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2012 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

1. Introduction: How Mathematicians Solve “Unsolvable” Problems

Author : Mark Burgin

Published in: Hypernumbers and Extrafunctions

Publisher: Springer New York

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Abstract

Does not it seem like a contradiction or a paradox to solve an unsolvable problem? Yet the most courageous and creative mathematicians and scientists are the ones trying to make sense not only of vague ideas but also of paradoxes and contradictions. So let us look how they do this, using as an example the history of the number system development. Analyzing the evolution of numbers, we can see that it has been a process of deficiency elimination. Each step of this process caused absence of understanding, an open opposition, and even hostility to new numbers.

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next chapter Hypernumbers
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Metadata
Title
Introduction: How Mathematicians Solve “Unsolvable” Problems
Author
Mark Burgin
Copyright Year
2012
Publisher
Springer New York
Book
Hypernumbers and Extrafunctions

Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-9874-3

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-4419-9875-0

Copyright Year: 2012

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9875-0_1

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