Can you solve these?

[Silja]

Just thought I would give you guys something to really ponder about

1. Three equally long snakes have formed a cirkle by biting onto the snakes tale that is infront of each snake. After this they start eating each other at the exact same rate. The question is what is left when the snakes have finished eating each other?

2. It is said that God is almighty. Then he should be able to create an object so heavy that even he wouldn't be able to lift it. But if he can't lift the object he is indeed not almighty, or is he?

I have read a couple of more of these, but I can't remember the exakt form of them all, just these two.

What are your answers?

The point is there are no real answers, just speculations.

[Qanda]

The most logical answers to the questions (to me):

1) The moment each of them is bitten by the one behind, they will let go of the one in front and go for the one behind. Either that or they will all scatter away.

2) God is almighty, but He is not all-stupid. Why would he go about devising something which he cannot lift?

[Silja]

The most logical answers to the questions (to me):

1) The moment each of them is bitten by the one behind, they will let go of the one in front and go for the one behind. Either that or they will all scatter away.

2) God is almighty, but He is not all-stupid. Why would he go about devising something which he cannot lift?

To make this all a bit more interesting I might add this: You are supposed to think that all of this will actually happen, that the snakes will continue on eating and God will create the object No fun if you just say "nah, it won't happen ever anyway"

[Matt]

1) The snakes would die before he can fully devour the snake in front, or before he is fully devoured.

2) Hence God is not almighty. A common paradox used to disprove the existence of God, based upon the definition of God as being almighty

[Silja]

1) The snakes would die before he can fully devour the snake in front, or before he is fully devoured.

But if you think about it, snakes do now chew their pray, the simply swallow it so the snake being eaten would not actually get hurt, perhaps just a bit squished inside the other

I personally can't imagine them continuing to eat each others' heads, but where would the rest have gone in that case?

[Smart Duck]

Ouch. Too much thinking on the weekend.

For #1, if the snakes do swallow and not chew, then at some point they will have to stop eating since unless their tails are open, the snake which they are eating wil stop at a certain point.

[Optimus]

These remind me of Buddhist koans that clear your mind and stuff.

Mind-boggling!

[(*Dranzer*)]

I believe that the snakes will slowly make the circle smaller until they are 1 snake length apart, until they fully digest it, and commit mass suicide.

-or-

if they move the tail at the same rate their head tries to bite the next morsel, it will create a continuing circle that will only result in their tails having repeated bite marks, or until they get so tired they revert back to idea 1.

Either way, #1 is inevitable.

As for god, if he is almighty, he would have unlimited strength, which would mean that he would have to constantly increase the weight of the object, which will result in him using up so much energy, he would have to use Sunday to rest( ). Which would mean that until God decides what he will do with the object, both God and the object will be almighty, therefore the object has become almighty through another almighty's actions.

I'm not religious, so that has nothing to do with my opinion on subject 2.

[Uncle Xyzzy]

3)A barber cuts the hair of anyone who does not cut his own hair. He does not cut the hair of anyone who cuts his own hair. Does his hair get cut?

and my answers:
1)assuming they were all going at the same rate the whole time, nothing would be devoured at all.
2)Impossible does not = illogical. Unless God destroys the universe or shifts the planets around, (destroying Earth) there would not be enough room to make a boulder he could not lift.

[Starchaser]

2)Impossible does not = illogical. Unless God destroys the universe or shifts the planets around, (destroying Earth) there would not be enough room to make a boulder he could not lift.

It could always be small and very dense.

[(*Dranzer*)]

3)A barber cuts the hair of anyone who does not cut his own hair. He does not cut the hair of anyone who cuts his own hair. Does his hair get cut?

and my answers:
1)assuming they were all going at the same rate the whole time, nothing would be devoured at all.
2)Impossible does not = illogical. Unless God destroys the universe or shifts the planets around, (destroying Earth) there would not be enough room to make a boulder he could not lift.

2) I disagree, because just because he makes it weigh more doesn't have to affect the volume. He could just make a bazillion ton hand ball for all we know.

[Silja]

3)A barber cuts the hair of anyone who does not cut his own hair. He does not cut the hair of anyone who cuts his own hair. Does his hair get cut?

You know, one can find two meanings in that one; if one assumes that the part "of anyone who does not cut his own hair" refers to that the person does not cut the barber's hair, then you've got yourself a real problem. BUT if one assumes that the part means that the person in question does not cut his own hair (not regarding the barber's hair) the barber could basically ask any of his customers to cut his (the barber's) hair.

Confusing, but at least I think I haven't messed anything up

[Qanda]

3)A barber cuts the hair of anyone who does not cut his own hair. He does not cut the hair of anyone who cuts his own hair. Does his hair get cut?

and my answers:
1)assuming they were all going at the same rate the whole time, nothing would be devoured at all.
2)Impossible does not = illogical. Unless God destroys the universe or shifts the planets around, (destroying Earth) there would not be enough room to make a boulder he could not lift.

About your answer for 2):

A heavy boulder which God cannot lift may not necessarily be a large boulder. It could be a tiny pebble but have the weight of the universe. But then, God created everything, didn't he?

As for your question 3), his hair gets cut. Either way you interprete it, he can just ask someone else to cut his hair.

[Silja]

As for your question 3), his hair gets cut. Either way you interprete it, he can just ask someone else to cut his hair.

Oooh yeah I read that another time now and I agree with you, either way he can ask anyone to cut his hair. I think. Ah, cofusing.

[(*Dranzer*)]

.3)A barber cuts the hair of anyone who does not cut his own hair He does not cut the hair of anyone who cuts his own hair. Does his hair get cut?

and my answers:
1)assuming they were all going at the same rate the whole time, nothing would be devoured at all.
2)Impossible does not = illogical. Unless God destroys the universe or shifts the planets around, (destroying Earth) there would not be enough room to make a boulder he could not lift.

About your answer for 2):

A heavy boulder which God cannot lift may not necessarily be a large boulder. It could be a tiny pebble but have the weight of the universe. But then, God created everything, didn't he?

As for your question 3), his hair gets cut. Either way you interprete it, he can just ask someone else to cut his hair.

What I bold/italiced is overall the same phrase. Therefore there is a major gap, in which anybody that DOESN"T get his/her hair cut can cut the barber's hair. Rapunzel,anyone?

As for god, thats what i said before about size versus mass. Increasing mass does not change volume necessarily, which means that the object would constantly change substance.