Infinity

Infinity (symbol: ∞) is an abstract concept describing something without any bound and is relevant in a number of fields, predominantly mathematics and physics. In mathematics, "infinity" is often treated as if it were a number (i.e., it counts or measures things: "an infinite number of terms") but it is not the same sort of number as natural or real numbers.

Georg Cantor formalized many ideas related to infinity and infinite sets during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the theory he developed, there are infinite sets of different sizes (called cardinalities). For example, the set of integers is countably infinite, while the infinite set of real numbers is uncountable.

History

Ancient cultures had various ideas about the nature of infinity. The ancient Indians and Greeks did not define infinity in precise formalism as does modern mathematics, and instead approached infinity as a philosophical concept.

Early Greek

The earliest recorded idea of infinity comes from Anaximander, a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus. He used the word apeiron which means infinite or limitless. However, the earliest attestable accounts of mathematical infinity come from Zeno of Elea (c. 490 BCE? – c. 430 BCE?), a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic. He is best known for his paradoxes, described by Bertrand Russell as "immeasurably subtle and profound".

Infinity (Shtar album)

Infinity is the debut studio album by Jewish hip hop band Shtar. Produced by then-drummer David Epstein, the album was originally released by the independent Shemesh Music label on May 2, 2010. After the band was signed to the larger indie label Shemspeed a year later, it was re-released by that label on March 5, 2012.

Recording, production, and composition

The album was recorded in 2010 at Shemesh Music Recording Studio in Ma'alot-Tarshiha. It was produced and mixed by then-drummer David Epstein and guitarist Brad Rubinstein.

Musically, the songs on the album combine lead vocalist Ori Murray's rapped verses with melodic choruses that echo Shlomo Carlebach, Sephardic music, and funk, among many other artists and genres. Rubinstein told Ynet, "It's not just hip hop, I mean, it's more like pop, rock, techno, trip hop, and groove. So, ordinarily, like, the verses are all hip hop, but the choruses are something you'd expect from a cool pop band and a rock band." "If you listen on the CD," Murray noted, "there's an entirely acoustic track with no rapping...[The album is] a broad spectrum of everything."

Infinity (Charice album)

Infinity (stylized as ∞) is the second international studio album (fifth overall release) by Filipina pop and R&B singer Charice. The album was released exclusively early in Japan on October 5, 2011 by Warner Bros. Records.

Charice launched a seven-city tour across Asia in order to promote the official Asian release of the album in Summer 2012. The tour began on March 2, 2012.

The album's release in America was planned, but eventually cancelled.

Background

On August 16, 2011, Charice's record label, Warner Bros. Records, announced their plans to release her second studio album early in Japan on October 5, 2011. On August 30 it was announced that the album would be titled Infinity.

On March 28, 2012, Charice said that she had been working on the American release of the album and that its track listing would differ from the Asian version. No release date had been decided at the time.

On July 27, 2013, she revealed the main reason why the album was never released in America: "Some of the songs didn't pass their standards. They're more about upbeat, danceable songs over there," she said in a statement.