Ad infinitum
Template:Short description Template:Italictitle {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Ad infinitum is a Latin phrase meaning "to infinity" or "forevermore".
DescriptionEdit
In context, it usually means "continue forever, without limit" and this can be used to describe a non-terminating process, a non-terminating repeating process, or a set of instructions to be repeated "forever," among other uses. It may also be used in a manner similar to the Latin phrase et cetera to denote written words or a concept that continues for a lengthy period beyond what is shown. Examples include:
- "The sequence 1, 2, 3, ... continues ad infinitum."
- "The perimeter of a fractal may be iteratively drawn ad infinitum."
The 17th-century writer Jonathan Swift incorporated the idea of self-similarity in the following lines from his satirical poem On Poetry: a Rhapsody (1733):
<poem>
The vermin only teaze and pinch Their foes superior by an inch. So, naturalists observe, a flea Has smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em, And so proceed ad infinitum. Thus every poet, in his kind,
Is bit by him that comes behind<ref>Template:Cite book</ref></poem>
The mathematician Augustus De Morgan included similar lines in his rhyme Siphonaptera.<ref name="Budget">Template:Cite book</ref>