1answer.
Ask question
Login Signup
Ask question
All categories
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Social Studies
  • Business
  • History
  • Health
  • Geography
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Computers and Technology
  • Arts
  • World Languages
  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Advanced Placement (AP)
  • SAT
  • Medicine
  • Law
  • Engineering
Zepler [3.9K]
3 years ago
7

What are some of the most famous paradoxes that have ever occurred in history?

History
1 answer:
WINSTONCH [101]3 years ago
4 0

Answer:

1.THE BOY OR GIRL PARADOX

Imagine that a family has two children, one of whom we know to be a boy. What then is the probability that the other child is a boy? The obvious answer is to say that the probability is 1/2—after all, the other child can only be either a boy or a girl, and the chances of a baby being born a boy or a girl are (essentially) equal. In a two-child family, however, there are actually four possible combinations of children: two boys (MM), two girls (FF), an older boy and a younger girl (MF), and an older girl and a younger boy (FM). We already know that one of the children is a boy, meaning we can eliminate the combination FF, but that leaves us with three equally possible combinations of children in which at least one is a boy—namely MM, MF, and FM. This means that the probability that the other child is a boy—MM—must be 1/3, not 1/2.

2. THE CROCODILE PARADOX

A crocodile snatches a young boy from a riverbank. His mother pleads with the crocodile to return him, to which the crocodile replies that he will only return the boy safely if the mother can guess correctly whether or not he will indeed return the boy. There is no problem if the mother guesses that the crocodile will return him—if she is right, he is returned; if she is wrong, the crocodile keeps him. If she answers that the crocodile will not return him, however, we end up with a paradox: if she is right and the crocodile never intended to return her child, then the crocodile has to return him, but in doing so breaks his word and contradicts the mother’s answer. On the other hand, if she is wrong and the crocodile actually did intend to return the boy, the crocodile must then keep him even though he intended not to, thereby also breaking his word.

The Crocodile Paradox is such an ancient and enduring logic problem that in the Middle Ages the word "crocodilite" came to be used to refer to any similarly brain-twisting dilemma where you admit something that is later used against you, while "crocodility" is an equally ancient word for captious or fallacious reasoning

3. THE DICHOTOMY PARADOX

Imagine that you’re about to set off walking down a street. To reach the other end, you’d first have to walk half way there. And to walk half way there, you’d first have to walk a quarter of the way there. And to walk a quarter of the way there, you’d first have to walk an eighth of the way there. And before that a sixteenth of the way there, and then a thirty-second of the way there, a sixty-fourth of the way there, and so on.

Ultimately, in order to perform even the simplest of tasks like walking down a street, you’d have to perform an infinite number of smaller tasks—something that, by definition, is utterly impossible. Not only that, but no matter how small the first part of the journey is said to be, it can always be halved to create another task; the only way in which it cannot be halved would be to consider the first part of the journey to be of absolutely no distance whatsoever, and in order to complete the task of moving no distance whatsoever, you can’t even start your journey in the first place.

You might be interested in
Which of the following is one of Benjamin Franklin's achievements?
Norma-Jean [14]

Answer:

A

Explanation:

Benjamin also invented the lighting rod!

Hope this helps!

7 0
3 years ago
Is it true that enlightenment sought to justify the divine right of king
stepan [7]
Yes it’s true............
7 0
3 years ago
How did events in Europe contribute to the Great Depression in the United<br> States?
pav-90 [236]
Imposing of tariffs meant that European countries could not sell goods in the U.S., so they imposed their own tariffs, resulting in a decline of worldwide trade.
6 0
2 years ago
Qué objetivos se propuso el gobierno de la Patria Nueva ? Qué sectores sociales se beneficiaron de las políticas aplicadas por e
Sladkaya [172]

La propuesta de la “Patria Nueva” planteada por Leguía cuyo contenido esencial fue: Democratizar el régimen político nacional través del voto plebiscitario, en oposición a la fenecida República Aristocrática.

si esto te ayuda a marcarme de la manera más inteligente

3 0
2 years ago
In the historical background of caesar, why was caesar assassinated?
Digiron [165]
Because he was going to be a dictator on the Roman Empire.
6 0
3 years ago
Other questions:
  • What made the Southern Colonies ideal for farming?
    11·2 answers
  • Explain how the society in Fahrenheit 451 got to the point where banning books is accepted by the majority. What lead to this de
    10·1 answer
  • Where were the first american railroads built?
    8·2 answers
  • Which states in the 1950's continued to have all-white schools?
    11·1 answer
  • In what ways is the Texas Constitution of 1836 like today's U.S. Constitution?
    5·2 answers
  • How do you say how are you in spanish?
    8·2 answers
  • PLZ I NEED YOUR HELP ASAP WILL MARK BRAINLIEST!!
    11·2 answers
  • Please help me on this question if you would want brianleist!! Tank yah!! ^^
    6·1 answer
  • The Compromise of 1850 allowed certain territories to use popular sovereignty to determine whether the territory would be free o
    10·2 answers
  • PLEASE HELP <br><br> What was the defining moment for the allies in WWII?
    8·1 answer
Add answer
Login
Not registered? Fast signup
Signup
Login Signup
Ask question!