Facebook Twitter YouTube Frictional Games | Forum | Privacy Policy | Dev Blog | Dev Wiki | Support | Gametee


Paradoxical Proof?
BAndrew Offline
Senior Member

Posts: 732
Threads: 23
Joined: Mar 2010
Reputation: 20
#14
RE: Paradoxical Proof?

(09-03-2013, 11:56 PM)Bridge Wrote:
(09-03-2013, 11:50 PM)BAndrew Wrote:
Spoiler below!


Assume S the set of all natural numbers that can't be described with 14 words or less (which is not an empty set). This set must have a minimum natural number N because:

Let another number X of the same set.

If X<N then there is a smallest number (it's just not N)
If X>=N then N is the smallest number


This is a valid proof? Because it seems to me like yet another attempt to apply the concept of infinity to a system designed only to work with finite numbers.

What is wrong with the proof? I am not saying that this is the most elegant proof you can find, but it's valid.
What infinity has to do with it?

A practical way to see that there is a smallest natural number N is the following:
does 1 belong to the set S? NO? Then
does 2 belong to the set S? No? Then
................................................
does N belong to the set S? Finally the first yes? Then this is your smallest number.

•I have found the answer to the universe and everything, but this sign is too small to contain it.

[Image: k2g44ae]



(This post was last modified: 09-04-2013, 12:09 AM by BAndrew.)
09-03-2013, 11:58 PM
Find


Messages In This Thread
Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 10:30 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Apjjm - 09-03-2013, 10:57 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Froge - 09-03-2013, 10:57 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 11:05 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Apjjm - 09-03-2013, 11:13 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-03-2013, 11:15 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Apjjm - 09-03-2013, 11:18 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 11:19 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-03-2013, 11:34 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 11:38 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-03-2013, 11:41 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 11:50 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-03-2013, 11:56 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-03-2013, 11:58 PM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-04-2013, 12:09 AM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-04-2013, 12:11 AM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Bridge - 09-04-2013, 12:16 AM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by Froge - 09-04-2013, 05:43 AM
RE: Paradoxical Proof? - by BAndrew - 09-04-2013, 11:16 AM



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)