Can a largest real number exist, or are all numbers abstract?

[SeekerOfTruth007]

I'd argue that Infinity is not a real number, but rather a boundless concept. From that perspective, the largest real number must be equal to the largest amount of real particles in the real universe. Any number bigger than that is at best an abstraction, so it cannot be proven to exist.

This also means it makes no sense to calculate ten billion decimal places for Pi or e.

[Rorroto]

There is no reason why the largest real number must be equal to the largest amount of real particles in the universe... because we could imagine larger numbers than that. The whole purpose of numbers is to allow us to better use our imagination to more accurately think about abstract concepts, so there's no reason why "real" numbers should not extend beyond the number of particles in the universe.

Furthermore, even if we go by your original reasoning of sticking to the number of particles in the universe... that's a pretty incoherent statement. We don't even know what a particle is, at root. Plus there may well be other universes that we might be able to access someday.

Numbers exist as soon as we think of them, so there's no reason why it would be any more of an abstraction than now if it were larger than the number of particles in the universe.

So, I disagree with you vehemently, but I approve of abstract reasoning in general because I think that's good for people to stretch our minds that way, so thanks for doing that.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

There's no reason to believe we could ever travel to another universe, even if they do exist. There's no reason for another universe to be causally connected to this universe.

[Rorroto]

I'll agree with that too.

[Just_Ken]

Put it this. A neighbour of mine is a physicist & mathematician. Worked at NASA & elsewhere.

The way he explained it to me is that human brains are limited by what they can perceive and understand. Just as are eyes can only perceive a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum our minds can only understand so little. Science beyond what we understand now would be invisible to us almost like magic.

He also said that to any civilisation capable of faster than light or interdimensional travel would be so far above us in intelligence and technology that we would be insects to them.

[NathanDavis]

by your definition... the Pi number doesn't exist either, since you can't really "fully" prove it as such

Pi could definitely have more decimal places then the universe has "real particles"

which is a very funny concept of what a "real particle" is... when light does indeed, exists