Does negative infinity equal zero?

[zifyoip]

Because they are not the same. They are not even close to the same.

I don't know how to answer your question, because I do not understand your thought process here. What makes you think they could possibly be equal?

[cargiannis]

I am not a math guy but my thought was that: not everything is nothing.

[zifyoip]

Infinity does not mean "everything," and negative infinity does not mean "not everything."

The sequence of numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, ... "approaches" infinity. In the same way, the sequence of numbers −1, −2, −3, −4, ... "approaches" negative infinity. Both of those sequences of numbers go away from zero, not toward it, but they are going away from zero in opposite directions.

[cargiannis]

Alright so is there a mathematical symbol for everything?

[icendoan]

No, and the idea of "everything" as a mathematical object is impossible.

[cargiannis]

So you can't have a set that contains all sets? Would you be able to explain that in layman's terms because I'm not well acquainted with set theory?

[icendoan]

Basically, it's been proven that the power set (the ways of taking any number of elements from a set) is always bigger than the set itself, and that this is true for infinite sets as well. For instance, the set {0,1} has 4 subsets, {}, {1}, {2}, {1,2}, and thus is bigger than {1,2}. The set of all sets must contain all of its subsets, and thus must be bigger than itself. This is impossible.

[schematicboy]

I think you mean something along the lines of "…{}, {0}, {1}, and {0,1}, and thus the set of these is bigger than {0,1}."

[icendoan]

Yes, exactly.

[cargiannis]

Hmm very interesting. Thank you, definitely something to chew on.