this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] Matriks404@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

Imagine being the first one being killed on any of these tracks.

The probability of that is...?

Mathematicians tell me, please, because my mind is breaking.

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[–] nathanjent@programming.dev 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

An infinite amount of people on the track implies that the track is infinitely long. If that is not the case and the track is a normal length then the sudden addition of all that bio-mass in a finite space will cause a gravitational collapse. But will the collapse start on the first track or the second? Either way I hope you saved your game because you might lose your progress.

[–] buttnugget@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The mass of dead bodies is what replenishes the new living ones on the finite track.

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[–] CommissarVulpin@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Okay, so what’s the point of “proving” that there some “infinities” are “bigger” than others? What’s the practical application here? Because an infinite hotel with an infinite number of guests is physically impossible, so I don’t see the point.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 points 1 month ago

Practical application in math tends to be like three degrees of separation and half a century removed from the math at play. In this case, all of modern mathematics is based on set theory, so it's more that this stuff allows us to do other, more practically useful math while knowing what we're talking about.

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[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

like the infinite monkeys with typewritters, universal limits to the rescue. Trolley's are slow. Each bump makes them slower. Some of the people in the discrete line will have long lives until an excruciatingly painful death from dehydration.

[–] _AutumnMoon_@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago

either way infinite people die, just not getting involved

[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Bottom. Train will stall/derail faster.

[–] Randelung@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

What about a time loop where only one person dies, but infinite times?

[–] nairui@piefed.social 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

fossilesque you’re one of my fav posters

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[–] AkatsukiLevi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hold the lever halfway so the trolley picks both rails at the same time, to ensure highest possible kill comboq

[–] davidgro@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

That's effectively just the bottom track, where an uncountable number of people (literally) will die as soon as the train reaches position (0.

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[–] TomMasz@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago

I remember seeing a science show on PBS where the presenter explained how there are different infinities by using set theory and the integers/reals. That was mind-blowing at the time.

[–] wildncrazyguy138@fedia.io 2 points 1 month ago

Like everything else in this holographic universe we live in, I’d just close my eyes and believe the bodies I’m trampling are imaginary.

[–] zqwzzle@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

I take the square root of all the negative real numbers and kill in an entirely new dimension.

[–] PhAzE@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

Geez, disconnect the trains so you can hit both lines at the same time, obviously.

[–] p3n@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I do what I always do: run to the trolley, then jump up and pull the emergency stop because I hate false dilemmas.

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Correct, because if we ignore some important facts you could also have infinite time to stop the trolley. Checkmate, false dilemma creators.

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

It'll make it through maybe 3 infinities before derailing. Go bottom, end it faster.

[–] madjo@feddit.nl 2 points 1 month ago

Multilane drifting!

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