The Gist List - Infinity

Mathematically as we all know the best way to describe it would be the limit that a function f is said to approach at x = a when f(x) is larger than any preassigned number for all x sufficiently near a. Makes sense of course.

Infinity is written thus ∞. This of course was invented in the old days when 8 was a really big number and after counting to it you got tired and had to lie down. The lying down 8 thus signifies

“It’s really really big, bigger than 8”

In the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy infinity is defined as:
"Bigger than the biggest thing ever and then some, much bigger than that, in fact really amazingly immense, a totally stunning size, real 'Wow, thats big!' time. Infinity is just so big that by comparison, bigness itself looks really titchy. Gigantic multiplied by colossal multiplied by staggeringly huge is the sort of concept we are trying to get across here."

To infinity... and beyond (Buzz Lightyear)