Consider the statement: 'A terminated line can be produced indefinitely.' A shopkeeper in Jaipur argues that this means a ruler of length 30 cm is actually infinite. Why is his reasoning wrong?

Question

Accepted Answer

The postulate is about extending the line idea, not the physical ruler. Euclid's second postulate is an idealised geometric statement: a line segment can be conceptually extended without end. A physical ruler is just a finite model of part of a line.

Consider the statement: 'A terminated line can be produced indefinitely.'
A shopkeeper in Jaipur argues that this means a ruler of length 30 cm is actually infinite.
Why is his reasoning wrong?

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More Class 9 Euclid's Postulates practice

Consider the statement: 'A terminated line can be produced indefinitely.'A shopkeeper in Jaipur argues that this means a ruler of length 30 cm is actually infinite.Why is his reasoning wrong?

Step-by-Step Solution

Master this chapter in 30 minutes a day.

More Class 9 Euclid's Postulates practice

Consider the statement: 'A terminated line can be produced indefinitely.'
A shopkeeper in Jaipur argues that this means a ruler of length 30 cm is actually infinite.
Why is his reasoning wrong?