My intention with this blog is to share some of the more interesting curiosities of math. Often in the form of mathematical puzzles, riddles or paradoxes. Some can be applied to the real world, showing that all is not always what it seems. I'll include a calculation now and then but will keep it light — heck I'm far from a math wizz myself.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Ant On An Elastic Rope
An ant starts to walk along an elastic rope which is 1 km long, at a speed of 1 cm per second (relative to the rope it is crawling on). While this happens the rope is uniformly stretched by 1 km per second (i.e. after 1 second it is 2 km long, after 2 seconds it is 3 km long, etc.). Assume the rope will never break and we have an infinite amount of time on our hands. Will the ant ever reach the end of the rope?
Here's a hint: Yes, yes it will.
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