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From: dmcq@dsbc.icl.co.uk (Dave McQuillan)
Subject: Re: Stapp, PK & Physics Today
Message-ID: <DDrwEt.LK6@dsbc.icl.co.uk>
Organization: International Computers Limited
References: <NEWTNews.809103968.6053.richard.caldwell@oufan.oklaosf.state.ok.us> <41cq12$sar@csnews.cs.colorado.edu> <cas.155.00186781@ops1.bwi.wec.com>
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 16:56:52 GMT
Lines: 23
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.skeptic:122242 sci.physics:136309 sci.math:115316 comp.ai:32752

>>> Richard Caldwell  <richard.caldwell@mhs.oklaosf.state.ok.us> wrote:
>
>>> >Fine.  I have a bucket of marbles.  I will reach in a pull out exactly 2 
>>> >marbles.  You reach in a pull out exactly Pi marbles.  Let's see how exact 
>>you 
>>> >can be with that one ;-)
>>> 
>>> Neat trick.  Now, without using any extra marbles, pull out and hand me
>>> -3 marbles.  As soon as you do that, I'll see what I can do with pi.

Are you sure you can get exactly two marbles?  To make it more obvious how
would you get exactly two clouds?  How do you exactly define a marble?
Also there is a small chance of them now being frogs according to quantum
mechanics (v.small but then this is supposed to be mathematics).

I don't think we can really say that even quaternions are less real than
the integers by appealing to how the world works.  Everythng might be
fuzzy and imprecise and integers the abstraction.


-- 
David McQuillan

