Thread: A classificiation paradox.

Everybody in the world is one of two classes: Class A and Class B. There is no way to tell which class you are in except for these conditions:
1) If you think you are in Class A, then you are actually in Class B.
2) If you think you are in Class B, then you are actually in Class A.
3) If you are not sure if you are in Class A or B, then you are in Class A.
So, what should you believe about your class? If somebody asks which class you are in, what should your response be? There is no excuse to not know, since condition #3 states that if you don't know then you are automatically in A, but if you know for sure either way then you are automatically wrong. It seems like a paradox.
Your class can change, by the way.

Originally Posted by anticorncob28

Everybody in the world is one of two classes: Class A and Class B. There is no way to tell which class you are in except for these conditions:
1) If you think you are in Class A, then you are actually in Class B.
2) If you think you are in Class B, then you are actually in Class A.
3) If you are not sure if you are in Class A or B, then you are in Class A.
So, what should you believe about your class? If somebody asks which class you are in, what should your response be? There is no excuse to not know, since condition #3 states that if you don't know then you are automatically in A, but if you know for sure either way then you are automatically wrong. It seems like a paradox.
Your class can change, by the way.

First of all why is this in mathematics?

As for me I'd say am in class B which automatically makes me in class A and conclude by saying if truly am not in class B(implies A) then I don't have an idea,which again implies that am in class A......so for both answers I find myself in class A# so where did the word paradox comes from? Or am i not getting the question?

Originally Posted by merumario

First of all why is this in mathematics?

It's a logic puzzle (maybe), in which case it belongs here. What are you doing here?

Originally Posted by anticorncob28

If somebody asks which class you are in, what should your response be?

My response would be: "My class changes depending on which class I think I am."

I expect that I am in a class of individuals as yet not classified..... jocular

I think that if you tried to write it out logically, you would find the three statements are inconsistent, so there is no real answer. It's not too hard to make paradoxical statements though, like This sentence is true. The previous sentence is false. Personally, I like "is false when preceded by it's quotation," is false when preceded by its quotation. (Hmm... that doesn't sound quite right. Anyone remember what the original example was?)

Originally Posted by merumario

First of all why is this in mathematics?

See Naive Set Theory or Russell's Paradox.

Originally Posted by Neverfly

Originally Posted by merumario

First of all why is this in mathematics?

See Naive Set Theory or Russell's Paradox.

Ooº°˚ ˚°ºoo h I get it everybody was just on me#

I'd form my own confederate group of rebels, called Class C. Class C requires only an indifference to logic puzzles.

Now you have no idea what class you are in so you are in class A. You realized that you are in class A so you are in class B. And you are in class A again since you think you thought you are in class B.And you become confused again and you are in class A now.....So the result is that your class changes quickly. The quicker you think, the quicker it changes. Besides, I don't think it's a paradox :-)

Paradox just are true statements that contradicts one another.........this doesn't appear to be one#