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Bonanova and I have an online discussion lasting one minute. Each of us takes half the remaining time to post his message. Which one of us gets the last word?

<_<

i dont like these puzzles to begin with...but.....who posted first?

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Neither, you will both keep posting indefinitely.

Times:

---------

You: 30s

BV: 15s

You: 12.5s

BV: 6.25

3.125

1.5625

0.78125

ect...

You guys must be able to type really fast if you're posting milliseconds apart.

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pw0nzd: it ends after a minute, so someone got the last post

a simpler form is this:

a light switch is flicked on in 10 minutes, off after 5, on after 2.5, etc. After 20 minutes, is the bulb on or off?

even simpler:

is infinity odd or even?

answer: neither!

Yet another assertion -- no wonder these discussions go on forever. :(

Can you prove that infinity is not even?

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Whoever started first will have spent 40 seconds for his posts, the other -- remaining 20 seconds.

As far as the last word goes... If there is a minimal time in which you can still make a post, then probability of the last word is 1/2 for either person. If length of each post can be divided indefinitely (timewise) -- then neither can have the last word. Because after infinite number of replies, the length for each reply for either person becomes zero. And when you have zero time for your reply, you cannot make one.

P.S. Since I took an entire minute for this missive -- not half a minute, no one can argue with that.

Edited by Prime
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what's that have to do with infinity? you have a set time before it ends. 60-30-15...click...click, it ends. you might think you have infinite posts, but there isnt' infinite space for infinite posts. there's an end.

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what's that have to do with infinity? you have a set time before it ends. 60-30-15...click...click, it ends. you might think you have infinite posts, but there isnt' infinite space for infinite posts. there's an end.
It's basically a thought experiment. Obviously, no one can type a post in 2-800 minutes. The point is to wrap your head around the fact that there would be no last post, but there would be a time when all the posts have been made.
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Bonanova and I have an online discussion lasting one minute. Each of us takes half the remaining time to post his message. Which one of us gets the last word?

Considering the one minute time limit can be broken infinitely, then the only finite part to the discussion would be that one of the two of you is going to make the final point. Or you will agree to disagree.

There is no mathematical answer to this question, however there is a logical one, and that is that the lesser hard-headed of the two of you will get the last word. B/c he will be the one to concede or change the subject of the discussion. ;) Then again... If the subject is changed, then I guess the more Hard-Headed person would get the last word, b/c the other person would have begun to discuss something else.

So yeah,

Change of subject = More hard-headed person gets the last word.

Concession = Less hard headed person gets the last word.

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Bonanova and I have an online discussion lasting one minute. Each of us takes half the remaining time to post his message. Which one of us gets the last word?

This is like you unable to catch a stationary bus if you keep on moving half of the remaining distance within an allotted time. The distance will tend to (approach) zero but will never be zero :D

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Man, that's a good riddle.

I'd say the time period is irrelevant, the main point is that there will be an infinite amount of alternating posts generated. Since there is no 'final' post, the answer cannot be determined.

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