Science

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)

7. Achilles and the tortoise

Tue Feb 2, 2016, 12:11 PM

Feb 2016

If you give the tortoise a one Planck length head start, Achilles can never catch up because, by the time Achilles has covered the distance of one Planck length, the tortoise will have progressed some fraction of a Planck length ahead, and so on. Yes, I know there is no such thing as a fraction of a Planck length, but that's the point of the debate.

Whitehead was just expressing his opinion that time is continuous, not segmented. It rolls along, and does not jump from one frame to the next, no matter how many frames per second the camera records

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Physicists investigate the structure of time, with implications for quantum mechanics and philosophy [View all] Jim__ Feb 2016 OP

In other words, time exists so everything doesn't happen at once. The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2016 #1

reminds me EdwardBernays Feb 2016 #2

Thank you for sharing this virtualobserver Feb 2016 #3

Zeno's paradoxes HassleCat Feb 2016 #4

I'm not clear on how you think the tale of Achilles shows that here is no least unit of time. Jim__ Feb 2016 #6

Achilles and the tortoise HassleCat Feb 2016 #7

That doesn't show that there is no minimal distance; it shows what happens if you assume ... Jim__ Feb 2016 #9

Thank You For Sharing cantbeserious Feb 2016 #5

Enjoyed the conversation, philosophy, and article about Motion and Condensate, Distance and Time. DhhD Feb 2016 #8