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Mathematics, Numbers, and Computers - What Is Zeno's Paradox?

What is Zeno's paradox?

Zeno of Elea (c. 490-c. 425 B.C.), a Greek philosopher and mathematician, is famous for his paradoxes which deal with the continuity of motion. (A paradox is a statement that runs counter to common sense, but may actually be true.) For instance, Zeno pointed out that at each point in time, an object occupies one particular location. This means that it must be at rest. Following from that, he claimed, motion is theoretically impossible.

Zeno also explained that if an object moves with constant speed along a straight line from point 0 to point 1, the object must first cover half the distance (½), then half the remaining distance (¼), then half the remaining distance ( ) , and so on without end. In this scenario, he concluded, since there is always some distance to be covered, the object never reaches point 1.

Zeno illustrated this paradox with the story of a race between a tortoise and...

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