World's best suggested paradox

[tehweave]

An infinite group of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first mathematician orders a beer. The second orders half a beer. The third orders a forth of a beer. The forth orders an eighth of a beer. The bartender shakes his head, sighs, and pours two beers.

 

[Yomandude]

The Game. No, really!
If the above bothers you, suck it up you whiny http://xkcd.com/391/
EDIT: For the buttered-cat paradox, the cat has more LOLpower, which fuels quantum physics, so the cat would break the paradox and go SQUISH on the cold, hard ground.
*Don't try this at home.*
2nd EDIT: On September 21, 1997, a divide by zero error on board the USS Yorktown (CG-48) Remote Data Base Manager brought down all the machines on the network, causing the ship's propulsion system to fail. *Wikipedia*

 

[2xDouble]

Basically, what do you think is the world's funniest or most mind-boggling suggested paradox?

Mine is:
What happens if you put super glue on a Teflon-covered frying pan?

A better question is, "How did they get the Teflon to stick to the frying pan?"

Nope, sorry. Intense heat and pressure is the answer.

That's pretty much the answer to making everything... heh.

But seriously, the question should have been "If Teflon doesn't stick to anything, why does Teflon stick to the pan?"

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

Everything I say is a lie

 

[nunqual]

Curry's Paradox [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry%27s_paradox], a logical paradox that allows you to "prove" any given statement:

If this sentence is true then Santa Claus exists.
If this sentence is true then the sky is green.
If this sentence is true then God exists.
If this sentence is true then God does not exist.

All of those sentences are true. It's great.

Damn you! My brain!!

OT: I don't think I have any paradoxes. I have oxymorons, but not paradoxes.

 

[Palademon]

what happens if you glue some toast butter side up to the back of a cat, and then drop the cat?

Perpetual motion machine!
I'll make the toast
You get the cats
????
PROFIT!

OP: This post made me remember Shrodinger's cat.

 

[CaptainCrunch]

A better question is, "How did they get the Teflon to stick to the frying pan?"

An intermediate material is enameled onto the metal, which the Teflon actually does stick to (when it's really damn hot).

Science!

 

[Jarcin]

What happens if Pinochkio says: my nose will grow now!

what happens if you glue some toast butter side up to the back of a cat, and then drop the cat?

 

[Imat]

How long will it take you to cross a crosswalk if with each step, you cut the distance you walked with the prior step by half?

Depends on the initial step size. If the first step is greater than or equal to the crosswalk in length, the answer is simple: However long it takes to make that one step.

Else clause: Infinite loop resulting in an infinite runtime or a user-interrupt. No answer possible in this scenario.

 

[2xDouble]

A better question is, "How did they get the Teflon to stick to the frying pan?"

An intermediate material is enameled onto the metal, which the Teflon actually does stick to (when it's really damn hot).

Science!

Just missing one more thing... hold on... [sub]wait for it... [sub]3...[sub]2...[sub]1...[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub]

Spoiler

KABOOM!!

There we go. Much better. I'll take the Mythbuster award now, thanks. heh.

 

[reyttm4]

The paradox of motion named 'Achilles And The Tortoise"

In the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, say, 10 metres. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther; and then more time still to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Curry's Paradox [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry%27s_paradox], a logical paradox that allows you to "prove" any given statement:

If this sentence is true then Santa Claus exists.
If this sentence is true then the sky is green.
If this sentence is true then God exists.
If this sentence is true then God does not exist.

All of those sentences are true. It's great.

In which case: If this sentence is true then Curry's Paradox is a lie.

Probably the idea that time travel would ever be possible. Or, although not necessarily a paradox, the 0.9999... = 1 fact. Rather hilarious and also mathematically true. But that's another, already created thread.

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[royohz]

The paradox of motion named 'Achilles And The Tortoise"

Spoiler: -snip-

In the paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, Achilles is in a footrace with the tortoise. Achilles allows the tortoise a head start of 100 metres. If we suppose that each racer starts running at some constant speed (one very fast and one very slow), then after some finite time, Achilles will have run 100 metres, bringing him to the tortoise's starting point. During this time, the tortoise has run a much shorter distance, say, 10 metres. It will then take Achilles some further time to run that distance, by which time the tortoise will have advanced farther; and then more time still to reach this third point, while the tortoise moves ahead. Thus, whenever Achilles reaches somewhere the tortoise has been, he still has farther to go. Therefore, because there are an infinite number of points Achilles must reach where the tortoise has already been, he can never overtake the tortoise

I absolutely adore that one! That's awesome!

 

[Mikeyfell]

How long will it take you to cross a crosswalk if with each step, you cut the distance you walked with the prior step by half?

well if your first step took you more than half way across you would eventually get to the other side

 

[kim333]

Curry's Paradox [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry%27s_paradox], a logical paradox that allows you to "prove" any given statement:

If this sentence is true then Santa Claus exists.
If this sentence is true then the sky is green.
If this sentence is true then God exists.
If this sentence is true then God does not exist.

All of those sentences are true. It's great.

Maybe I'm missing something, but how are those sentences true?

Santa Claus will not start existing and nor will the sky start being green if some sentence turns out to be true.

I am confuse.

 

[KEM10]

There is also the heap of sand paradox.
One grain of sand doesn't make a heap, so by adding one grain to your pile you have two grains (which is also not a heap). Do this ad nausium, and you could have an infinite number of grains of sand and it will not be a heap.
Works the other way too. You have a heap of sand and take away one grain, it is still a heap. Continue along that process, you will eventually have no grains of sand but it could still be considered a heap.

That one I enjoy, and the ham sandwich.
Nothing it better than eternal happiness.
A ham sandwich is better than nothing.
Therefore, by the transitive property, a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness.
QED