shenry

My friend and I were having an argument in art about physics. I said that two objects could infinitively go closer and closer to each other without touching forever or until you just couldn't because we can't measure that close!

Example: Object A is Xmeters away from object B. They move towards each other slowly and as they move towards each other they slow down but do not stop or move backwards.They can move closer and closer but move littler and littler each time. They never end up touching.

I can't see anything wrong with this.But then again I don't know too much about physics. Anyone else who has a point of view on this please post it!! Because I would like to have some more input on this topic.

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Buzz1927

Why are you discussing physics when you're meant to be studying art?

But in your example, they'd eventually touch, unless I'm missing something??

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shenry

I had finished everything in art that I had to do... It's not really my favourite subject either...

In the example I mean that if they are 1 CM away from each other they would move .9CM closer to each other then they could move .09 CM closer to each other then .009 and so on.

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Buzz1927

And eventually touch, I'm not sure I'm understanding you here..

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GameMaster

Yes they will touch if they go forward. But imagine a x,y coordinate frame and a function that asymptotically moves near the x . In that case, they would never, never touch, but the only condition is that one object is moving towards the non-moving object but not clearly forward-right (or left ) and forward. There is another condition: the non- moving object should be very wide
That's maths I think, not physics but who can say, those two are close.

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dznutz:

hackapelite

...if they don't touch, that would mean that both/either of them has stopped...

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Spatula.

shenry

OK....

So your saying that the wide object would stay still and the other would move "asymptotically" to the other and end up never touching it. However still getting closer and closer?

That does sound more like maths if you put it that way.

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GameMaster

Yeah that's exactly what I meant. We've just learnt that one, it has to have something with the Exponential functions f(x)=A^X

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dznutz:

GameMaster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Exp.svg

That picture. It doesn't touch the X object/line and never will because the exponential function never reaches a value 0 ( any positive number on any exponent is always bigger than 0, only when the exponent goes negative i.e. 5^(-1/4), the function goes under value 1, but will never reach 0=never reach the object ).

That's the explanation and it explains that your theory is possible; however it's still just a theory as it would be somehow impossible to move the object that near so you could express it as i.e. 2^(-1/4). The distance between the two objects would be too little and we all know that many of mathematical theories are not possible in practice.

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dznutz:

apj101

Your friend said it wrong, this is an old observation which isnt so much about physics as it is common sence
Basically if you take any 2 distant object, and you half the distance between them, then you do it again, then again, and so on, and so on
as long as you only half the distance each time then the 2 objects will never actually meet and there is always a gap between them, albiet infinatly small.

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