Zeno's Paradox (Math Question)

[dtewi]

twesterm said:
This is like saying you need an infinite amount of paint to paint the area under a limit that approaches 0.

Wh-what? I don't understand those words. Use simpler math on me!

 

Soriku said:

dtewi said:
Let's use the Dichotomy Pardox then. They are closely related.

Say someone wants to catch a bus. He has to walk 100 Feet to catch it. He has to travel half of it first, then half of that distance, and then half of that etc.

So he travels 50 feet, then 25, then 12.5, then 6.25, then 3.125 etc.

So he has to travel an infinite number of points to travel across a finite distance. Sound familiar?

Why would he have to travel half? Why can't he travel more than that? Also, assuming the bus isn't moving, it would take him a long time to reach it but EVENTUALLY it'll happen. If the bus were moving already then there's no way he was goign to catch it unless he travels more than half of that. I don't see why he has to travel ONLY half. Sounds like some garbage proposal to me.

It is a stationary bus, but let's not try to use common sense. Let's say he always walks half the distance he just walked. If he keeps walking half, he can not reach the bus.