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Is movement impossible?
#154099
09/14/07 16:50
09/14/07 16:50
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,215
ISG
OP
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OP
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Zeno, a famous philosopher back in the days, had a theory that movement was actually impossible for us humans to achieve. For example, you getting up from your chair and going to the door is impossible.
His claim was this:
Before being able to reach the door (our goal), we must be able to stand up and reach our halfway point - correct?
Well before we can reach our halfway point, we're going to have to be able to get 1/4 of the way to the door (or halfway between our starting point and our halfway point).
Yet again, before reaching our 1/4 mark, we'll have to reach our 1/8 point. However, this goes on forever BECAUSE numbers are infinite (right?). So without being able to tell when numbers stop we are unable to begin the actual process of movement.
Anyone have any ideas on how to rebute this? After hearing it myself and going over it a few times, in a philosophical way I believe it.
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Re: Is movement impossible?
[Re: AlbertoT]
#154102
09/14/07 21:04
09/14/07 21:04
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 8,177 Netherlands
PHeMoX
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Posts: 8,177
Netherlands
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Huh, are 1/2 and 1/4 and such infinite? I think they are finite, unlike pi for example.
Besides, if you have an infinite amount of numbers in between two (finite or infinite) numbers, then wouldn't adding them all together result in an infinite number as well? edit: answer to this would be "yes they would be infinite", but with this paradox each new number is half the amount of the last one.
Cheers
Last edited by PHeMoX; 09/14/07 21:27.
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Re: Is movement impossible?
[Re: PHeMoX]
#154103
09/14/07 21:08
09/14/07 21:08
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,245
AlbertoT
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Do you mean the number of addendum in the sum ? Yes the number is infinite but the sum is finite This is the solution of the Zeno's paradx Not mine , of course some one smarter than me
Last edited by AlbertoT; 09/14/07 21:08.
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Re: Is movement impossible?
[Re: PHeMoX]
#154105
09/14/07 21:32
09/14/07 21:32
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,245
AlbertoT
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exactlty An other version of Zeno's paradox is the following To cover 1/2 way, you need a finite time The same to cover 1/4 way, you need a shorter time but still finite and so on The mistake is to assume that the sum of infinite small time intervals must be infinite but it is not
Last edited by AlbertoT; 09/14/07 21:33.
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Re: Is movement impossible?
[Re: AlbertoT]
#154108
09/14/07 22:22
09/14/07 22:22
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,023 The Netherlands
Helghast
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i know the solution!! out brain has a INT instruction build in, so it cuts of the decimals and thus we reached our goal regards,
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