Scroll down for one possible answer????
Presumably vetted by J. Denker
If you draw a line on the blackboard with chalk, the edge of the line
has zero width. I.e. its boundary
________________________
Joel Rauber
Department of Physics - SDSU
Joel.Rauber@sdstate.edu
605-688-4293
| -----Original Message-----
| From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
| [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf
| Of John Denker
| Sent: Monday, October 15, 2007 12:33 AM
| To: Forum for Physics Educators
| Subject: [Phys-l] zero width?
|
| Ben Wittner tells this story:
|
|
| When he was in primary school, the teacher said:
| "Everything has some size. In mathematics, they say a line has
| zero width, but I don't believe it. If I draw a line with this
| chalk, it has some width. If it didn't have any width, it wouldn't
| exist."
|
| At this point Ben pipes up:
| "I can draw something with zero width."
|
| The teacher said:
| "Show me."
|
| So Ben went up to the chalkboard and ......
|
| So the puzzle is: What happened next?
|
| The answers I'm looking for might take the form:
| -- If you think it is not possible to draw something with zero
| width, explain why not.
| -- If you think it is possible, explain the best way to go about it.
|
|
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