The question isn't whether they'll cross, it's whether they're at the same point

Feb 15, 2019
1:14:49pm

Dread Pirate Westley All-American

at the same time on both days. As you well said, the chances of that happening at some exact point "and not a millimeter before or after, is infinitesimally small".

This message has been modified

Originally posted on Feb 15, 2019 at 1:14:49pm

Message modified by Dread Pirate Westley on Feb 15, 2019 at 1:15:38pm

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Dread Pirate Westley

Bio page: Dread Pirate Westley
Joined: Aug 23, 2013
Last login: Oct 10, 2021
Total posts: 14,497 (637 FO)

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Messages

Author

Time

POLL: Here's a question from a Critical Thinking class I recently took.

JayOwen Gie's a break

2/15/19 11:41am

An African or European nun?

Sea Chicken

2/15/19 11:42am

South American

JayOwen

2/15/19 11:43am

I'm just impressed that she can climb and descend at (close to) identical rates.

Pistol Shrimp

2/15/19 11:45am

The goal of the question was to check what assumptions people make and how well they can explain their

JayOwen

2/15/19 11:45am

Is this a comparison of solar time to the 24-hour clock?

scootsy

2/15/19 11:47am

JayOwen

2/15/19 11:48am

Pics?

sevenIDcougs

2/15/19 11:50am

RE: Pics?

Frank Castiglione

2/15/19 11:52am

RE: Pics?

soupie

2/15/19 2:03pm

Highly unlikely but not impossible.

SLC-Warrior

2/15/19 11:52am

There is only one place where she can do this

USMCdad

2/15/19 11:56am

what am I missing? doesn't it have to be 100%?

The Shazad

2/15/19 11:57am

Same time not same path

USMCdad

2/15/19 11:58am

the question says same path

The Shazad

2/15/19 12:01pm

But she has to hit the same part of the path at the same exact time

USMCdad

2/15/19 12:19pm

Imagine the nun's ghost coming up while she's climbing down. Wherever they

swimbro

2/15/19 12:24pm

True I guess the time of day doesn’t matter

USMCdad

2/15/19 12:30pm

But in that case they are constantly on each other the entire time on the trail

USMCdad

2/15/19 12:31pm

Wouldn't they be going opposite directions?

whirl

2/15/19 2:12pm

It is 100%. Imagine her ghost or a friend or whatever.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 12:00pm

This was my thought as well. If they leave at the same time, at some point they

Mikey

2/15/19 12:07pm

I understand it as same time of day, not crossing paths.

crazY

2/15/19 12:29pm

You can't cross paths without being at the same spot at the same time.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 12:31pm

That's not true.

crazY

2/15/19 1:15pm

It’s both. Same place at the same time. It has to happen at least once.

Jay Rick

2/15/19 12:37pm

Not without backtracking so technically it would be possible

USMCdad

2/15/19 12:42pm

that's not the question though, it's considering 1 person's movement on the trail on 2 days, not 2 people's on 1 day

byujag

2/15/19 12:38pm

You're way over thinking this. The easiest is to realize that it's the same

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 12:48pm

I get your argument and agree with it, I just think you're fundamentally changing the original question

byujag

2/15/19 12:51pm

I'm really not. It really is the same question.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 12:55pm

You're completely ignoring the "same time" part of it.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:10pm

How could it not be the same time if they are face to face?

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 1:21pm

RE: How could it not be the same time if they are face to face?

crazY

2/15/19 1:23pm

Same time *on both days*

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:25pm

Meant for left shark

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:26pm

I really can't make this any more painfully obvious than I already have.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 1:27pm

Thanks for being condescending, but you clearly have a different interpretation

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:38pm

100%, yes. Still the same question.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 1:43pm

No, it's not. Your answer works with both a moving point in space and different

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:59pm

and there will be one point on the path where they will match

The Shazad

2/15/19 2:03pm

Why are you pre-selecting a point? Just look at the point where they both match.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 2:05pm

RE: Why are you pre-selecting a point? Just look at the point where they both

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 2:08pm

It's crazy that YOU don't get it.

crazY

2/15/19 1:44pm

Ok, calm down. If she's face to face with her ghost,

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 1:58pm

On both days?

