View Single Post
  #45  
Old October 22nd, 2009, 12:56 PM

LumenPlacidum LumenPlacidum is offline
Sergeant
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 255
Thanks: 15
Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts
LumenPlacidum is on a distinguished road
Default Re: OT: but Mr. Architect, why can't you make a perfect world?

Consider if the sheep graze in an infinite meadow and grass always grows quickly enough to sustain the sheep, no matter how many sheep there are.

Assume that this means that there is no limitation of resources, but that sheep need some definite amount of space to survive (i.e. you cannot have a living sheep that has been crushed down to be smaller than some given space)

With no limitation of resources, populations grow on the order of an exponential function.

Consider that a sheep has a maximum speed at which it can run. Assuming that sheep constantly run outwards from the initial pair of sheep at top speed from the instant they're born, they will achieve a maximum radius that grows linearly over time. So, the area of sheep-coverage grows according to the square of time passed.

Note that the number of sheep is in fact growing faster than the area covered by the sheep, because O(a^n)>O(n^2). This means that as time progresses, the sheep become denser and denser, even though they're running as fast as they can to claim more of this infinite meadow. Or, as time progresses, the amount of space per sheep approaches zero.

Thus, your sheep will die even without predators since their own breeding will compress them beyond the limitations of what they can survive.

Result? Sheep-paved road. The softest ride you'll ever have.
Reply With Quote