The measured length of a coastline depends on the size of the smallest feature that you take into account. That is, the closer you look, the longer the coastline becomes. And there’s no upper boundary on it, so the measured length of the coastline can be made larger than any finite number by taking a close enough look at it. Basically, the true length of a coastline can be thought of as infinite. But at the same time we can clearly see that the coastline is a finite object which is clearly bounded. So we have a finite object of infinite length. That is the paradox.
Latest Answers