Systems with infinite degrees of freedom can have properties entirely different from those we expect from examining their finite counterparts. In the Newtonian case, they display both indeterminism and violations of energy and momentum conservation. These supertasks systems continue a tradition of puzzlement that was initiated by Zeno in antiquity. I have examined many aspects of these supertasks systems in classical and relativistic physics in papers with John Earman. I also set up a supertask system in quantum theory and found that, while there were some pathologies, they turned out to be better behaved than classical supertasks.

With J. Earman, "Forever is a Day: Supertasks in Pitowsky and Malament-Hogarth Spacetimes," Philosophy of Science, 60 (1993), 22-42. Download



With John Earman, "Infinite Pains: The Trouble with Supertasks," in A. Morton and S. Stich (eds.) Benacerraf and his Critics (Cambridge, MA: Blackwells, 1996) pp.231-261. Download



With John Earman "Comments on Laraudogoitia's 'Classical Dynamics, Indeterminism and a Supertask," British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 49 (1998), pp.123-33. Download



"A Quantum Mechanical Supertask" Foundations of Physics, 29, pp. 1265-1302. Download



With Joseph S. Alper, Mark Bridger and John Earman, "What is a Newtonian System? The Failure of Energy Conservation and Determinism in Supertasks," Synthese, 124(2000), pp. 281-293. Download



