Editing 1153: Proof
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | |||
− | + | {{w|Zeno of Elea}} was an ancient Greek philosopher who devised several apparent paradoxes of motion. Here are the two relevant to the comic: | |
− | :'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there | + | :'''Dichotomy paradox:''' Suppose I need to go from point A to point B. First I must walk halfway there. Then I must walk a quarter of the way there, then an eighth of the way there, and so on. Since I have to make an infinite number of non-zero steps, I will never reach point B. |
+ | :'''Arrow paradox:''' At any instant in time, an arrow suspended in mid-air is no different from an arrow in motion. How, then, can motion occur? | ||
− | + | One of Zeno's most famous paradoxes has Achilles race a tortotoise. Achilles is so confident of victory that he allows the tortoise a head start. Zeno's paradox is that, no matter how fast he runs, Achilles will never catch the tortoise because by he time Achilles has reached the point where the tortoise was when Achilles started, the tortoise has moved and so Achilles still has a little further to run. This continues ad infinitum and the tortoise wins. | |
− | + | This paradox is often stated as whereever you are on your journey, you can split the remaining distance in to two halves, so you can never reach your destination because you still have at least one half to go. Thus the lawyer can never reach the judge's bench. | |
− | + | This paradox was solved by integral calculus (Zeno's paradox is taught to UK Physics undergrads), hence the title text's mention of {{w|Leibniz}}. | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
:Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it! | :Zeno: My client couldn't have killed anyone with this arrow, and I can ''prove'' it! | ||
:Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench. | :Judge: I'd like to examine your proof, Zeno. You may approach the bench. | ||
− | :Zeno: | + | :Zeno: —But never reach it! |
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
[[Category:Philosophy]] | [[Category:Philosophy]] | ||
− | |||
− |