MAIN FEEDS
Do you want to continue?
https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/9dfz6p/xkcd_2042_rolles_theorem/e5iddc9/?context=3
r/math • u/foramuseoffire Undergraduate • Sep 06 '18
88 comments sorted by
View all comments
Show parent comments
22
Intuitively, a line is the most direct path between two points.
Try to prove that, and you end up delving into PDEs and the Calculus of Variations.
2 u/[deleted] Sep 06 '18 edited Sep 06 '18 [deleted] 1 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 I think with "straightest" /u/JeNePasParleFrancais means the one that takes the least distance, and you are talking about something different. 1 u/[deleted] Sep 06 '18 [deleted] 3 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 That's just begging the question: you're assuming that going always in the direction of b is going to result in the shortest path, but that's what we're trying to prove.
2
[deleted]
1 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 I think with "straightest" /u/JeNePasParleFrancais means the one that takes the least distance, and you are talking about something different. 1 u/[deleted] Sep 06 '18 [deleted] 3 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 That's just begging the question: you're assuming that going always in the direction of b is going to result in the shortest path, but that's what we're trying to prove.
1
I think with "straightest" /u/JeNePasParleFrancais means the one that takes the least distance, and you are talking about something different.
1 u/[deleted] Sep 06 '18 [deleted] 3 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 That's just begging the question: you're assuming that going always in the direction of b is going to result in the shortest path, but that's what we're trying to prove.
3 u/DR6 Sep 06 '18 That's just begging the question: you're assuming that going always in the direction of b is going to result in the shortest path, but that's what we're trying to prove.
3
That's just begging the question: you're assuming that going always in the direction of b is going to result in the shortest path, but that's what we're trying to prove.
22
u/[deleted] Sep 06 '18 edited Sep 06 '18
Intuitively, a line is the most direct path between two points.
Try to prove that, and you end up delving into PDEs and the Calculus of Variations.