Logical Paradoxes » The Barber Paradox The Barber paradox is attributed to the British philosopher Bertrand Russell. It highlights a fundamental problem in mathematics, exposing an inconsistency in the basic principles on which mathematics is founded. The barber paradox asks us to consider the following situation: In a village, the barber shaves everyone who does not shave himself, but no one else. The question that prompts the paradox is this: Who shaves the barber? No matter how we try to answer this question, we get into trouble. If we say that the barber shaves himself, then we get into trouble. If we say that the barber does not shave himself, then problems also arise. Even if we try to get clever, saying that the barber is a woman, we do not evade the paradox. Both cases, then, are impossible; the barber can neither shave himself nor not shave himself.
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Conways Game of Life "Conway game" redirects here. For Conway's surreal number game theory, see surreal number. The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970.[1] The "game" is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no further input. One interacts with the Game of Life by creating an initial configuration and observing how it evolves or, for advanced players, by creating patterns with particular properties. Rules[edit] The universe of the Game of Life is an infinite two-dimensional orthogonal grid of square cells, each of which is in one of two possible states, alive or dead. The initial pattern constitutes the seed of the system. Origins[edit] The game made Conway instantly famous, but it also opened up a whole new field of mathematical research, the field of cellular automata ... Conway chose his rules carefully, after considerable experimentation, to meet these criteria:
Tension - StumbleUpon Hook Your Readers With Tension By Laura Backes, Write4Kids.com Tension. Without it, life would be—let's face it—boring. So would fiction. Tension works with conflict to raise the emotional level of the text to a boiling point. "Tension" is a loaded word, and can be misleading. Tension is what hooks readers of any age and keeps them turning the pages. * The ticking clock. * Dialogue. * Pacing. * Sentence structure. Each story requires a different kind of tension. Laura Backes is the author of Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read from Prima/Random House. Copyright © 2002, Children's Book Insider, LLC
Existence First published Wed Oct 10, 2012 Existence raises deep and important problems in metaphysics, philosophy of language, and philosophical logic. Many of the issues can be organized around the following two questions: Is existence a property of individuals? What does it mean to ask if existence is a property? There is a debate in the literature on properties between the abundant conception of properties, according to which there is a property corresponding to every natural language predicate and, more generally, every class of individuals, and the sparse conception of properties, according to which a predicate expresses a property only if the objects that predicate is true of resemble one another in an intrinsic way. We can trace the issue of whether existence is a property to a disagreement between the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and some of his medieval followers over the relationship between an individual's essence and its existence. 1. Russell's strategy depends on two claims.
201 Ways to Arouse Your Creativity | Write to Done - StumbleUpon Arouse your creativity Electric flesh-arrows … traversing the body. A rainbow of color strikes the eyelids. A foam of music falls over the ears. Creativity is like sex. I know, I know. The people I speak of are writers. Below, I’ve exposed some of their secret tips, methods, and techniques. Now, lie back, relax and take pleasure in these 201 provocative ways to arouse your creativity. Great hacks from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders
What makes a hero? - Matthew Winkler The Hero Archetype in Literature, Religion, and Popular Culture: (along with a useful PowerPoint presentation teachers can download at this URL: ) Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (users embark on their own hero's journey): An American Masters Lesson from PBS for Teachers on George Lucas, the Power of Myth, and the Hero's Journey: And an interactive approach to the Hero's Journey: And of course, information about Joseph Campbell's works on the subject, on the Joseph Campbell Foundation site: The Hero With A Thousand Faces The Hero's Journey (semi-biographical film): Challenge the paradigm.
Poem Starters and Creative Writing Ideas - StumbleUpon Enter your e-mail to get the e-book for FREE. We'll also keep you informed about interesting website news. "I have searched the web and used different worksheets, but none have come close to your worksheets and descriptions of (what to do and what not to do). Both courses I have taken have with Creative Writing Now have been amazing. "As usual - I already love the course on Irresistible Fiction, rewriting a lot and improving greatly even after the first lesson. “Essentials of Fiction proved that I could indeed write and I wrote every day, much to my boyfriend's dismay (waa sniff).” - Jill Gardner "I am loving the course and the peer interaction on the blog is fantastic!!!" "I'm enjoying the weekly email course, Essentials of Poetry Writing. "Thank you for all the material in this course. "I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the lessons and feel they were very helpful in introducing new ideas and perspectives to my writing. "Thanks very much for this course. "Thank you so much!!
An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It - StumbleUpon "How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. "I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. "My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. "My political ideal is democracy. "This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor... "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. See also Einstein's Third Paradise, an essay by Gerald Holton
5 So-Called Signs of Genius That Any Idiot Can Learn #2. Do Complicated Math Off the Top of Your Head Getty We mentioned Good Will Hunting a moment ago, but of course speed reading wasn't his main talent in the film: His genius was that he could do impossible math with ease. Likewise with the autistic savant in Rain Man, who showed that he had a superhuman brain hiding under his weird tics by instantly counting everything from toothpicks to cards. But even if you suck at math, there are lots of ways you can at least create the impression that you're a human calculator. GettyUnless the bet involves getting a job with the NSA. The flashiest, yet easiest way to impress people with numbers is simply to be really fucking quick with them. 32 x 125 = Wha'? Or, if you're in a situation where somebody asks you the value of pi, instead of saying "3.14," rattle off 15 digits. "How I wish a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics." Congratulations, you've just memorized pi to 15 digits. Getty"So long, suckers!"