The Coastline Paradox Explained

Alright, let’s dissect the impossible. Tell me: How long is the coast of

Great Britain? If you said 11,000 miles, you’re wrong. If you said 19,000,

you’re also wrong. And you’re both arguing over the same shoreline. The ridiculous answer

is that the coast of Britain is infinitely long. Yes, really.

It’s called the Coastline Paradox, and it’s a math problem that sounds like a geography

major’s fever dream. Here’s the deal: The length of a coastline depends entirely on the

size of your ruler. Use a 50-mile ruler? You smooth over all the coves and inlets.

The number is small. But if you swap that out for a one-foot ruler, you start measuring