ZENOS PARADOX

Derek OConnor
Started : February 6, 2008 Latest : February 15, 2013

Introduction

Zeno (or Zenon, or Xeno, Xenon1 ) was born about 490 BC in Elea, southern Italy. He was a pupil of Parmenides at the famous Greek school of philosophy founded by Xenophanes. This school denied the existence of the innite divisibility of space and time. One of the arguments used to support their position was Zenos justly-famous paradox. Zenos Paradox. Achilles and a Tortoise are to have a race. Because Achilles runs 10 times faster than the Tortoise, the Tortoise is given a head start of 10 stadia2 . It is obvious that Achilles will always beat the Tortoise over a sufciently long distance. For example, if Achilles covers a distance of 20 stadia in 20 time units then the Tortoise 20 will have covered 10 + 10 = 12 stadia in the same time. However, Zeno argued as follows : by the time Achilles reaches the 10-stadia mark, the Tortoise is at 10 + 10 = 11 10 stadia; by the time Achilles reaches the 11-stadia mark, Figure 1. T HE M AN H IMSELF 1 the Tortoise is at 11 + 10 = 11.1 stadia, and so on. In this sequence of events, the Tortoise is always ahead of Achilles. Hence the paradox.

Solutions
We will look at two mathematical solutions to this problem and then two algorithmic solutions in an effort to eliminate as many distracting mathematical artifacts as possible. The conclusion reached here will satisfy (or not) both sides in this argument : Achilles passes the Tortoise but they never meet.
1 Hero 2 One

- Heron, Plato - Platon stadium is about 625 ft 1 furlong

Derek OConnor

Zenos Paradox

In what follows we assume (1), that we can count, and (2), that we can measure distance (in distance units) and time (in time units).

2
2.1

Mathematical Solutions
First Solution Algebra

Let DT (t) and DA (t) be the distance of the tortoise and Achilles from the starting point, at time t. Achilles runs at a speed SA distance units in 1 unit of time, while the tortoise runs at a speed ST distance units in 1 unit of time. The Tortoise is given a head-start of 1 10 units. Let tm be the instant at which they meet. We have DT (0) = 10, ST = 10 and DA (0) = 0, SA = 1. Hence the equations of motion are DT (t) = DT (0) + ST t = 10 + DA (t) = DA (0) + SA t = t 1 t 10 (2.1) (2.2)

We plot these equations and see in Figure 2 that the tortoise is ahead of Achilles up to time tm , after which Achilles is ahead of the tortoise. At time tm the tortoise and Achilles are at the same distance from the start, which gives the condition for nding the value of tm . That is DT (tm ) = DA (tm ), or 10 + 100 1 tm = tm , or tm = 10 9 (2.3)

This solution uses simple algebra and obtains an answer that is a nite rational number. This simple algebraic solution implicitly assumes the innite divisibility of space and time, just as the solution of the algebraic equation x2 2 = 0 assumes these properties.3

3 The

solution, x =

2, is irrational and cannot be represented by a nite number of digits.

Derek OConnor, February 15, 2013

Derek OConnor

Zenos Paradox

Figure 2. A CHILLES AND THE T ORTOISE

2.2

Second Solution Analysis

A solution more in keeping with Zenos argument is this: by the time Achilles has 1 reached DA (10) = 10, the tortoise has reached the point DT (10) = 10 + 10 10 = 11; by the time Achilles has reached DA (11) = 11, the tortoise has reached DT (11) = 1 1 1 (10 + 10 10) + 10 = 10 + 1 + 10 = 11.1, etc. Repeating these steps we get DT (tn ) = 10 +

k =0

1 10

(2.4)

where tn is the time the tortoise takes to perform n steps of ever-decreasing length. In the limit, as n , Achilles catches up with the tortoise at time tm , and we get DA (tm ) = DT (tm ) = lim DT (tn ) = 10 + lim
n

k =0

1 10

= 10 +

1 100 = . (2.5) 1 9 1 10

This solution is the same as the rst : a nite rational number, but we have used an innite series rather than simple algebra to obtain it. The assumption of the innite divisibility of space and time is obvious here.

