Contents/conteúdo

Mathematics Department Técnico Técnico

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29/05/2001, 17:00 — 18:00 — Amphitheatre Qa2, South Tower, IST
, University of Western Ontario, London

The Rehabilitation of Infinitesimals in Mathematics and Physics

One of the most remarkable recent developments in mathematics is the refounding, on a rigorous basis, of the idea of infinitesimal quantity, a notion which played a central role in the early development of the calculus and mathematical analysis. One of the most useful concepts of infinitesimal to have thus acquired rigorous status is that of a quantity so small (but not actually zero) that its square and all its higher powers can be set to zero. In my talk I will describe how infinitesimals of this kind can be used to develop the differential calculus and basic differential geometry. Time permitting, I will also describe the form that spacetime metrics assume in this approach.

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The Mathematics Colloquium is a series of monthly talks organized by the Department of Mathematics of IST, aiming to be a forum for the presentation of mathematical ideas or ideas about Mathematics. The Colloquium welcomes the participation of faculty, researchers and undergraduate or graduate students, of IST or other institutions, and is seen as an opportunity of bringing together and fostering the building up of ideas in an informal atmosphere.

Organizers: Conceição Amado, Lina Oliveira e Maria João Borges.