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Max/Luke Warmus/Sara Boji et al
by Guest Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:48 am
i was reading the original black and white version of 'Tintin in Congo' and there is this scene in which Tintin shoves the tail of a hungry boa constrictor into its own mouth. this scene reminded me of a high school physics puzzle i had come across a long time back. since u guys seem to be interested in these kind of puzzles, here it is:
there are several snakes arranged around a circle with the tail of each snake in the mouth of the snake behind them. each snake in the circle starts swallowing the tail of the snake before it at the same rate. what happens next? will all the snakes die or will one snake be left behind? explain your reasoning.
there are several snakes arranged around a circle with the tail of each snake in the mouth of the snake behind them. each snake in the circle starts swallowing the tail of the snake before it at the same rate. what happens next? will all the snakes die or will one snake be left behind? explain your reasoning.
Guest- Guest
Re: Max/Luke Warmus/Sara Boji et al
by Guest Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:52 am
yes, this is a paradox. paradoxes cannot happen in real. so the answer is -- all snakes live.
you can imagine this with two snakes. there will come a time when only their heads remain. both will attempt to swallow the other's head at the same time. that is impossible in reality because for one head to swallow the other, the two have to be laid in a sequential position. they cannot be in two different sequential positions at the same instant. the paradox requires both sequential positions to exist at the same time so that the two heads can swallow each other. or, assume one head is in position A and other in position B and A and B are two diametrically opposite points in a small circle. when A moves to B to eat it, B, at the same instant, moves to A and they keep moving in a circle ad infinitum.
you can imagine this with two snakes. there will come a time when only their heads remain. both will attempt to swallow the other's head at the same time. that is impossible in reality because for one head to swallow the other, the two have to be laid in a sequential position. they cannot be in two different sequential positions at the same instant. the paradox requires both sequential positions to exist at the same time so that the two heads can swallow each other. or, assume one head is in position A and other in position B and A and B are two diametrically opposite points in a small circle. when A moves to B to eat it, B, at the same instant, moves to A and they keep moving in a circle ad infinitum.
Guest- Guest
Re: Max/Luke Warmus/Sara Boji et al
by Guest Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:35 pm
Huzefa Kapasi wrote:yes, this is a paradox. paradoxes cannot happen in real. so the answer is -- all snakes live.
you can imagine this with two snakes. there will come a time when only their heads remain. both will attempt to swallow the other's head at the same time. that is impossible in reality because for one head to swallow the other, the two have to be laid in a sequential position. they cannot be in two different sequential positions at the same instant. the paradox requires both sequential positions to exist at the same time so that the two heads can swallow each other. or, assume one head is in position A and other in position B and A and B are two diametrically opposite points in a small circle. when A moves to B to eat it, B, at the same instant, moves to A and they keep moving in a circle ad infinitum.
this is good answer. thanks. one other assumption i forgot to add is that the length of each snake is the same. since the length of each snake is the same originally, will the circle keep getting smaller (since the size of the snakes keeps getting smaller as each snake starts swallowing the one before it)?
Guest- Guest
Re: Max/Luke Warmus/Sara Boji et al
by Guest Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:07 am
sorry, i said something incorrect about circles last night and just deleted it.
coming back to your point, yes the circle will keep getting smaller. again, it is analogous to a snake eating it's own tail. eating is a combination of moving forward and pulling in the prey. for some time, the length of the snake will allow this to happen. after a point, the movement will act on the whole body, thus cancelling any attempt to eat further (imagine a dog catching it's own tail and moving in circles).
coming back to your point, yes the circle will keep getting smaller. again, it is analogous to a snake eating it's own tail. eating is a combination of moving forward and pulling in the prey. for some time, the length of the snake will allow this to happen. after a point, the movement will act on the whole body, thus cancelling any attempt to eat further (imagine a dog catching it's own tail and moving in circles).
Guest- Guest
Re: Max/Luke Warmus/Sara Boji et al
by Guest Mon Dec 12, 2011 1:36 am
Huzefa Kapasi wrote:sorry, i said something incorrect about circles last night and just deleted it.
coming back to your point, yes the circle will keep getting smaller. again, it is analogous to a snake eating it's own tail. eating is a combination of moving forward and pulling in the prey. for some time, the length of the snake will allow this to happen. after a point, the movement will act on the whole body, thus cancelling any attempt to eat further (imagine a dog catching it's own tail and moving in circles).
thanks.
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