Derek OConnor, February 15, 2013

Derek OConnor

Zenos Paradox

3
3.1

Algorithmic Solutions
Third Solution Successive Approximation

We recast the problem as Solve DA (tm ) = DT (tm ) for tm , where tm is the time at which Achilles and the Tortoise meet. If Achilles moves a distance DA (t) = t in time t, then the tortoise has moved a distance 1 DT (t) = 10 + 10 DA (t), in the same time t. We re-write (3.1) to get it into xed point or successive approximation form:
Solve the equation t = DA 1 ( DT (t)) = 10 +

(3.1)

1 t, for t. 10

(3.2)

This is a xed point equation, t = f (t), which can be solved by the successive approx1 imation sequence {tk+1 := f (tk ) = 10 + 10 tk }, starting with t0 = 0. The algorithm ZenoSA generates the successive approximation sequence, where k is a count of the iterations. algorithm
ZenoSA

DT := 10; DA := 0 k := 0 while DA < DT do k := k + 1 DA := DT 1 DT := 10 + 10 DA endwhile

Achilles gets to where the Tortoise was, but the Tortoise has moved on.

We can see from Table 1 that this is the algorithmic equivalent of the innite series
Table 1. S UCCESSIVE R ATIONAL A PPROXIMATIONS TO tm

k DT DA

0 10 0

1 11 10

2
111 10

3
1111 100 111 10

4
11111 1000 1111 100

5
111111 10000 11111 1000

6
1111111 100000 111111 10000

7
11111111 1000000 1111111 100000

100 9 100 9

11

solution and the sequence is converging to never stops and that k .

100 9 .

It is quite obvious that the while -loop

Derek OConnor, February 15, 2013

Derek OConnor

Zenos Paradox

Figure 3. A CHILLES AND THE T ORTOISE APPROACH THE FIXED POINT 32

In Figure 3 we have plotted the the positions of the Tortoise and Achilles with DT = 16 + 1 t and DA = t, as the ZenoSA algorithm approaches the xed point 32 which is 2 representable as a base-2 oating point number. If ZenoSA is run using M ATLAB then it fortuitously converges to 32 after 50 iterations. This is because M ATLAB uses nite precision oating point arithmetic with 16-digit precision. If we run ZenoSA using M AXIMA with exact rational arithmetic we see that the Tortoise is still ahead of Achilles at k = 50:
502, 251, 799, 813, 685, 247 70, 368, 744, 177, 664 1, 125, 899, 906, 842, 623 > DA = 35, 184, 372, 088, 832 DT =

= 31.9999999999999857891452847979962825775146484375 = 31.999999999999971578290569595992565155029296875

Note that in IEEE double precision arithmetic, ( DT ) = ( DA ) = 32, and so we get convergence in a nite number of steps because of rounding.

3.2

Fourth Solution Simulation

This algorithmic solution has the advantage that it uses nothing more complicated than the addition of the natural numbers no analysis, algebra, or rational or oating-point
Derek OConnor, February 15, 2013

Derek OConnor numbers are here to distract us.4

Zenos Paradox

To ensure that all numbers used are natural we have re-stated the problem: the Tortoise travels 1 distance unit in 1 time unit and Achilles travels 10 distance units in 1 time unit. The Tortoise is given a 50 distance-unit head-start. The state of this system is the distance vector D (t) = [ DA (t), DT (t)] , with D (0) = [0, 50] . This vector difference equation describes the dynamics of the system: DA (t + 1) DT (t + 1)

DA (t) DT (t)

10 1

DA (0) DT (0)

0 50

(3.3)

The algorithm for simulating this difference equation is trivial: algorithm

ZenoSim

DA := 0; DT := 50
t := 0

while DA = DT do
t := t + 1

DA := DA + 10 DT := DT + 1 endwhile In ZenoSim DA and DT are measured in distance units these may be yards, furlongs, stadia, or nano-meters. Time is recorded by the variable t in time units these may be years, micro-seconds, or ons. The clock is incremented by 1 time unit for each iteration of the while -loop. When we run this algorithm we get the following result:
Table 2. A CHILLES PASSES THE T ORTOISE BETWEEN t = 5 AND t = 6

t DT DA

0 50 0

1 51 10

2 52 20

3 53 30

4 54 40

5 55 50

6 56 60

7 57 70

8 58 80

9 59 90

10 60 100

Conclusion: Achilles passes the Tortoise but they never meet.

4 Kronecker,

I hope, would approve.

Derek OConnor, February 15, 2013