| Math Logic |
|
|
| Question : |
| What
is 'Zeno's Paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise' ? |
Answer : |
|
This is what is known as the Zeno's famous puzzle, Zeno showed that the mathematical treatment of space and time required
that they may be broken up into infinite sets of points and instants. |
|
Zeno of Elea (circa 450 BC) is credited with creating several famous paradoxes, but by far the best known is the paradox of the tortoise and Achilles. |
|
A tortoise has a head start on Achilles equal distance from a to b and both start running. Achilles runs after the tortoise.
Though Achilles runs faster than the tortoise, he would never catch up with the tortoise, since while Achilles goes from
a to b, the tortoise goes from b to c, and Achilles goes from b to c the tortoise goes from c to d and so on. This process
never ending. Well, there is only one explanation to the fallacy - that motion is measured by space intervals per unit of
time and not by numbers of points. |
|