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 2:00pm

Is she face to face with her ghost? If she is, the both watches should be

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 2:02pm

If she and her ghost ascend and descend on consecutive days, do they meet at the

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 2:07pm

Perhaps if we use an illustration you WILL understand...

Breaded Hamster

2/15/19 4:13pm

The only thing that matters with sunrise and sunset is that it guarantees that

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 5:21pm

I wrote this over 2 hours before you wrote the post I'm replying to

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 7:03pm

Yes sir.

crazY

2/15/19 2:00pm

Think of it this way.

Left Shark Coug

2/15/19 1:03pm

That's a clever explanation, but that's not the question

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:08pm

I think you have proven yourself a true bsu bronco on this thread.

shimmy

2/15/19 4:15pm

Fair enough.

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 4:19pm

Yep. That’s how I read it.

Jay Rick

2/15/19 12:05pm

the scenario assumes too much to predict that it will happen with any certainty

byujag

2/15/19 12:05pm

<< Deleted >>

Q-grr

2/15/19 12:05pm

If she ascended on the spring equinox and descended on the fall equinox it would

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 12:34pm

Not exactly. The shift in day length isn’t linear.

Breaded Hamster

2/15/19 12:48pm

The fact that she arrived at her destination *exactly* at sundown on both days

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 12:59pm

pace is irrelevant

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:05pm

But that's not the question. The question is "Estimate the probability the nun

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:07pm

then integrate that probability across the full path, and you get 100%

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:11pm

The question isn't whether they'll cross, it's whether they're at the same point

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:14pm

if you cross on the same path, then you're at the same point at the same time

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:20pm

Not on both days

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:24pm

Haha, no you're not. Timing of breaks, variance in pace throughout the day, etc.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:24pm

see the ghost comparison above - day and pace make no difference

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:28pm

Yes it does. The question is about the time, not the crossing of paths.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:20pm

seriously? am I missing a joke like I did with The Greenrake?

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:23pm

Huh? There's only one nun. She's not going to be face-to-face with herself.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:34pm

it asks if she'd pass the same point on the trail.....

The Shazad

2/15/19 1:42pm

I'm wrong. I was ignoring the parameters of start and stop times. You're right.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:44pm

Yep, she'd have to pass the same tree at exactly 12:03:42 both days. Unlikely.

Byron McNertney

2/15/19 1:18pm

Doubtful.

pink22

2/15/19 3:24pm

Swimbro's ghost consideration helps to visualize it happening 100%.

Q-grr

2/15/19 1:15pm

It's 100% that they'll cross paths, but that's not the question. The question

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:17pm

You run down as fast as you can, and I will hop, skip walk backwards and change

Q-grr

2/15/19 1:22pm

That's great, but it's not whether or not the paths cross. It's whether or not

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:25pm

It isn't Quantum Leap. The travel path will intersect at a single moment in time

Q-grr

2/15/19 1:34pm

I agree, but that's not the question. Does she cross the exact same millimeter

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:41pm

Select a person to replicate her exact moves up the day she is decending.

Q-grr

2/15/19 1:55pm

stops for lunch from 12-1 at the shrine midway

calcio

2/15/19 1:09pm

I like it! Except she'd have to stop somewhere between the monastery and shrine

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 1:10pm

Bad choice of words. Maybe a McDonalds, sit in same booth?

calcio

2/15/19 1:56pm

This is my favorite answer, by the way!

Dread Pirate Westley

2/15/19 2:07pm

it appears this is a great question for a critical thinking class

byujag

2/15/19 1:27pm

Haha, yep, the question did it's job.

Breaded Hamster

2/15/19 1:28pm

These are the sorts of threads that make me start a culling of my FO list

supertux

2/15/19 4:21pm

"some point"

BertoChavez

2/15/19 4:46pm

Just saw this. I hacked you in a new thread.

supertux

2/15/19 5:22pm

Their paths HAVE to cross

infinitybubble

2/17/19 1:21pm

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