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# Infinity
Infinity (from Latin *in* and *finis*, *without end*) is a quantity so unimaginably large that it has no end. It plays a prominent role especially in [mathematics](math.md) and [philosophy](philosophy.md). As a "largest imaginable quantity" it is sometimes seen to be the opposite of the number [zero](zero.md), the "smallest possible quantity", though other "opposites" can be though of too, such as minus infinity or an infinitely small non-zero number ([infinitesimal](infinitesimal.md)). The symbol for infinity is *lemniscate*, the symbol 8 turned 90 degrees ([unicode](unicode.md) U+221E). Keep in mind that mere lack of boundaries doesn't imply infinity -- a [circle](circle.md) has no end but is not infinite; an infinity implies there is always more, no matter how much we get.
Infinity (from Latin *in* and *finis*, *without end*) is a quantity so unimaginably large that it has no end. It plays a prominent role especially in [mathematics](math.md) and [philosophy](philosophy.md). As a "largest imaginable quantity" it is sometimes seen to be the opposite of the number [zero](zero.md), the "smallest possible quantity", though other "opposites" can be though of too, such as minus infinity or an infinitely small non-zero number ([infinitesimal](infinitesimal.md)). The symbol for infinity is *lemniscate*, the symbol 8 turned 90 degrees ([unicode](unicode.md) U+221E, looking a bit like oo). Keep in mind that mere lack of boundaries doesn't imply infinity -- a [circle](circle.md) has no end but is not infinite; an infinity implies there is always more, no matter how much we get.
The concept of infinity came to firstly be explored by philosophers -- as an abstract concept (similar to those of e.g. [zero](zero.md) or negative numbers) it took a while for it to evolve, be explored and accepted. We can't say who first "discovered" infinity, civilizations often had concepts similar to it that were connected for example to their gods. Zeno of Elea (5th century BC) was one of the earliest to tackle the issue of infinity mathematically by proposing [paradoxes](paradox.md) such as that of Achilles and the tortoise.