Zeno's Arrow & Me

[5Cats]

I posted this on LiveJournal, but thought I'd put it here too [img]smile.gif[/img]
This is, as far as I know (which isn't all that far I'll admit) a truely origional paradox! I hope so! That would really be something, eh?

Reading a Wikipedia entry about Zero's Arrow (go look it up! Wikipedia does not do Zeno any justice however, failing entirely to delve into the actual nature of time, which is what the Arrow is all about) I thought up the following:

Take a ruler, 12 inches (or whatever you like) and cut it in half.
6 inches, right? So cut in half again.
3 inches, again.
1.5 inces, again
and so on and so on until... when?
When exactly can you no longer cut the ruler in half?

David's answer:
hahaha! Next time!

[Ersby]

Are you taking the physical properties of the ruler into account?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 09, 2006 05:10 AM: Message edited by: Ersby ]</font>

[5Cats]

Yes, the physical properties are the key to the 'answer' I've come up with.
But you can imagine that you have an electron-micro-cutting tool that can slice tiny things in half with ease.

[Ersby]

How tiny?

[5Cats]

Really tiny [img]smile.gif[/img]
You could slice an electron into a zillion pieces, assumes also you can catch the little booger!
But it isn't about infinite regression, also it's not really a 'paradox' like Zeno's are.

Edit: Mental Picture: 5Cats & Ersby trying to catch an electron. Lmao!
5Cats: I got it! I got it! (pounces) Ack! I don't got it!
Ersby: (brandishing a butterfly net) You shan't escape from me! (swoosh) Humm, I think I need a finer mesh...

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 10, 2006 09:15 AM: Message edited by: 5Cats ]</font>

[ski1138]

you guys are nuts.


It's good to be back [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ersby]

Actually,I'd catch an electron with a mouse trap and a bit of cheese.

So what's the answer?

[5Cats]

The answer is:

You can no longer cut the ruler in half when it ceases to be a ruler!
This depends on your definition of what a ruler is. If it's sooo small you can't see it? The it's not one? If it is down to 1 molecule of wood wide, and you split that molecule, then it isn't a ruler anymore (because it isn't made of wood)?
It's a trick really, just like Zeno's Arrow. It isn't really about cutting things, it's about what makes things what they are [img]smile.gif[/img]