250 BCE in ancient Greece, it was a hot little mathematical startup devoted to the mystery of curves. The ambitious plan of its devotees was to use infinity to build a bridge between the curved and the straight. The hope was that once that link was established, the methods and techniques of straight-line geometry could be shuttled across the bridge and brought to bear on the mystery of curves. With infinity’s help, all the old problems could be solved. At least, that was the pitch. At the time, that plan must have seemed pretty far-fetched. Infinity had a dubious reputation. It was known for
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