this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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xkcd

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xkcd #2821: Path Minimization (startrek.website)
submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Link to comic: https://xkcd.com/2821/

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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd add to this that, if I'm not mistaken, it's because light takes all possible paths and the average measured time is longer

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The probability of a path it takes is the sum of all possible paths. Richard Feynman uses this exact swimmer in the water example during one of his lectures of physics.