what do y'all think? (the atheism thread)

[bryantm3]

i don't know where you're going with this, but the coastline of an island is the distance it takes to get around the island, ditto with a circle or a square or whatever. it isn't infinite.

this whole thread has gotten stupid because the people who believe in G-d can't prove it, and the people who don't believe are miserably failing at trying to disprove his existence.

[bas_I_am]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

i don't know where you're going with this, but the coastline of an island is the distance it takes to get around the island, ditto with a circle or a square or whatever. it isn't infinite.

Trust me. . its infinite... its a matter of resolution.

if n is the size of your ruler,

as n → 0, P → ∞

http://library.thinkquest.org/3120/text/britain.htm

[bas_I_am]

. . . and a circle/square are regular shapes.

if you swam around the coast of britain, into every nook and cranny that you could fit, you would travel a certain distance. . . .
if a bacteria swam around the coast of britain, into every nook and cranny that it could fit, it would travel a tremendously longer distance than you would have. . . .
if you lined up atoms around the coast of britain, the length of that chain of atoms would be unimaginable.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by bas_I_am

Trust me. . its infinite... its a matter of resolution.

if n is the size of your ruler,

as n → 0, P → ∞

http://library.thinkquest.org/3120/text/britain.htm

that is the most moronic thing i've ever read. that doesn't mean the coastline of britain is infinite, it means it can't be measured precisely. infinite means that it goes on forever, which it obviously doesn't. what the heck is your point anyway?

[bryantm3]

in math the coastline of britain can be defined as X in this logarithmic function. the more precise measurements we take, the closer the measusurement will come to approaching X, but never precisely reaching it. in this you could say that the number with more precise measurements will infinitely approach X, but you can't say it's an infinite coastline, because bottom line no matter how precisely you measure it, the coastline of britain is never going to be 25,000 miles.

[bas_I_am]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

that is the most moronic thing i've ever read. that doesn't mean the coastline of britain is infinite, it means it can't be measured precisely. infinite means that it goes on forever, which it obviously doesn't. what the heck is your point anyway?

I admit it is counterintuitive, but yes the measurement of the perimiter goes on forever.
It is the area of britain that is finite.

The point is, there are anomolies when you consider entities of a greater dimension than those that define them.

Area => finite dim(2) , Perimiter => infinite dim(1)

Our "being" occupies the three dimensions (x,y,z) and our experience spans the fourth, (t)

Might there be a being that occupies all four dimensions with an experience that spans an unfathomable fifth???

When you account for the work of Benoit Mandelbrot (fractal geometry), Kurt Gödel (number theory), Albert Einstein (relativity) and the numerous contributors to the field of Quantum Physics, one can only determine that material reason will fall short when contemplating a 'God.'

One either closes their mind and say's "Nope! Not going to do consider it! Material Reason is the end all, be all" or they open their mind and pursue other means of contemplating 'God'.

The first will always draw the same conclusion - no God.
The second will always draw the same conclusion - God.

Each with an equal degree of certainty.

[bas_I_am]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

in math the coastline of britain can be defined as X in this logarithmic function. the more precise measurements we take, the closer the measusurement will come to approaching X, but never precisely reaching it. in this you could say that the number with more precise measurements will infinitely approach X, but you can't say it's an infinite coastline, because bottom line no matter how precisely you measure it, the coastline of britain is never going to be 25,000 miles.

No, that is the curve for its area

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_snowflake

[bas_I_am]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Lon...onal_Dimension

[bas_I_am]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

in math the coastline of britain can be defined as X in this logarithmic function. the more precise measurements we take, the closer the measusurement will come to approaching X, but never precisely reaching it. in this you could say that the number with more precise measurements will infinitely approach X, but you can't say it's an infinite coastline, because bottom line no matter how precisely you measure it, the coastline of britain is never going to be 25,000 miles.

Im sorry. . I didnt read closely. . . yes it is logorthmic. . and a logorithmic curve has no limit.

and yes. . it will approach and surpass 1 million miles

[bas_I_am]

using Richardson's formula, the coast of britain is as follows:

Length of Measure (km) Length of coast (km)
1 9041.103
0.1 16077.60731
0.01 28590.47804
0.001 50841.85842
0.0001 90411.03
0.00001 160793.8559
0.000001 285968.026
0.0000001 508587.2866
0.00000001 904510.3