Some relativistic and higher order supertasks

Philosophy of Science 65 (3):502-517 (1998)
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Abstract

The first aim of this paper is to introduce a new way of looking at supertasks in the light of special relativity which makes use of the elementary dynamics of relativistic point particles subjected to elastic binary collisions and constrained to move unidimensionally. In addition, this will enable us to draw new physical consequences from the possibility of supertasks whose ordinal type is higher than the usual ω or ω * considered so far in the literature. Thus, the paper shows how an entire collection of infinitely many particles may place itself spontaneously in motion (mechanical self-acceleration) or even reach the speed of light in a way compatible with special relativity. Interesting implications for classical mechanics are also derived, particularly the possibility of a system of particles disappearing spontaneously in spatial infinity even under the condition of the non-existence of non-collision singularities

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Jon Perez Laraudogoitia
University of the Basque Country

Citations of this work

Quantum measurements and supertasks.Alisa Bokulich - 2003 - International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 17 (2):127 – 136.
Unmoved movers: a very simple and novel form of indeterminism.Jon Pérez Laraudogoitia - 2022 - European Journal for Philosophy of Science 12 (3):1-23.
Avoiding Infinite Masses.J. P. Laraudogoitia - 2007 - Synthese 156 (1):21-31.
A Flawed Argument Against Actual Infinity in Physics.Jon Perez Laraudogoitia - 2010 - Foundations of Physics 40 (12):1902-1910.

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References found in this work

Tasks, super-tasks, and the modern eleatics.Paul Benacerraf - 1962 - Journal of Philosophy 59 (24):765-784.
A beautiful supertask.Jon Perez Laraudogoitia - 1996 - Mind 105 (417):81-83.
Modern Science and Zeno's Paradoxes of Motion.Adolf Grünbaum - 1970 - In Wesley Charles Salmon (ed.), Zeno’s Paradoxes. Indianapolis, IN, USA: Bobbs-Merrill. pp. 200--250.
Classical particle dynamics, indeterminism and a supertask.Jon Pérez Laraudogoitia - 1997 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 48 (1):49-54.

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