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Forums - General - Zeno's Paradox (Math Question)

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?



Kimi wa ne tashika ni ano toki watashi no soba ni ita

Itsudatte itsudatte itsudatte

Sugu yoko de waratteita

Nakushitemo torimodosu kimi wo

I will never leave you

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Yes dtewi this proves your not a 12 year old.



 

mM

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



@dtewi - This is really complicated stuff. Even today, experienced mathematicians are trying to solve it. I don´t think us pure mortals can come close.

So let´s have a simple dialogue:

Me - You can move right?
You - Yes.
Me - Then shut up and go play some games :D



www.jamesvandermemes.com

@soriku - Read this:

"Another paradox. If I want to move 100 feet, I have to move 50 feet first. If I want to move 50, I have to move 25 first. And it goes on and on and on. So, whatever distance I want to move, I have to move half that first, so I´m stuck. Paradox."



www.jamesvandermemes.com

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dtewi said:

In the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 feet. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 feet, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, for example 10 feet. It will then take Achilles some further period of time to run that distance, in which period the tortoise will advance farther; and then another period of time to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise.

This seems like a very interesting topic.

If infinity can not be reached, he can not pass.

Or maybe infinity is reached, and he is able to overtake.

What is the solution? How can Achilles overtake the Tortoise?

I like this question, it made me think, i say for achilles to change his walking/running speed, if he doesn't he will never surpass the tortoise. BUT it is mentioned that at the time it took achilles to cover the 100 foot gap, the tortoise has ran an extra 10 feet, which leaves it at 100 feet -Achilles, 110 Feet -Tortoise. Achilles would of past the tortoise, since Achilles is running at a fast pace, while the Tortoise is running at a slower pace. Now it would of been different if the tortoise got a headstart of a hundred feet, and Achilles and the Tortoise ran at the SAME constant speed, then it will be impossible for Achilles to overtake the Tortoise.

 @the highlighted part, Due to this information, it is possible for Achilles to overtake the Tortoise, at some point



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.



Kimi wa ne tashika ni ano toki watashi no soba ni ita

Itsudatte itsudatte itsudatte

Sugu yoko de waratteita

Nakushitemo torimodosu kimi wo

I will never leave you

Actually, if you want to get into stuff that will really mess with your head, here's a good:

Consider a spinning record. Take any point near the middle and any point on the outside edge. The outside edge has further to travel in a single rotation so it must travel faster than the inside point yet they are both attached to the same plane.

Think about that one for a minute.



dtewi said:
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!

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limit_(mathematics)

 

 



marciosmg said:
This paradox shows that Mathematics is abstract and can´t always be taken to a literal context in real life.

There´s this joke - One engineer, one physicist and one mathematician are called to calculate how much water would be needed to put out a large fire.

After 5 hours, the engineer says: "You need 10,000 gallons of water".
After 12 hours later, the physicist says: "You need 9,932.56 gallons of water".
After 3 days, the mathematician says: "Your problem has an answer and it is unique"

Got it?

i got it, the Mathematicians answer would of been NONE, because by three days later, the fire would of burned down the town and forest by now lol, fascinated by your question