9 Visions Of Plexing — Part 01

Our intention, with this essay, is sharing.

Sharing what?

9 new visions of “plexing” — a mathematical function that interests me greatly.

So, with that in mind, let’s begin.

Vision 01: A Standard Plex

Our first vision is a standard plex.

A standard plex is when you take one number and, then, add that number of zeros to said number.

Just as an example, let’s say you have the number “1.”

If you have the number “1,” then, when you plex the number, you get “10.”

The reason for this is as follows: a plex is when you take a number and add that number of zeros to it.

If we have “1,” then we add 1 zero, to the “1” we began with.

Just to wrap this up, here’s one more example: if we plex “10,” we get “100,000,000.”

The reason for the above is as follows: if we add 10 zeros to “10,” we get 100 million.

Vision 02: A Plex In Time

Our second vision is a variation on the framework found above.

If we plex the number “1,” then, within this new plex, we would write down one zero, one time.

Our new number would, of course, be “10.”

If we plex the number “10” then, within this new plex, we get the following:

“10,0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.”

The above is 10, followed by 100 zeros.

If this was a normal plex, we would write 10 zeros. But, it’s not: this plex forces us to write the number of zeros denoted by the root number — in this case, ten — multiplied by itself.

If we multiply “10” by itself, we get “100,” forcing us to add 100 zeros, to the number “10.”

Just imagine, then, what would happen if we plexed our new number.

We would need to write down a googol zeros — give or take, as our new number is, technically, a few digits bigger than a googol — while also multiplying a googol by itself, allowing us to write down that many zeros.

We cannot imagine a googolplex. And, we certainly can’t imagine a googolplex, multiplied by a googol.

The number defies human comprehension.

Vision 03: A Playful Riff On A Potential Plex

Our third vision is a riff on plexing.

But, if honesty permits, it isn’t really a new form of plexing.

Rather, this vision is, in essence, just a fun idea.

Every second, we write down 180 million zeros, across a period of 180 billion years.

Our root number might be “180 million,” paired with some other function.

If we do this, then, within the span of a single day, we will have written 259,200,000,000 zeros.

That’s about 259.2 billion.

Right within the span of a single year, we will have written 94,608,000,000,000 zeros.

That’s about 94.6 trillion.

And, within the entirety of our chosen period — 180 billion years — we will have written 17,029,440,000,000,000,000,000,000 zeros.

That’s a little over 17 septillion zeros.

The funny thing about all of this is that, even if you write this many zeros across such a vast body of time, you will be so, so, so very far from the truly vast numbers that comprise our mathematical universe.

Conclusion

Just to wrap this up, thank you so much for reading!

If you wish to reach me, please feel free to do so by sending an email to “maxwellcakin@gmail.com.”

Best wishes and have a great day!