Is a glass half empty or half full?

Question

You see, there are a few questions like this and now I try to mathematically solve the riddle...but do you agree with my resulting conclusion?

Empty means there is nothing there...we all know that half of nothing is nothing. A full glass is one glass full...half of one full glass is half So, surely half empty is incorrect (as half of nothing is nothing) and the glass is truly half full (half of a full (one) glass or half of a full...or half full).

I have tried to give mathematical reasoning for this which is why it is posted in math. *>rolling eyes smiley posted here<*.

Even now many do not understand the spirit of the question. ^^

I know it has been posted before, I ALREADY STATED THAT but it is definately not the same question.

Thanks to those who answered with a mathematical mind. :D

Answer 1

Forgetting the psychoanalysis, as you did ask this in Mathematics... yes I agree that something cannot be half way to empty.... simply because you can say nearly empty of course, but there's no real definition. That's like saying halfway to zero.

What number in the infinite amount of numbers is half way to zero?? None.

Half of zero is zero, so there is no "half zero" or "half empty".

Half full on the other hand, with a glass is easier to measure.

So yes, I agree with your conclusion.

As for the psychological question which has been addressed here, despite you saying it's NOT posted for that reason... I always say it's half full.

Whether because it makes more sense or because I'm an optimist is a different question :-)

Answer 2

In a way you are right, but the usage refers to the water in the glass being emptied.

That question is used by people to talk of human psychology, since the optimist sees the glass as half full and a pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

Answer 3

this sentence u usually used to tell whether the person is an optimist or a pesimist . i dont know whether it is a riddle but ur thinking is good. but they finally mean the same its like a glass that is half empty from the top or is half full from the bottom. so what r u trying to prove anyway

Answer 4

Mathematically, I think you are right. But the saying simply
means that there is nothing in half of the glass and something
in the other half of the glass. Half empty does not necessarily
mean half OF empty. But if it does, then like you say, half of
zero is zero.

Answer 5

it is both half full and half empty. what matters is what half you care about. If you only fret about the empty half you have a negative attitude. If you are happy to have the half full part, then you have a good attitude about this situation. the same as every thing in life, focus on the good not the bad. life is made of memories and if you only notice the empty part of the glass then you will remember the empty part of life.

Answer 6

It involves the coordinate or frame reference, which you prefered, either from the bottom of the glass or top of the glass.

We set origin axis from bottom of the glass, it means the glass was filled by water, for instance. Therefore, it can be quoted as "half full".

Conversely, we set origin axis from top of the glass, it means the glass was filled by emptiness, (without water). Therefore, it can be quoted as "half empty".

Answer 7

They both mean the same thing!!

A glass half empty is a glass half empty! because half of the glass is empty as it is the top half.
A glass half full is a glass half full!! because it is half full representing the bottom half.

There is no riddle, they are the same.

Answer 8

i tend to think that a glass is never half full because this would indicate it started empty and if so it rarely stops at halfway when being filled.
it is usually full and is on its way to becoming empty
ergo half-empty

Answer 9

but i would define half empty as half way to empty. So if full is 100 and empty 0 if you are at 50 you are half way to empty.

Personally i think it depends where you start. If you start from 0 and work your way up to 50 then its half full.

However if you start from 100 and drop to 50 then its half empty

Answer 10

I'd say it's half empty if it was full but you have drunk half of it. And half full if you only filled it to half. Well, it makes sense to me lol