Nill: Difference between revisions
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A quantity is said to be '''nill''', or '''negligible''', if it is small enough that it can be ignored | A quantity is said to be '''nill''', or '''negligible''', if it is small enough that it can be ignored in the present context. | ||
Nill is closely related to the standard mathematics concept of an '''infinitesimal''', but it is not the same. Nill is also closely related to the concept of [[Integers|zero]], but is not the same. | Nill is closely related to the standard mathematics concept of an '''infinitesimal''', but it is not the same. Nill is also closely related to the concept of [[Integers|zero]], but is not the same. | ||
== Examples == | |||
=== Examples === | |||
In the context where [...], the thickness of a piece of paper is nill. | |||
=== Non-examples === | |||
In the context where a piece of paper is considered together with the hundreds of other pages of a book, the thickness of a piece of paper is not nill. | |||
== Contrast with infinitesimal == | |||
If a large number of nill quantities are added together, the resulting quantity will not necessarily be nill. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
The name nill for this concept was coined by Harry Binswanger in his lecture [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwHAObb7tt8 Saving Math from Plato]. [TODO rephrase or put this elsewhere in the document] | The name nill for this concept was coined by Harry Binswanger in his lecture [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwHAObb7tt8 Saving Math from Plato]. [TODO rephrase or put this elsewhere in the document] | ||
Revision as of 20:31, 26 January 2024
A quantity is said to be nill, or negligible, if it is small enough that it can be ignored in the present context.
Nill is closely related to the standard mathematics concept of an infinitesimal, but it is not the same. Nill is also closely related to the concept of zero, but is not the same.
Examples
Examples
In the context where [...], the thickness of a piece of paper is nill.
Non-examples
In the context where a piece of paper is considered together with the hundreds of other pages of a book, the thickness of a piece of paper is not nill.
Contrast with infinitesimal
If a large number of nill quantities are added together, the resulting quantity will not necessarily be nill.
References
The name nill for this concept was coined by Harry Binswanger in his lecture Saving Math from Plato. [TODO rephrase or put this elsewhere in the document]