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As ∞ is not the same type of object as 1, 5, 6 3, etc; the sequence isn't technically well defined. Actually ∞ itself isn't well defined as it could be one of an infinite number of cardinal numbers.

Something along the lines of "1 1 \aleph _{0} 5 6 3 3 3...", with each element being a well-defined cardinal number [1], might be technically closer to being correct, but it is still confusing.

(Also, sorry for the TeX).

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_number



From context all the numbers are cardinal numbers since we are talking about the size of a set (i.e. the set of different regular polytypes in each dimension). Also from context the infinity here must be countable, so indeed it must be the sequence "1, 1, \aleph _{0}, 5, 6, 3, 3, 3...". You don't need to spell everything out explicitly as long as it is clear from the context.

If we want to get really formal, then what we have is a mapping from the natural numbers into equivalence classes of sets under the bijection equivalence relation.


How do we know that the infinity is countable from the context?


Well, the argument is that for any natural number n we can make an n-gon. So we have a one-to-one correspondence between natural numbers and dimension 2 polytypes, so by definition the cardinality of that set is aleph zero


> As ∞ is not the same type of object as 1, 5, 6 3,

Technically they are, if you consider the set of IEEE 754 floating point numbers.


but those are not the intended type of object, because MAX_FLOAT plus n and 1.0/0.0 are ambiguous, unintended values.


Why would that matter?


In context, these are not part of IEEE 754.


You can define the sequence in the set ℕ∪{∞}.




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