Georg Cantor

Georg Cantor was a great mathematician known for his work in set theory. He was born in Russia in 1845 and later moved to Germany where he spent most of his career. Cantor's most famous contribution to mathematics was the development of the concept of different sizes of infinity.

Cantor showed that there are different sizes of infinity by introducing the concept of countable and uncountable sets. A countable set is a set that can be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the natural numbers (1, 2, 3, ...), while an uncountable set is a set that is too large to be put into a one-to-one correspondence with the natural numbers.

One of Cantor's most famous results is the proof that the real numbers form an uncountable set, which means that there are more real numbers than natural numbers. This was a groundbreaking discovery in mathematics that revolutionized our understanding of the infinite.

For a school student, understanding Cantor's work can open up a whole new perspective on the concept of infinity and the different kinds of infinities that exist in mathematics. It highlights the beauty and complexity of mathematical ideas and challenges our intuition about the nature of numbers and sets.

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Appreciate the work of Georg Cantor by trying some of the maths that this mathematician is known for.

There is an activity called Search for Infinity that you could try right now. Manipulate the Lissajou curve to produce a perfectly symmetrical (vertically and horizontally) infinity symbol.

So there's no better time than the present to learn some mathematics from the past: let's Go!

Transum has many activities for the topic 'Number' and recommends you try some of them.

Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today: let's Go!