- Infinity (symbolzed: ∞) is a term derived from the Latin infinitas or “unboundedness” denoting concepts involving limitless quantity, numeration, extension or expansion. In mathematics, “infinity” is often treated as if it were a number (i.e., it counts or measures things: “an infinite number of terms”) but it is not the same sort of number as the real numbers. In number systems incorporating infinitesimals, the reciprocal of an infinitesimal is an infinite number, i.e. a number greater than any real number. Georg Cantor formalized many ideas related to infinity and infinite sets during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the theory he developed, there are infinite sets of different sizes (called cardinalities). For example, the set of integers is countably infinite, while the set of real numbers is uncountably infinite.
- Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area Preserve (dnr.wa.gov)
This large wetland area is spread out at the lower end of the Chehalis River, just upstream from where it empties into Grays Harbor. Sitka spruce and western redcedar thrive in the wet soils where fresh and salt water mingle on this 4,494-acre site. This preserve contains the largest and best quality tidal surge plain wetland in the state, including sloughs that shelter young salmon and other fish. The surge plain also supports osprey, bald eagles, and state-listed sensitive Olympic mudminnows. Vegetation communities represented in the Chehalis River Surge Plain preserve are Sitka spruce/red-osier dogwood/skunk cabbage vegetation, lady fern coastal herbaceous vegetation, softstem bulrush herbaceous vegetation, red-osier dogwood-willow species shrubland, Lyngby’s sedge herbaceous vegetation, and cattail surge plain herbaceous vegetation.