3/24/11

Leibniz, The Infinitesimal Calculus and Identity and Individuality in Quantum Mechanics

In a way, I am making a note about this topic for later reference. Reading a history book on select math developments such as calculus the subject of infinitesimally small intervals arose, and of course quantum mechanical 'objects' are also very small if not practically infinitesimally small because their measurements are difficult to make with standard measuring sticks.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-idind/

In fact measuring the location or a speed of some very small objects is possible yet a little bit inconclusive since abstracting just one characteristic of a speeding quantum particle may actually change its nature.

In calculus it seems that there was a similar problem in measuring the speed or location of an object along a wavy line (sinusoidal) or even a strait line representing speed or distance. One could get an instant speed at a point or the speed over an area averged. A refined guessing or reduction of areas crossed with rectangles using a hyped up Pythagorean math to determine areas was developed. I have no idea if there is a non-Euclidean calculus with a differnet, more difficult basis for computation.

Not to get off track and obscure-for I am not a mathematician, the infinitesimals of calculus and that of points or quanta are ponderables in proximity. The philosophical article in the link above is about identity and individuality in quantum mechanics-I guess, having not yet had time to read it yet.

www.calculus.org/

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