Paradox of the heap

A good example of a vague concept is the concept of a heap of sand -- two or three grains of sand is not a heap, but a thousand is. So how many grains of sand does it take to make a heap? There is no clear line. It appears to be paradoxical to ask at what point a heap stops being a heap as grains are removed. This is known as the paradox of the heap or the sorites paradox (from the Greek language word for "heap").

See also:

• vagueness
• imprecise language
• mathematical induction

External links

• http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/sorites-paradox/
• http://homepage.ntlworld.com/falakros/vague/bib.htm