Date: Jan 27, 2013 3:59 AM
Subject: Re: ZFC and God
On 26 Jan., 23:19, "Jesse F. Hughes" <je...@phiwumbda.org> wrote:
> > It is unclear why you apparently are unable to understand, that we are
> > working in the set of terminating decimals. Therefore the diagonal
> > cannot be actually infinite, although there is no last digit.
> Let me ask you a very simple question.
> Is 0.777.... a terminating decimal representation or a
> non-terminating decimal representation?
That depends on the domain where you work in. We have started to work
in the domain of terminating decimals. Since the diagonal consists
only of (changed) digits of these decimals, it is obviously a
Now, to answer your question: You did not say where you take 0.777...
from. And obviously that cannot be determined from the digits, as I
I could answer: You can look whether there is a digit of 0.777...
that is not in a (in fact in infinitely many) finite initial
segment(s). Then you have a proof that 0.777... does not belong to the
set of terminating decimals. But it is clear that you cannot find such
a digit. Therefore you can only decide your question by defining where
0.777... has been talen from. The reason for this uncertainty is the
fact, that the Binary Tree constructed by all finite paths cannot be
distinguished by digits (i.e. without further definition) from that
Binary Tree that contains all infinite paths too.
> Does the real number corresponding to 0.777.... have a terminating
> decimal representation?
> Much thanks for answer what is surely a trivial question.
You are in error. The question unfortunately is far from being
trivial. It has only been overlooked that the sets F of all finite
decimals and R of all infinite decimals cannot be distinguished other
than by a finite definition.
Would be nice if you really tried to understand that, although it
requires a complete change of your habbits of thinking. But if you
consider the different Binary Trees, you should come to the correct
Here a trivial example: The set of all finite initial segments of the
infinite path of 1/3 = 0.010101... contains all nodes that belong to
that path. So you cannot distinguish *by nodes* whether you are
working in the set F or the set R. You need additional information.
But that informtation does not matter in Cantor's argument.