- #1
PhysDrew
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My question relates to a specific example, namely the square root of two. If one forms a right isosceles triangle with the hypotenuse equal to 2 (be it metres, centimetres or whatever) then the other two sides must equal the square root of 2. But the square root of 2 is an irrational number. If one was to make this triangle physically, wouldn't it be impossible, as the number (and hence the length of the sides) continues on forever? Is this a reflection of the incompleteness of mathematics? Or is the physical representation of any number (or length) impossible to achieve precisely, and hence the sides aren't exactly equal to 2 (and hence 2^(1/2))?
EDIT: Or is Euclidean geometry fundamentally incorrect?
EDIT: Or is Euclidean geometry fundamentally incorrect?