Zeno the Exhausting Friend
Zeno ruins a marathon invitation and an argument with his dichotomy paradox, then is baffled when his friend simply walks away.
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Free for classrooms, worksheets, slides and other non-commercial use under CC BY-NC 4.0, with credit to Ben Orlin.
Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2025-06-30-zeno-the-exhausting-friend/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] A: "Hey Zeno, want to sign up for the marathon?" Zeno: "I would, but I figure I need to run a half-marathon first." A: "Oh, sure, I didn't…" Zeno: "And before that, a quarter-marathon. And before that, an eighth-marathon. And before that…"
[2] A: "UGH, STOP IT ZENO. I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOUR TIRED OLD SCHTICK" Zeno: "Are you sure? That means at some point, you must have had it up to here… and before that, up to here…"
[3] A: "Enough. It's impossible to be your friend. Goodbye, Zeno." [A walks away] Zeno: "WHAT IS HAPPENING. HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT WITH YOUR BODY"