1.1.1 - Introduction

1.1.1 - INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The Limitless World of Large Numbers

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Large numbers have inspired both fear and awe in the minds of men since their dawn. In ancient times they were the domain of the cosmos and the divine. Today they are treated as little more than a mathematical curiosity; fit for attracting the layman to mathematics and little else. None the less, large numbers have plagued the imaginations of many a professional and amateur alike. They are ominous, austere, vast beyond description, godly, transcendent, and often difficult or impossible to fully grasp. They are both a celebration of the human spirit, and an affront to it; For while we may revel in their vastness, get lost amongst their mindless yet tireless machinations, we are also forced to confront our potential insignificance in a reality that stretches beyond all human comprehension!

This is the highest praise I can give Large Numbers. For while it is by no means a practical Endeavor, most of these numbers leaving our picayune existence far behind, it is at its core an expression of the unquenchable human spirit, which always yearns for more. It is also our attempt to grasp what is beyond ourselves; to understand what we may call the divine.

I entreat you therefore, if my words have had any impact upon you, to join me on a quest through the infinite multitudes of the finite. A word of caution before we proceed: the traveling will only get more difficult as we proceed, and with no end in sight. While the venues large numbers can open up in your mind can be quite rewarding, be warned that it must by necessity end in human futility. For we can no more imagine the end of numbers than we could wait out eternity. An earnest study of large numbers will completely shift the way you think about infinity, and your mind shall be forever changed for it.

If these warnings have not turned you away, and you are still eager to learn the deep secrets of number, then I invite you to read onwards, as casually or religiously as you’d like. Large Numbers are not the domain of any one man, or group, for there is a number for every man that ever lived, ever will live, or ever could live; ample real estate for all humanity for all ages amongst the stars! Therefore I shall ask you at the outset: What lengths are you prepared to go to reach infinity? Why not see how close you can get…

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