My Continental Challenge

[AV1611VET]

How many continents are there?

 

[mnorian]

How many continents are there?

Two? continent and incontinent; I prefer the first one.

 

[klutedavid]

How many continents are there?

Hello AV.

In what time frame, once there was only one continent.
No need of ships and bridges, life was simpler back then.

 

[Cearbhall]

You are one of the most curious individuals I have ever come across on the Internet. I sometimes suspect that you inherited a fortune, never have to work again, and have come up with a very creative way of killing time.

 

[AV1611VET]

Hello AV.

Hello, KD!

In what time frame,

AD 2016

... once there was only one continent.

Yes, indeed!

No need of ships and bridges, life was simpler back then.

Yes, indeed!

 

[klutedavid]

You are one of the most curious individuals I have ever come across on the Internet. I sometimes suspect that you inherited a fortune, never have to work again, and have come up with a very creative way of killing time.

Hello Cearbhall.

Are you referring to AV or klutedavid.

 

[Cearbhall]

Hello Cearbhall.

Are you referring to AV or klutedavid.

AV.

 

[AV1611VET]

AV.

Well, thank you, Cearbhall!

For the record, I'm a retired computer operator and my wife is currently a secretary for a Fortune 100 company.

God has been good to us!

 

[aachen_hexagon]

How many continents are there?

7. (Next challenge please).

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

7. Submit request for OP closure.

 

[pgp_protector]

QV

 

[aachen_hexagon]

OOOH, I get the challenge now! It's probably around the "Definition" of a Continent! Like the definition (or lack thereof) of the world "planet". We in most of the west learn there are 7 continents while some school systems like in Russia and Eastern Europe say there are 6 based on the definition.

Guess it is time for a geographic body to impose a strict definition. It won't change anything fundamentally about the earth other than an arbitrary number.

Let's say you called North and South American "1 continent" and you called Europe and Asia "1 continent" that takes us down to 5. But, interestingly enough, there is no net loss or gain in information about North and South America OR Europe and Asia. It's just a definition. And in the highly unlikely event that we "discover" a new massive landmass separated from the other landmasses we would then be able to say if it is a continent or not if we had an "official" definition instead of just maybe calling it that.

Again: 7 continents vs 6 continents vs 5 continents changes nothing in regards to our understanding of these landmasses.

IF, however, you wanted to talk about TECTONIC PLATES that might be more of an interesting and less arguable point since they are pretty well defined. And changing the definition would involve some major conceptual "surgery".

 

[pgp_protector]

OOOH, I get the challenge now! It's probably around the "Definition" of a Continent! Like the definition (or lack thereof) of the world "planet". We in most of the west learn there are 7 continents while some school systems like in Russia and Eastern Europe say there are 6 based on the definition.

Guess it is time for a geographic body to impose a strict definition. It won't change anything fundamentally about the earth other than an arbitrary number.

Let's say you called North and South American "1 continent" and you called Europe and Asia "1 continent" that takes us down to 5. But, interestingly enough, there is no net loss or gain in information about North and South America OR Europe and Asia. It's just a definition. And in the highly unlikely event that we "discover" a new massive landmass separated from the other landmasses we would then be able to say if it is a continent or not if we had an "official" definition instead of just maybe calling it that.

Again: 7 continents vs 6 continents vs 5 continents changes nothing in regards to our understanding of these landmasses.

IF, however, you wanted to talk about TECTONIC PLATES that might be more of an interesting and less arguable point since they are pretty well defined. And changing the definition would involve some major conceptual "surgery".

Trap Sprung.

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

OOOH, I get the challenge now! It's probably around the "Definition" of a Continent! Like the definition (or lack thereof) of the world "planet". We in most of the west learn there are 7 continents while some school systems like in Russia and Eastern Europe say there are 6 based on the definition.

Guess it is time for a geographic body to impose a strict definition. It won't change anything fundamentally about the earth other than an arbitrary number.

Let's say you called North and South American "1 continent" and you called Europe and Asia "1 continent" that takes us down to 5. But, interestingly enough, there is no net loss or gain in information about North and South America OR Europe and Asia. It's just a definition. And in the highly unlikely event that we "discover" a new massive landmass separated from the other landmasses we would then be able to say if it is a continent or not if we had an "official" definition instead of just maybe calling it that.

Again: 7 continents vs 6 continents vs 5 continents changes nothing in regards to our understanding of these landmasses.

IF, however, you wanted to talk about TECTONIC PLATES that might be more of an interesting and less arguable point since they are pretty well defined. And changing the definition would involve some major conceptual "surgery".

I just realised that you forgot the thing about Peleg.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Some say 7, some say 6...

Personally, I say seven; never really bought into that "Eurasia" thing...

Thread over, nothing more to see here.

 

[AV1611VET]

7. Submit request for OP closure.

Why should I submit a request for closure?

Just because you say seven?

What about what others say?

Now you know how Pluto got demoted, don't you?

'Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion of Pluto, and most are not planetary scientists. The vote was conducted in violation of the IAU's own bylaws on the last day of a two-week conference when most attendees already had left. No absentee voting was allowed.'

Source: The Pluto Issue

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Why should I submit a request for closure?

Just because you say seven?

What about what others say?

Now you know how Pluto got demoted, don't you?

'Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion of Pluto, and most are not planetary scientists. The vote was conducted in violation of the IAU's own bylaws on the last day of a two-week conference when most attendees already had left. No absentee voting was allowed.'

Source: The Pluto Issue

Hey, @aachen_hexagon, you were right: it IS another Pluto thread.

AV, comparing Pluto, a planetary object which did not have a clearly defined parameter for definition as a planet, against the continents, which is universally accepted are not the same things.

Not much of a challenge here.

 

[Ophiolite]

Five: The Americas, Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Four*: The Americas, Eurasia, Australia, Africa
Six: North America, South America, Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Five*: North America, South America, Eurasia, Australia, Africa
Seven: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Six*: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa
And so on.

* Antarctica excluded because it has no indigenous inhabitants. Important from a Human Geography standpoint.

Contrary to AV's contention, the definition of continent is not sufficiently well defined for any of these options to be settled upon without dispute. What else would be expect from AV?

Edit: "we" not "be" in the last sentence.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Why should I submit a request for closure?

Just because you say seven?

What about what others say?

When have you ever cared what others say?

 

[Warden_of_the_Storm]

Five: The Americas, Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Four*: The Americas, Eurasia, Australia, Africa
Six: North America, South America, Eurasia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Five*: North America, South America, Eurasia, Australia, Africa
Seven: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Africa
Six*: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa
And so on.

* Antarctica excluded because it has no indigenous inhabitants. Important from a Human Geography standpoint.

Contrary to AV's contention, the definition of continent is not sufficiently well defined for any of these options to be settled upon without dispute. What else would be expect from AV?

Ah, darn. I may have fed AV some accidental ammunition now.