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Author Topic:   Physics contradicts maths - how is this possible?
cavediver
Member (Idle past 3644 days)
Posts: 4129
From: UK
Joined: 06-16-2005


Message 11 of 69 (442417)
12-21-2007 6:54 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by Rrhain
12-21-2007 3:32 AM


As the other joke goes (and I know I've told it here before):
Biologists think they're biochemists.
Biochemists think they're chemists.
Chemists think they're physical chemists.
Physical chemists think they're physicists.
Physicists think they're god.
And god? Well, god thinks he's a mathematician.
Joke? Simple statement of fact, surely?
And god is either not a mathematician, or she's simply capricious/sadistic - how else do you explain five digits... base 10 ffs, ranking slightly above base 17 in usefulness.

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cavediver
Member (Idle past 3644 days)
Posts: 4129
From: UK
Joined: 06-16-2005


Message 12 of 69 (442418)
12-21-2007 6:58 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by sidelined
12-21-2007 2:08 AM


"Physics is to math what sex is to masturbation" R.F.
And when you get to Dick's level at both, you're allowed to make statements like this...

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cavediver
Member (Idle past 3644 days)
Posts: 4129
From: UK
Joined: 06-16-2005


Message 14 of 69 (442422)
12-21-2007 7:20 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Agobot
12-20-2007 5:24 PM


Enough replies have already dealt with the mathematics (and the simple fact that an infinite sum can converge to a definite value.)
What about the physics? You are talking about distance between two objects, a fly and a wall in this case. The notion of there being an unabiguous distance only works at sufficiently large length-scales. As you start to approach the molecular length-scale, you will notice that you no longer have well-defined edges demarking the extent of your objects. Objcts that are naively touching (end of leg on wall) is a massively complicated picture, involving many levels electromagnetic interaction. A poor analogy that perhaps gets the complication across is imagine holding two small bushes, and pushing them against each other. At what point are they together? When the first twigs touch? When you can feel real resistance? When you can't push them any further together?
As is often the case, the physical picture changes long before issues with the mathematics become apparent.

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