Recursion: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Recursion ploy - Doctor Who Castrovalva - BBC|thumb|Recursion explained. ([[TV]]: ''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]'')]]
[[File:Recursion ploy - Doctor Who Castrovalva - BBC|thumb|Recursion explained. ([[TV]]: ''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]'')]]
'''Recursion''' was the concept that ideas and concepts, as [[Nyssa]] put it, "fold back on themselves". Trying to come to grips with the concept, [[Tegan]] surmised that "if we had an [[index file]] we could look it up in the index file under 'index file'".  
'''Recursion''' was the concept that ideas and concepts, as [[Nyssa]] put it, "fold back on themselves". Trying to come to grips with the concept, [[Tegan]] surmised that "if we had an [[index file]] we could look it up in the index file under 'index file'".  

Revision as of 09:21, 13 December 2014

Recursion

Recursion was the concept that ideas and concepts, as Nyssa put it, "fold back on themselves". Trying to come to grips with the concept, Tegan surmised that "if we had an index file we could look it up in the index file under 'index file'".

Later, the Fifth Doctor called this exchange with Mergrave a "perfect example of recursion":

Doctor: How do I know you're telling the truth?
Mergrave: Because, sir, I maintain that I am. And I am a man of my word.

The Doctor later realised that Castrovalva itself was — as a mathematical construct of the Tremas Master — inherently recursive. The Master intended to trap the Doctor there as the recursion folded in on itself and the reality collapsed. (TV: Castrovalva)