What is worthy of investigation? Philosophical attitudes and their impact on mathematical development by the example of discovering 10-adic numbers

DOI10.1007/S00591-022-00322-1MaRDI QIDQ6169841zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Merlin Carl, Michael Schmitz

Publication date 12 July 2023

Published in Mathematische Semesterberichte (Search for Journal in Brave)

Copyright license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.01408

zbMATH Keywords

heuristicsmathematics educationphilosophy of mathematics10-adic numbers

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Philosophy of mathematics (00A30) Number theory (educational aspects) (97F60) Philosophy and mathematics (educational aspects) (97E20)

Abstract: We describe in dialogue form a possible way of discovering and investigating 10-adic numbers starting from the naive question about a `largest natural number'. Among the topics we pursue are possibilities of extensions to transfinite 10-adic numbers, 10-adic representations of rational numbers, zero divisors, square roots and 10-adic roots of higher degree of natural numbers, and applications of 10-adic number representation in computer arithmetic. The participants of the dialogue are idealized embodiments of different philosophical attitudes towards mathematics. The article aims at illustrating how these attitudes interact, in both jarring and stimulating ways, and how they impact mathematical development.

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