Even those who are not very literate in mathematics are able to recognize the symbol that represents infinity “∞”. However, this sign that has been used to represent the concept of infinity since the seventeenth century has its appearance in history long before. In this article we are going to see the origin of the mathematical symbol for infinity.
The term infinity in mathematics refers to that which has no end or limit. For example, the numbers are considered infinite because it is a sequence that has no limit.
Infinity is represented in mathematics by the sign “ ∞ ” and cannot be measurable. It is not a real number, but an idea that never ends – although it can sometimes be used as a number, for example, in the operation ∞ + 1 = ∞ -.
The symbol of infinity (lemniscata, from the Latin “ lēmniscātus ” and loop from the Greek “ λημνίσκος ”) is related to mathematics, but also to other areas such as astronomy, spirituality or philosophy. Next, we will see what is the first appearance of this symbol in history and when it was used in mathematics.
First appearance in history
The origins of the infinity symbol are uncertain and are related to religion and alchemy. Many believe that it comes from the lemniscate curve similar to a closed loop and that it represents a link between the divine and the human.
Introduction of the infinity symbol in mathematics
The English philologist and mathematician John Wallis wrote in the year 1655 the work De Sectionibus Conicus in which he reduced the concept of infinity to a symbol, “∞”. This is how the use of the infinity symbol in mathematics began from the seventeenth century.
As John Wallis does not explain why he chose this symbol to represent infinity, there is only conjecture to answer that choice. Among the different hypotheses being considered, the two most accepted are the following:
- Roman number thousand symbol . One current is of the opinion that the choice of Wallis’s infinity symbol was the Roman numeral used to represent the thousand , “ CIƆ “, since it represented a large number.
- Greek symbol . The Uroboros Serpent comes from Greek (and Egyptian) culture, and represented a serpent that bites its own tail. This image has the shape of an endless circle similar to the one we use today as a symbol of infinity.
Lemniscata de Bernoulli
The Bernoulli Lemniscata is a type of curve to be plotted on a similar curve to generate the infinity symbol. Although it is often associated with the infinity symbol, as we have already seen, the origin of the infinity symbol in mathematics was introduced by John Wallis.
The symbol “∞” was traditionally related to alchemy and religion, and was not applied in mathematics until the 17th century, when John Wallis introduced it to define the notion of infinity. However, the mathematician did not record the reason why he chose this symbol, so currently we only have conjectures about why this characteristic image is used to talk about what has no end.
