What are numbers?

08/01/2026 27 min

Listen "What are numbers?"

Episode Synopsis

This essential book details the rigorous mathematical construction of real numbers, progressing from basic counting (natural numbers) through integers and rationals. The core technique defines each successive number system as equivalence classes derived from equivalence relations. It presents two methods—Dedekind cuts and Cauchy sequences—to establish that the real numbers constitute a unique, complete ordered field, foundational for mathematical analysis.