A relativistic Zeno effect

A Zenonian supertask involving an infinite number of identical colliding balls is generalized to include balls with different masses. Under the restriction that the total mass of all the balls is finite, classical mechanics leads to velocities that have no upper limit. Relativistic mechanics results in velocities bounded by that of light, but energy and momentum are not conserved, implying indeterminism. The notion that both determinism and the conservation laws might be salvaged via photon creation is shown to be flawed.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: SYNTHESE
• Authors: David Atkinson
• Keywords: Identical Colliding Balls, Infinite Number, SYNTHESE 2008, Zenonian Supertask