3 replies to this topic

[BobCook]

A person decided to commit suicide. So he walked out onto the bridge and jumped. Where was the man when he jumped off of the bridge? He wasn't on the bridge, that was before he jumped. He wasn't in the air, that was after he jumped. He wasn't walking, that was before he jumped. He wasn't in the water, that was after he jumped. Where was the man when he jumped off of the bridge?

Spoiler for Solution

He was jumping.

[mdsl]

The answer to "where?" is "jumping"? That's what he was doing.

[Martini]

Where was the man when he jumped off of the bridge? He wasn't on the bridge, that was before he jumped. He wasn't in the air, that was after he jumped.

You tell us. You define when that moment was that "he jumped" and we'll tell you if he was on or off it. You can't logically say that that moment exists and that he was neither on or of it.

[mwh]

WHERE is a place. Granted, he was on the bridge BEFORE he jumped, and he was in the air AFTER he jumped.

The act of jumping occurs in the time between flexing and extending your knees. Therefore, I would say that wherever his feet were while he was in the act of jumping is where he was when he jumped, for example, the railing on the bridge. WHEN he jumped, his feet were somewhere on the bridge.

Even if you don't take "jumping" literally, the same logic would still apply to any part of the body touching the bridge DURING the act of propelling himself off the bridge.