A question about Grahams Number

  • Thread starter Jimlaad43
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Jimlaad43

Jimlaad43

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Grahams number is the biggest number ever to be used in a mathematical proof. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grahams_Number
But after seeing this meme picture
113-grahams-number-solved-troll-physics.jpg

I wondered "If you could type it into Notepad, how big would the file be and do computing today have the capacity to hold such a file"
It could fit onto a simple memory stick or be too massive for all computers ever made, I don't know.

Discuss.
 
Seeing that it is inconceivable to fit it in the observable universe, I dread to think how much computer space it would take.

We could try it here, I will start...

1...
 
A Planck volume is unimaginably smaller than the physical space of a byte. So, no, you can't make a file with all the digits.
 
Hang on, written numbers are 2d so therefore an infinite number could be fitted into a 3d shape. Grahams number therefore cannot exist since you can't get a number larger than infinity.

I call BS on this one.
 
But could you not just add a 1 for an even higher number. I shall call it daan's number. 1 bigger than Graham's.
 
I shall call the Power Set of Liquid's number that is infinite times bigger than Liquid's Number. I shall name it Chuck(Norris). :D
 
I watched a video about Graham's number a while ago. Very interesting stuff.

I've got a bigger number though.

(Graham's number)+1

Lol u Mad? :D
 
The whole point about Grahams number is that it is the biggest number with a significance in mathematical terms as it has been used in a proof. So sorry, but lots of people have tried to get a number similar to daan's number, or AlexGTV's number or Liquid's number but it doesn't really count.
 
Jimlaad43
The whole point about Grahams number is that it is the biggest number with a significance in mathematical terms as it has been used in a proof. So sorry, but lots of people have tried to get a number similar to daan's number, or AlexGTV's number or Liquid's number but it doesn't really count.
Click to expand...

It may be real, but is it relevant? Things like this seem to be a case of proving something exists, just because you can. Even though it's confirmed it has no real influence on the rest of the world.
I would rather see someone dive of the Eifel Tower and land in tea cup. Is that possible, can it be proved? These impossible numbers are bordering hypothetical.
 
I don't think you could make a file to hold the number, nobody's going to hold down a number key for years, & any computer that has the capacity to hold such a thing is surely using its vast memory for something more important.

Does anyone know exactly how big it is? As in how many digits the number has?

This is one of those things you can get really deep into - Gets you thinking. :)
 
dhandes
It may be real, but is it relevant? Things like this seem to be a case of proving something exists, just because you can. Even though it's confirmed it has no real influence on the rest of the world.
I would rather see someone dive of the Eifel Tower and land in tea cup. Is that possible, can it be proved? These impossible numbers are bordering hypothetical.
Click to expand...

Numbers themselves probably don't exist. They sure don't exist in nature, but maybe as abstract objects in metaphysics.
 
daan
But could you not just add a 1 for an even higher number. I shall call it daan's number. 1 bigger than Graham's.
Click to expand...
But then you'd just have a number known as "Graham's Number + 1". Not really a number in it's own right :sly:

Omnis
Can you write it as some kind of super exponent?
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Wiki has some crazy notation I've not seen before for it :confused:
 
Wait, this Graham's number is just an imaginary thing. I mean anyone can simply claim they have worked out the largest number possible, but it won't fit anywhere in the universe. This Graham person is just trying to achieve fame for making claims... Like Trixie. :P
 
Keef's Number will be the number of Graham's Numbers it takes before one stops trying to find Graham's Number and has a beer instead.

As for Graham's number, I think somebody named Graham just wanted his name on something to feel important. Numbers have no mass, they're simply ideas used to describe things.
 
Jimlaad43
I wondered "If you could type it into Notepad, how big would the file be and do computing today have the capacity to hold such a file"
Click to expand...

To my knowledge Graham's number only consists of the last batch of numbers it's comprised of. In simple terms; only the last few digits are know. I think the last number is 7.

So first we would have work out the rest of the number from the start to almost the end in order to type it into a notebook.
 
Keef
....XsnipX

Numbers have no mass, they're simply ideas used to describe things.
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Perfectly put. It is merely a 'concept', a 'thought' and trapping that non-dimensional thought dimensionally is like trying to find the mythical ants that flex on the fantasy rubber as we stretch our imaginations to fill the gaps to find 'real-time real-space' solutions to non space-time fabric riddles.

It does keep the class busy, if not quiet. ;)
 
I knew it was only a matter of time before ants were mentioned. At least it wasn't zombies!
 
Keef
Keef's Number will be the number of Graham's Numbers it takes before one stops trying to find Graham's Number and has a beer instead.

As for Graham's number, I think somebody named Graham just wanted his name on something to feel important. Numbers have no mass, they're simply ideas used to describe things.
Click to expand...

Dion's number is the number of beers that will be drunk :P
 
To answer the notepad thing, no the number could never be stored since each digit on notepad takes up 8 bits (If you are using ASCII) Each bit on a hard drive is caused by a small part of the disc being magnetised or not (hence the 1 or 0), grahams number being larger than the number of quarks in the universe means that there simply isn't enough things to magnetise to store the number.
 
But what if you used a 1000-based numerical system (or 1000 000-based, now that we're making up stuff anyway), instead of a decimal system? A lot less numbers to write out then.

Or is it the point that is has to be written in binary?
 

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