Is it a circle, or a line? (Portal question)

[SnootyEnglishman]

It's a line that's in an infinite loop of time and space.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Its another rhetorical/paradoxical question.
Therefore, it's both

 

[Brian Murray]

Wait a second, what's holding it up?

its hoding itself up. the knot is on both ends of the string, so its a loop. but in the picture, its a line.

 

[InnerRebellion]

Ohh lookie, something else to add to my paradox folder.

I'm gonna say it's a loop, because it would be a circle if removed from the portals, but due to being in the space-bending portals, it becomes a line and therefore a loop.

 

[vrbtny]

It is not made out of a line. It is made out of a circle.

That's why strings are lines.

Wait....What?

 

[Sethzard]

technically it's moving down continuously,

 

[AdmiralMemo]

Its neither.

Its not a line because a line doesn't repeat itself (ie. if you follow a line you will never get back to the same point like in a circle).

Its not a circle either because it has no radius, which a circle must have by definition.

If it has to be one, its more likely to be a line.

It could be a line segment.

 

[randomsix]

It is a line.

Just because you can keep moving along it because of the portals does not make it a circle. You are moving across two pieces of string over and over because you are being teleported back to the beginning.

Take the portals away and you have two ropes tied in the middle that make a line. They are static, so no element is being transported by the portals. Therefor the portals can be removed. So they are just two ropes tied in the middle to make a line.

 

[Tsaba]

it can't be a straight line, there would have to be a start, there doesn't have to be an end however. So, it would have to be a "circle" or as someone already pointed out a loop, because at least then, there is no "start" point and no end either.

 

[bossfight1]

*twitch*

 

[Zagzag]

A four dimensional circle equivalent. A three dimensional straight line,

 

[ultimateownage]

It's technically a line segment. A line has no end. That clearly has an end, the knot.

 

[SimuLord]

well in this dimension its a line, through the dimensionS its a circle.

Wait a second, what's holding it up?

What IS holding it up?

"My belt holds my pants up, but my belt loops hold my belt up. Who's the real hero here?" - Mitch Hedberg

 

[Lukeje]

Its a line, why would it be a circle?

What do you call a line that meets at both ends?

Spoiler

...a circle.

It's actually both, depending on your definition of `line' and `circle'. I think.

 

[maturin]

You mean a non-contiguous linear Gladosian loop.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

well in this dimension its a line, through the dimensionS its a circle.

Wait a second, what's holding it up?

What IS holding it up?

"My belt holds my pants up, but my belt loops hold my belt up. Who's the real hero here?" - Mitch Hedberg

Actually, this is a good question. It may be the sleep deprivation from the all-nighter I just pulled talking, but I don't think the portals in Portal would even allow for something like the picture in the OP to happen, whether it was a circle, a line, a loop, or what have you. For that image to be feasible, there would need to be four portals, each connected, with two of them currently off screen. The other option would be for the portals in the picture to actually have a little bit of depth behind them, but again, that's not how they worked in the game.

 

[Neofishie]

Its neither.

Its not a line because a line doesn't repeat itself (ie. if you follow a line you will never get back to the same point like in a circle).

Its not a circle either because it has no radius, which a circle must have by definition.

If it has to be one, its more likely to be a line.

I call this case closed.

 

[lacktheknack]

http://knowyourmeme.com/i/000/038/565/original/samgod.JPG?1265292306

It's an infinite line, as it doesn't have a curve, I think...

 

[the Dept of Science]

Its neither.

Its not a line because a line doesn't repeat itself (ie. if you follow a line you will never get back to the same point like in a circle).

Its not a circle either because it has no radius, which a circle must have by definition.

If it has to be one, its more likely to be a line.

I call this case closed.

I knew doing physics at university would come in handy some day.

 

[lacktheknack]

well in this dimension its a line, through the dimensionS its a circle.

Wait a second, what's holding it up?

What IS holding it up?

"My belt holds my pants up, but my belt loops hold my belt up. Who's the real hero here?" - Mitch Hedberg

Actually, this is a good question. It may be the sleep deprivation from the all-nighter I just pulled talking, but I don't think the portals in Portal would even allow for something like the picture in the OP to happen, whether it was a circle, a line, a loop, or what have you. For that image to be feasible, there would need to be four portals, each connected, with two of them currently off screen. The other option would be for the portals in the picture to actually have a little bit of depth behind them, but again, that's not how they worked in the game.

...Or the cameraman tossed them up, jumped back, and took a photo.