Date of Award
Spring 2019
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
First Advisor
Samuel Coskey, Ph.D.
Abstract
The hyperreal number system *ℝ forms an ordered field that contains ℝ as a subfield as well as infinitely many large and small numbers. A number is defined to be infinitely large if |ω| > n for all n = 1, 2, 3, ... and infinitely small if |ε| < 1/n for all n = 1, 2, 3... This number system is built out of the real number system analogous to Cantor’s construcion of ℝ out of ℚ. The new entities in *ℝ and the relationship between the reals and hyperreals provides an appealing alternate approach to real (standard) analysis referred to as nonstandard analysis. This approach is based around that principle that if a property holds for all real numbers then it holds for all hypereal numbers, known as the transfer principle. By only using the fact that *ℝ is an ordered field that has ℝ as a subfield, includes unlimited numbers N ∈* ℕ−ℕ and satisfies the transfer principle the topics of analysis can be explored.
Recommended Citation
Munroe, Chloe, "The Hyperreals: Do You Prefer Non-Standard Analysis Over Standard Analysis?" (2019). Mathematics Undergraduate Theses. 11.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/math_undergraduate_theses/11