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

[Kjakings]

We need a paradox thread.

 

[Lacsapix]

Dammit! now my mind is blowing steam out of my ears!!
its the same as you would built a ring around the world i think.

 

[Punky]

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.

Good point there :-?.

 

[hannan4mitch]

Erm...
MU!

 

[brodie21]

well theoretically its a circle because the the portals are essentially a door. so they are back to back, and the rope only has two ends, and those ends are tied so its a circle

 

[Davey Woo]

Depends on what is in between the two Portals.

 

[Buizel91]

We need a paradox thread.

Create it! it will probably be really popular

 

[Tsaba]

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.

Four? So let me get this straight, if I go through a door.. I have to go through another off screen for me to get to the other side?

first off: get some sleep man, second off, your going through point A (orange portal) and exiting point B (blue portal) or vice-versa, therefore there are only 2 portals or 1 doorway.

 

[JonnWood]

*twitch*

I hear ya, buddy.

 

[Seydaman]

GHM.. this can be solved with diagrams, I fucking know it

The object must clearly become a circle when it traverses dimensions, as a circle has no end, while a line has a defined end point.

 

[Tsaba]

GHM.. this can be solved with diagrams, I fucking know it

The object must clearly become a circle when it traverses dimensions, as a circle has no end, while a line has a defined end point.

the issues is a circle has "NO" straight line in it, it's a loop not a line/circle.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Its a line, why would it be a circle?

There's a knot, so it must be a loop.

 

[Seydaman]

GHM.. this can be solved with diagrams, I fucking know it

The object must clearly become a circle when it traverses dimensions, as a circle has no end, while a line has a defined end point.

the issues is a circle has "NO" straight line in it, it's a loop not a line/circle.

Is that really true?
Hold on let me look that up
"A circle is a type of line" -http://www.mathopenref.com/circle.html
Well shit

 

[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.

Four? So let me get this straight, if I go through a door.. I have to go through 2 more off screen for me to get to the other side?

first off: get some sleep man, second off, your going through point A (orange portal) and exiting point B (blue portal) or vice-versa, therefore there are only 2 portals.

First off, I agree on the sleep comment. I would do exactly that, but I have class in half an hour. Second, the main reason I said that about the four portals thing is that the image gives the distinct impression of there being more to that rope than is being shown in the picture. I guess it would be possible if the portals were exactly as far apart as the rope is long, but then they wouldn't be as well connected as they are in the picture -- it'd just fall off. From what I remember of that game, there was no space between portals, so if you had it spaced exactly like that, it wouldn't be in the portal at all, because there would be no room to touch it. Actually, that explanation makes me think it's a line, because Portal's internal logic wouldn't allow for something like this to happen with no gap, unless the rope wasn't actually in either of the portals.

Here's a diagram of the four portals thing that I was talking about, though


Orange Portal------------------------------Blue Portal
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
|.....................................................................|
Extra Portal 1-----------------------------Extra Portal 2

the dashes represent the rope itself, while the dots are just placeholders to keep the forum from eating my formatting. I guess a triangle would also work, but that would have been a pain to draw.

 

[Lord Kloo]

Well, from my point of view, if its just long enough (assuming that it holds itself up) to fit into the edges of both portals at once then it is still technically a line, if said rope is going through the portals then we would see a rope and then the opposite ends of the rope coming through the opposite portals.

With this evidence I conclude it is a line, because otherwise it would have two bits of rope end coming out of each portal, then it would be a line with some extra bits added on.. Eureka..

 

[SpecklePattern]

Hmmm. Can the portal be seen as a portal between dimensions or portal inside a dimension? Either way there must be some route across space from portal to portal. Thus I think, like some above said, that it is not line or circle but some sort of loop, possibly with knot points.

 

[fgdfgdgd]

in time/space it is a circle.

In practice it is a line.

This is what i was going to say, i second this motion and proclaim it to be right *holds up a sword gallantly*

 

[Xyliss]

it should be on the floor

 

[Daffy F]

Confusing. Realistically, It's a line, because it has no corner. Thing is, though. Most people wouldn't have a portal gun to fuck around with... No I guess It doesn't matter.

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

I picture it like this:
One end of the line was put through the one portal and came out of the other portal. Then the two ends were fastened together. If you fasten one end of a line with the other end, you get...
a circle.

Although from this point of view it looks like a line. But yeah, according to portal mechanics, I think it is a circle. Although it wouldn't look like one.