The Infinite Hotel Paradox - Jeff Dekofsky
24,710,719 Views
32,952 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
The Infinite Hotel, a thought experiment created by German mathematician David Hilbert, is a hotel with an infinite
number of rooms. Easy to comprehend, right? Wrong. What if it’s
completely booked but one person wants to check in? What about 40? Or an
infinitely full bus of people? Jeff Dekofsky solves these heady lodging issues using Hilbert’s paradox.
How many rooms will go unfilled when the manager uses the powers of the prime numbers, and why?
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Jeff Dekofsky
- Director Nadav Arbel
- Artist Yoni Boaz
- Narrator Addison Anderson
