Re:“I don't know the numbers”: a math puzzle
by GuB-42 on Sunday May 08, 2022 @08:03PM
(#31309180)
Eggs can absolutely survive very far falls. You are making a lot of assumptions here. Like:
- This is a typical bird's egg. Most insect eggs for instance can survive any fall.
- This is a hard floor, not water, snow,...
- There is nothing to protect the egg.
- Floors are typical ~3m floors, not floors from a doll house.
- The experiment is done on earth
The point of maths is that it doesn't need to be grounded into the world. It is a "if A then B" machine. If A applies to a world then B will apply to that world too, and it will always be the case, it doesn't depend on experimental results.
It is great because scientists, engineers, etc... only have to show (with their experiments and measurements) that A applies to our world, and maths automatically tell them that B applies too, no need for extra experiments and measurements, except for verification.
So in this problem, if you use your "real world" experience with eggs, you only solve the problem for a limited set of preconditions. If you solve it properly, using maths, then it will work in any situation that matches the data of the problem, even for people of Pluto.
Also, if you want to talk "real life", I am not sure a 100 story building exists (there is 101, but exactly 100?). And if that building exists, does it have windows you can drop an egg from at every floor?
- This is a typical bird's egg. Most insect eggs for instance can survive any fall.
- This is a hard floor, not water, snow,...
- There is nothing to protect the egg.
- Floors are typical ~3m floors, not floors from a doll house.
- The experiment is done on earth
The point of maths is that it doesn't need to be grounded into the world. It is a "if A then B" machine. If A applies to a world then B will apply to that world too, and it will always be the case, it doesn't depend on experimental results.
It is great because scientists, engineers, etc... only have to show (with their experiments and measurements) that A applies to our world, and maths automatically tell them that B applies too, no need for extra experiments and measurements, except for verification.
So in this problem, if you use your "real world" experience with eggs, you only solve the problem for a limited set of preconditions. If you solve it properly, using maths, then it will work in any situation that matches the data of the problem, even for people of Pluto.
Also, if you want to talk "real life", I am not sure a 100 story building exists (there is 101, but exactly 100?). And if that building exists, does it have windows you can drop an egg from at every floor?