One of the most used numbers in mathematics (especially hard mathematics!) is:

INFINITY  (∞)

When most people are asked about infinity, they will probably say something like “It’s the biggest number,” or “It’s totally massively huge.”

Both of these statements, however, are not true!

“What?” you ask incredulously. “Infinity is definitely the biggest number! What number is bigger?”

That is a fair question. Infinity, however, is NOT a number! It’s really a concept.  It means endless. The roots of the word “in-” (not) and “fin” (end) quite literally mean “no end”!

It’s not big. It’s not huge. It’s not totally mega gigantically enormous. It’s endless!

Infinity is a hard concept for the human brain to wrap its mind around. After all, everything we see every day is finite, from the length of our hair to the time in our lunch period to the size of our bed. So when I say something like:

∞ + 1 = ∞                 or                   ∞ + ∞ = ∞

You might be like:

But the truth is, it isn’t so complicated. Once you undestand that infinity is not a number, it starts to make sense. Everything plus everything is still going to be everything. Why? Because nothing is LARGER than everything.

If you’re still confused, there are some great resources for explaining infinity. Make sure to check out:

How to explain infinity to a four-year-old

For more fun with math and problem solving, find us at:

www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

Mathnasium student Chili (age 11) wanted to write a blog post for Mathnasium. This is what she wrote:

“Mathnasium can help your kids interact with their future environment!

When you play pool, you have to place the cue at a certain angle to get the ball in the pocket.

In skating, you have to skate at a certain degree when you’re turning or you’ll fall down!

Numbers can help you if you want to become a doctor because you might need to type in the number for the right prescription.

Math is also important to your life because it can help you get good grades on your test.

It can help you balance your checkbook.

Math is for when you don’t get the exact amount of change so you can make sure nobody’s cheating you.

There are variety of numbers (like infinity!) to help you solve math problems.

It can help you get into college.

It can help you turn documents out correctly.

If you are a teacher, math can help you so that you can give the right grades to your students.

It can help you build correct buildings because of correct measurements.

SO JOIN MATHNASIUM NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Numbers and math can often me a source of dread for young students, reminiscent of a stuffy classroom, difficult tests, and lots of homework. However, math is something that transcends school anxiety, and can be found in every corner of our universe. Numbers don’t exist to make school a little harder; they exist to make sense of the world!

Nature often seems to reflect randomness in a world of order. While our cities are ordered in perfect blocks and streets that meet at right angles, nature seems to symbolize disorder; a lack of pattern. How else could you explain the amount of leaves on a tree or the rows on a cob of corn?

However, if we look closer, we find that nothing could be farther from the truth. Nature, just like humans, tend to conform to certain numbers and certain patterns.

Many interesting phenomena can be understood with the help of the Fibonacci Sequence.

Chances are, you’ve heard of the Fibonacci sequence before. After all, it’s pretty straightforward. To get the next number in the sequence, you add the previous number, like so:

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89…

The sequence is endless! Although the numbers seem to carry very little meaning, Nature carries these numbers wherever it goes. Let’s look at flowers.

What do lilies and irises have in common? They have three petals. How about buttercups, wild roses, larkspurs, and columbines? Five petals.

Okay, you say, maybe it’s just a coincidence. But look further

8 petals                 delphiniums

13 petals                ragwort, corn marigold, cineraria

21 petals                aster, black-eyed susan, chicory

34 petals                plantain, pytethrum

55, 89 petals          michelmas daisies, the asteraceae family

Do those numbers look familiar?

The Fibonacci Spiral, a famous visualization of the sequence, is often found in shells.

No matter where you look, nature continues to reflect this seemingly arbitrary pattern. Why? How? It’s a mystery both mathematicians and biologists have been trying to solve for centuries. But for now, we can appreciate the mathematical simplicity of the most wild things!