Month: February 2008

Question posed today elsewhere:
'…What's the smallest distance between two objects before they touch?…'
HD's proposition:
It's a really good question Jim!
If you assume that the smallest distance between two objects is a straight line and the line is made up of infinitesimal 'bits' and where these 'bits' are the smallest particles that can exist in the universe it might be stated that they are not touching when the line's bits=2 between the objects. Therefore if you measure each bit in terms of length and multiply by 2 that is the smallest measurable length between the objects. It cannot be reduced to 1 bit only, since one bit cannot be a line, it can only be the smallest bit of a line.
Theoretically, it might be stated as the width of the smallest particle that makes up the atomic structure since atoms are in fact transparent to some particles. I.e radiation. Measuring that may be difficult unless you place two objects that do not appear transparent to these particles next to each other and wait till the particles cannot transmit across the gap.
Practically not possible. Read about Schrödinger's Cat where it is either alive or dead, but is only one or the other when one can actually measure it. At all other times it is either alive or dead but remains hidden.
The assumption that the smallest distance between two points, however, is also not provable outside of mathematics. It might be that the smallest distance is in fact measured by some other entity which may not be straight in the ordinary sense of the word. Lines are assumed to be straight but it may not be the case. If they are made up of 'bits' as stated above, there is a reliance on the 'bits' being adjacent to each other at all times and that there is no 'gap' between bit ends.
The question that could be asked is are there distinct objects or are all objects just transient, transferable and fusible with other objects?
It may also be that the distance between two objects may be different in space than as measured on earth!
HD