- University of Central Florida physics professor Costas Efthimiou's work debunks pseudoscientific ideas, such as vampires and zombies, in an attempt to enhance public literacy. Not only does the public believe in such topics, but the percentages are at dangerously high level, Efthimiou told LiveScience.
Legend has it that vampires feed on human blood and once bitten a person turns into a vampire and starts feasting on the blood of others.
Efthimiou's debunking logic: On Jan 1, 1600, the human population was 536,870,911. If the first vampire came into existence that day and bit one person a month, there would have been two vampires by Feb. 1, 1600. A month later there would have been four, and so on. In just two-and-a-half years the original human population would all have become vampires with nobody left to feed on.
Of course, this could all be part of a conspiracy to get us to let our guard down. After all, one of the most popular mathematicians in the world is himself a vampire...
Good post number 30, ah. ah. ah. ah.
ReplyDeleteMaybe vampires frequently bite each other. That would limit the exponential growth curve. Moreover, if the second bite has a inverse phase relationship to the first bite, they would cancel each other out. Therefore, the bitee would be disenvampirated on each even-numbered bite, and the vampire population would maintain a relative state of equilibrium.
ReplyDeleteOne could also argue that any subsequent bite would actually serve to increase one's vampiristic abilities, thereby making them all the more potent. I could be wrong, of course. Besides, I think they can sniff each other out.
ReplyDeleteYes, if multiple bites caused increased vampirism in a single individual, then you might see slower growth but increased potency in the vampire population. Probably this would be concentrated in geographic areas like the Transylvanian Alps and Pennsylvania Ave.
ReplyDeletethe bitten thing is just a myth. you don't become a vampire if you get bitten by another one. you are supposed to be born one. that's how the first vampire came out, borned by humans. the chance is very low but it makes your math worthless regarless.
ReplyDeleteSorry, there, Count. I've never been a math guy.
ReplyDeleteThere are many myths stating that it is not the bite itself that causes vampirism, but an exchange of blood between the vampire and its victim.
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