Thread: a riddle
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Old 23-11-2008, 04:34 PM   #7
arete
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Waterside, South Africa
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Mmm, chessboard of infinite size? If length of side is n, then n is infinity, yes? But, the number of squares on the board is also infinite, as is the surface area of the board, n x n. What you're essentially saying is there would only be one square left, for the piece A to stand on: Therefore d must be able to remove n-1 squares from the board, in order to win. This is a paradox, because if that's possible, infinity - n - must be quantifiable. Because otherwise there will always be more squares for A to move to. Infinity minus one is still infinity. If you can count them, however, it's not infinity. The board is huge, of course, but not infinite. It can be argued that the universe itself is not infinite, so now we're talking quantum? In which case, I'd rather talk about something else.
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