Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

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Skragna
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Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#1 Post by Skragna » Tue Jan 04, 2011 12:07 pm

Okay, let's try looking at different things that are paradoxical, like dividing by 0 or the following:

Pinnochio walks up to you and says in Common: "My nose will grow now!"

Thing is, if it does, he's not lying and it won't grow.

*prepares to watch heads explode* :twisted:

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#2 Post by lanyara » Tue Jan 04, 2011 12:34 pm

Perhaps Pinnochio does not know that he is lying.
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Urik
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#3 Post by Urik » Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:53 pm

do you know what happens when you divide zero by zero?

1) is it equal to one because if you divide anything by itself it is one.
2) is it equal to zero because if zero is on top of a fraction it will be zero

and how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop....the world may never know.
I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#4 Post by Phelan » Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:21 pm

"Truth begins in lies." Gregory House

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#5 Post by Ritor » Tue Jan 04, 2011 9:15 pm

lying and being simply mistaken are two different things.


eighteen licks.

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#6 Post by luminier » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:33 pm

i thought if you divide by zero you just took the derivative of the top and bottom and it wouldn't equal nothing. thats just me though.


also, Phelan, Greg House = God.
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#7 Post by matusalem » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:44 pm

I forget his name, maybe some of you college kids can remind me, but there was a greek philosopher who basically disproved movement. Say you have a distance of ten yards between point A and point B. Well, before you can cross that distance, you will first have to cross half of it. Five yards. However, before you can cross those five yards, you'll have to cross half of them as well. Two and a half yards. Still, to cross that length, you must first reach the halfway point of that distance... and so and and so fourth. You can keep dividing the distance in half and in half and in half... so if you keep dividing that distance in half, how can you in any way measure your motion?
You hear a voice speaking in your mind, telling you "So-and-so is a traitor and
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#8 Post by luminier » Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:15 am

i just walk 11 yards and tell him to go to hell
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#9 Post by Zehren » Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:29 am

matusalem wrote:I forget his name, maybe some of you college kids can remind me, but there was a greek philosopher who basically disproved movement. Say you have a distance of ten yards between point A and point B. Well, before you can cross that distance, you will first have to cross half of it. Five yards. However, before you can cross those five yards, you'll have to cross half of them as well. Two and a half yards. Still, to cross that length, you must first reach the halfway point of that distance... and so and and so fourth. You can keep dividing the distance in half and in half and in half... so if you keep dividing that distance in half, how can you in any way measure your motion?
You're thinking of Zeno's paradox?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno%27s_paradoxes
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#10 Post by anglachel » Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:05 am

Zeno's paradox is 'Achilles and the Tortoise'.
Booth make a footrace and Achilles grant the turtle a headstart of 100 feet.
Then Archilles reaches the startpoint of the turtle, the turtle runs 10 feet. Then
Archilles reaches this point, the turtler runs 1 feet and so on.
So Archilles can run so fast has he wont, but ne never will able to overtake the turtle.

An other paradox is: 'This statement is wrong!'

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#11 Post by Zehren » Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:09 pm

ALL CRETANS ARE LIARS!
said the Cretan...
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#12 Post by Delmon » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:44 pm

Newcomb's paradox (though arguably not a prardox still interesting to think about)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcomb's_paradox

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#13 Post by Urik » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:31 pm

"The next statement is true. The previous statement is false."
I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'

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Andreati
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#14 Post by Andreati » Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:38 pm

"This statement is false" is a bit simpler, Urlyth. :)
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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#15 Post by isengoo » Sat Jan 08, 2011 10:08 pm

"Thou shalt not kill." - God

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#16 Post by isengoo » Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:51 pm

Hm, that's more of a hypocrisy, not a paradox.

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Re: Divide by Zero/Reality Paradox

#17 Post by matusalem » Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:41 pm

That's the King James translation. A more literal translation from the original hebrew would be "Thou shalt not murder."
You hear a voice speaking in your mind, telling you "So-and-so is a traitor and
an enemy of the Crusade. The punishment for this crime is death. Go and
execute our will!"

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