[Naeem]

My friend asked me this today.

Is the glass half-full or half-empty? . Lets see your input in the poll.

[The Big Harf]

Neither. My glass fell on the floor, broke, and now its contents, as well as some nasty glass shrapnel are spread about the floor. Now where's that mop?
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[sweetums]

The answer merely depends upon whether you are pouring contents into it (then it's half full), or drinking from it (then it is half empty). The interaction with the object determines the perspective.
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[Nilwort]

Does this mean the glass is fulmpty?

[balistic]

If you consider the distance between the atomic nucleus and its electron cloud, and the distance from one atom's electron cloud to the next, any glass is almost entirely empty.
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[Giant Hamster]

Sweetums already said it.

[ElfGirlKimmy]

I seem to have misplaced my glass, can I have yours?
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[Ragnarok]

[gLitterbug]

Sweetums is right, it�s just a matter of your starting point.

[Max]

Technically there's no half. It depands on the count and size of the atoms.
Well, both is right since one half is a big as the other.
The same question would be: 2+2=4? or 2+2=8-4? Doesn't make any difference.
You are reffering to the positive/negative philosophy of life I quess.
In this case I would say it's half full

[A-13]

Rounding out the last weeks of my freshman year at college- it's half empty. Aparrently this is when all my professors feel the need to pile on the work.
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[Capt. Fred]

where's the glass? for all I know it could be entirely empty.
Give us a picture and i'll get my tape measure out.

since people rarely half-fill glasses, and since it's more likely to have been filled to the top and drunk down to half, I'd say it's gotta be half empty.

[Matthew]

isn't this a paradox when in fact nothing can be half of something either it being full or empty? either it is full or empty, right? hmm makes my mind wonder, I have never been good with these IQ tests anyway.

.

[Max]

Matthew: It could be 1/3 too. right? The problem with a paradox btw is that it isn't logic. So IQ (which is relativ anyway) won't help you here

Just a thought: a glass is never full actually,...it would slop over. Therefore its more likely to be half empty since it can't (technically it could but you know what I mean) be full anyway...well,...

edit: okay. but on the other hand you could say, since a glass is never full, the half (technically) is more than the half of what was in the glass before you drank (since it wasn't 100% full anyway). Therefore its more lilely to say it's half full...kinda. Hope that makes any sense,... : )

[The Big Harf]

I also must say I LOVE free refills.
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[Naeem]

lol.
this is wat i was looking for; varied opinions . just making u all think about it...
i'd say its relevant to wat u're doing with the stuff in the glass.

enjoyed reading the funny comments here too

[Nighteyes]

There is no glass.

[Max]

I really wonder why most people voted for "half full" since "half empty" is also right.
I voted for nothing because both is true.
I think it depands on the interpretation of the question.

[eyewoo]

Max... The phrase is an emotional barometer for one's mental health. If a person thinks the glass is half full, they are considered to be optimistic... if half empty, they are pessimistic...

The science of it is interesting, but I've never heard it used in any way other than as an emotional barometer...
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[sweetums]

Max, you are incorrect about the glass being unable to be completely full. If you read up on surface tension, you will find that you can actually fill a glass past the point of full before it "slops over," due to surface tension. Also, as was explained far earlier in this post, the question is merely one of perception. There is always a half, even down to atomic level, and again it relates to perspective, whether you are adding to, or subracting from the original point of reference. "Positive/Negative" is the esoterical value people like to attach to it based upon their individual perceptions.

And Matthew, if you have an 8 ounce (one cup) measuring cup, and it has 4 ounces of liquid in it, is that not half of a cup? If you take an apple, and slice it into two equal sized pieces with a knife, is each one not a half? Therefore, things CAN and ARE "half of something." Don't play with paradoxes if you are not good at them.
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Life is short. Expect nothing, enjoy everything.
That which does not kill you should make you wiser...

[Matthew]

Look at the phrase Full or Empty, if something is half of being full or empty it is not Full or Empty anymore, that was my thinking.
Half of something can be and is but that wasn't what I meant. Anyone that understands what I mean?
Regarding paradox or not, my mom said I could play with them.

hehe .

[Drunken Monkey]

My glass is sometimes full, sometimes empty... but it really is cracked and is leaking all the time.

p.s.
this isn't a math question guys... its pshychological designed to find out if you are optimistic or pessimistic.
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[Max]

sweetums: well, as I said. technically it is, of course. But normally a glass isn't filled 100% and you consider it to be full anyway. You wouldn't call a 45% filled glass half full though. therefore a "full" (lets say 90%) glass is never really (100%) full. So the real (50%) half which we also consider to be half is more than 50% of 90%. Therefore its more likely to say it's half full.
Just some weird thoughs on my part

eyewoo: yes, of course. In this case I would say its half full
But you could answer it in a non sebjective way too as I did. In this case you have to say that it's not possible to anwser as long as we don't know everything about the "atomic level" as sweetums put it.
Or you just say both is true but this answer isn't listed here.
I just wanted to go beyond the positive negative thing which actually doens't proof anything.

Matthew: yeah, i know what you mean, took me a while though. But these are just words. You can replace them with numbers.
Then it makes more sense.

[matter]

if its my cup, its definitely half empty, considering i most likely poured and drank whatever's gone...
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Sorry! for any digressive, pompous, or just plain off-topic rants.

[pxy]

(ok sweetums said it already, i don't feel clever)

[neff]

is beer in that glass?
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*

[The Big Harf]

[smartass]

neither half full nor half empty.
it is filled with 50% air and 50% water (or whatever else).

[gLitterbug]

Very smart, smartass.