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Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

wikenigma.org.uk

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Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#51

Post by jwilk »

beardyw wrote: post #22

Irrational Numbers Not sure what I am supposed to get from that. Irrational numbers are just reals that aren't rationals. Why is this enigmatic? It's marked as Known Unknowns, but what is unknown? Virtually all numbers are irrational. Are numbers enigmatic?

https://wikenigma.org.uk/content/mathematics/irrational_numb...

> For many irrational numbers, relatively simple mathematical proofs exist which show that it's impossible to ever arrive at a finite solution.

LOL, what does that even mean?

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#52

Post by ZeroGravitas »

> Listing scientific and academic questions to which no-one, anywhere, has yet been able to provide a definitive answer.

It feels a bit healthier to assume this is all of them, and even the ones that are "true" in some binary yes/no sense, may still have nuance to be discovered.

One of the things I like about the original Wikipedia is that it's rarely so binary about things, often covering contemporary controversies and areas of current research.

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#53

Post by [deleted] »

beardyw wrote: post #38
tgv wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you reject Cantor's proof then? That takes mathematical bollocks.

Without wishing to defend it, the gotcha here is "numbers you name". Rational numbers are "named" by putting together a string of digits. That is not possible for the irrationals so the only ones we can name are a handful with alphabetic names. There are more sheep in a field than those. I think Cantor can rest peacefully.

[deleted]

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#54

Post by tgv »

ErikCorry wrote: post #41
beardyw wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without wishing to defend it, the gotcha here is "numbers you name". Rational numbers are "named" by putting together a string of digits. That is not possible for the irrationals so the only ones we can name are a handful with alphabetic names. There are more sheep in a field than those. I think Cantor can rest peacefully.

Extend alphabetical names to alphabetical descriptions and you have a countable number of irrationals. It's a bit suspicious that we can't name or describe any of the uncountable irrational numbers, isn't it? Not even a single example. Cantor's proof is not constructive. It doesn't name an example. If you enumerated all irrationals based on the algorithm required to calculate them then the contradiction in Cantor's d…

You're limiting the existence of real numbers to our (human) capability of mentioning them. To me, that seems a rather arbitrary limit. Did I understand you correctly? If so, why do you accept infinity in the first place?

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#55

Post by Agamus »

mdp2021 wrote: post #16
agucova wrote: post #11

While I found the concept interesting, having to request an account through a contact form just to edit an article [1] doesn't really live up to the “wiki” part. [1]: https://wikenigma.org.uk/info/notes_for_contributors/become

Interestingly, "wiki" means (in Hawaiian) "fast" (used by Ward Cunningham in '95 for "very fast web"). So, no, the process may not be fast. But in topics like "the best competitive sports club in the world", some may prefer to keep intervention more controlled, depending on the general intention.

I manage a small wiki, and would never just open it up to the bots.

But fast is relative, no? E.g., I still use snail mail extensively to keep in touch with my friends.

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#56

Post by ErikCorry »

beardyw wrote: post #47
ErikCorry wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Extend alphabetical names to alphabetical descriptions and you have a countable number of irrationals. It's a bit suspicious that we can't name or describe any of the uncountable irrational numbers, isn't it? Not even a single example. Cantor's proof is not constructive. It doesn't name an example. If you enumerated all irrationals based on the algorithm required to calculate them then the contradiction in Cantor's d…

If you reduce the irrationals to those which can be named you are probably right. I think I said that before.

Named or described.

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#57

Post by johnday »

MrBlueIncognito wrote: post #26
beardyw wrote: post #22

Irrational Numbers Not sure what I am supposed to get from that. Irrational numbers are just reals that aren't rationals. Why is this enigmatic? It's marked as Known Unknowns, but what is unknown? Virtually all numbers are irrational. Are numbers enigmatic?

> It's marked as Known Unknowns, but what is unknown? The infinite digits of pi that we don't know. But we do know that they exist, so pi, or any other irrational number, will aptly be called a "known unknown." > Virtually all numbers are irrational. For every n irrational numbers you name, I can name n+1 rationals. There is no firm basis to the argument that there are somehow more irrational numbers than rational nu…

> For every n irrational numbers you name, I can name n+1 rationals.

I name "x+pi for every rational number x". Good luck!

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#58

Post by operator-name »

agucova wrote: post #11

While I found the concept interesting, having to request an account through a contact form just to edit an article [1] doesn't really live up to the “wiki” part. [1]: https://wikenigma.org.uk/info/notes_for_contributors/become

In my mind there's nothing about locking editing behind account creation that would discount this in being a wiki.

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#59

Post by jabroni_salad »

vivegi wrote: post #23

Wouldn't a sub-wiki on Wikipedia for topics with unknown answers serve the purpose better? Interesting concept though.

If the site does a lot of curation and 'good writing' then I would say no, since wikipedia is a little austere. For example, if I want to read about oddball geographic places then Atlas Obscura is a much more interesting place to read.

Re: Wikenigma is an encyclopedia for topics with unknown answers

#60

Post by pessimizer »

raybb wrote: post #46
mensetmanusman wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yikes, 80k overdoses per year which can result in stomach lining damage? Are some medicines not worth the downside for society to have available?

The wiki doesn't cite a source that I see. But I looks like that may be recent misinformation https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/202...

No, that bizarre 100K number is the misinformation, but Tylenol overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the US, and accidentally kills 150 people a year (and another 400-500 people who intend to overdose.) The number of people who overdose without death is far more, and a potentially lethal dose is only about 3 times the effective dose.
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