(In)finite


There is a common misconception among laymen and scientists alike that if you throw a dice an infinite amount of times, you will get at least one 6. Perhaps even an infinite amount of 6s.

Or, with the multiverse theory - if you have an infinite amount of universes, you will have another universe exactly like our own. And one where the only difference is that you choose a vanilla ice cream instead of the chocolate. Or even an infinite number of universes where you choose the strawberry option.

This is a bold, even unfounded claim. Because if you throw a dice an infinite number of times, the chance of NOT getting a 6 approaches 1/∞. And an infinite number of 1/∞ would constitute ∞/∞. More specifically, the claim is:

Or in plain English: If you multiply some infinitesimally small amount an infinity amount of times, the number (integer) that it occurs must be greater than zero. This is unfounded, as infinity divided by infinity remains undecided.