architecture, by analyzing how Sugimoto Hiroshi's photographic spatio-temporal infinity transfers to his architectural approaches. The research is initiated by scrutinizing the themes, characteristics, techniques, and artistic meaning of Sugimoto's famous photographic series, including "Seascapes," "Theatres," and "Architecture"; the concept of infinity can be defined as infinite divergence and infinitesimal convergence between antithetical concepts in time, space, and being. Sugimoto's photographic works display "temporal infinity" by connecting ancient times, the present, and the future; "spatial infinity" by offering the potential for transformation from flat photographs into infinite three-dimensional space and fourth-dimensional concepts through time; and "existential infinity" of life and death by making us think about being and essence, being and time, and origin and religion. These perspectives are also used to analyze Sugimoto's architectural works, such as "Appropriate Proportion" and "Glass Tea House Mondrian." As a result, the research finds that in Sugimoto's architectural approaches, spatio-temporal infinity between antithetical values is manifested through the concept of origin, geometric form, extended axis, immaterial threshold, transparent materiality, and connectivity of light and shadow, provoking our existence to transcend into infinity itself.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.289-304
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• 2017

The interdisciplinary study explores the discussion of actual infinity between Georg Cantor and Roman Catholic Church. Regarding the actual infinity, we first trace the theological background of Cantor by interpreting his correspondence and major works including ${\ddot{U}}ber$ die verschiedenen Standpunkte in bezug auf das aktuelle Unendliche(1885) and Mitteilungen zur Lehre vom Transfiniten (1887), and then investigate his argumentation for two points at issue: (1) pantheism and (2) inconsistency of the necessity with freedom of God. In terms of mathematics and theology, Cantor defined the actual infinity(aphorismenon) as characterized by (1) the transfinite infinity(Transfinitum) and (2) the absolute infinity(Absolutum). Transfinitum is conceptualized here in mathematical terms as a multipliable actual infinity, whereas Absolutum is not as a multipliable actual infinity. The results imply that Cantor's own concept of Transfinitum and Absolutum is adequate for Roman Catholic theology as well as mathematics including the reflection principle.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.293-303
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to classify a three-fold role of the history of mathematics through epistemological analysis. Based on the history of infinity and limit, the "potential infinity" and "actual infinity" discourses are described using four different historical epistemologies. The interdependence between the mathematical concepts is also addressed. By using these analyses, three different uses of the history of mathematical concepts, infinity and limit, are discussed: past, present, and future use.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.303-325
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• 2003

This study sought to provide an explanation of university students' concept understanding on the infinity and infinite process and utilized a psychological constructivist perspective to examine the differences in transitions that students make from static concept of limit to actualized infinity stage in context of problems. Open-ended questions were used to gather data that were used to develop an explanation concerning student understanding. 47 university students answered individually and were asked to solve 16 tasks developed by Petty(1996). Microgenetic method with two cases from the expert-novice perspective were used to develop and substantiate an explanation regarding students' transitions from static concept of limit to actualized infinity stage. The protocols were analyzed to document student conceptions. Cifarelli(1988)'s levels of reflective abstraction and Robert(1982) and Sierpinska(1985)'s three-stage concept development model of infinity and infinite process provided a framework for this explanation. Students who completed a transition to actualized infinity operated higher levels of reflective abstraction than students who was unable to complete such a transition. Developing this ability was found to be critical in achieving about understanding the concept of infinity and infinite process.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.259-265
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• 2010

Even though Sanhak has a long history, it has disappeared from the stage of modern mathematics. What happened to Sanhak? This article tries to answer the question. In fact, the authors argue that the oriental perception toward to infinity has played an important role in such situation. The authors claim that actual infinity and virtual infinity have resulted in quite different types of mathematics, respectively.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-8
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• 2004

In this paper we try to research in the influences which the concepts of infinity have made to our life, and how they have led the trend of the times through studying on the process of changes of concepts of infinity. Also we intend to make a research in how the shift of paradigm on the view of life have been changing under the circumstances in which the concepts of infinity have been accepted as an actual meaning.