I’m of the view that this is a semantic question where we have a word, “pile”, that describes a general amount but doesn’t have a specified quantity to it, and so the only way we can determine the amount of units required to constitute a pile at the bare minimum, is through public consensus on the most commonly shared idea we generally have when we think of a pile.
I also think it’s possible for there to be a “range of graduation” between a non-pile and a pile, so for example “a non-pile becomes a pile somewhere between x grains and x grains” (depending on what most people think this range is), and if a given number of grains falls below this range, it would necessarily be only a minority of people that would still accept it to be a pile.
So I plan to count the answers here and see if we can come to some kind of consensus or at least most common or average opinion. For sake of not skewing the results, I won’t suggest my opinion on what I think the number or range of grains is upon which a non-pile becomes a pile. What do you think it is?
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Minimum number of grains of sand for a pile is four.
Three for the base layer, one for the second layer that makes it a pile.
Beyond that, whether it’s a pile depends on whether the sand is actually piled up.
You only need three if you can balance one grain of sand on two
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Man I can’t get this spacing right. You get what I mean
Nah that doesnt count. It cant be just one grain thick (from the side), it has to be roughly cone-shaped.
Lmao even among those of us willing to push the definition of a “pile” to its absolute limits, there are differences
Imo, if you can stack one grain of sand onto another, you can have a pile of 2
I understand “pile” more as an orientation than an amount. You could have a million grains of sand all in a row and I’d call it something like a “line” of sand rather than a “pile”. To that end I’d say the minimum would maybe be 4 grains arranged in a triangular pyramid?
A “layer” of sand is not a pile. 2 or more sand grains stacked could be a pile but it’s barely visible.
My 2¢:
- If there is only one “pile”:
- then 4 grains makes a pile. 3 grains form a base and 1 grain on top, making it three dimensional.
- If there is more than one “pile”:
- then 2 separated grains makes a pile each. Because you can point to each singular grain and say “this pile…”, for example.
Thoughts?
I just replied to another comment before reading yours with basically the same thought with regard to a single “pile”, so I’m going to say we’re on to something lol
2 grains side by side with a grain on top perpendicular makes a 3 pile. Two rocks balanced on top of each other is a pile, yes?
I added an extra grain for a stable base. In my opinion it would be difficult to balance with only two grains for a base but it’s possible.
But if you did balance it, wouldn’t it be a pile, albeit a delicate one?
Yep
As many as it takes to stack the grains, so it least 2.
I was thinking that, but then I thought - would I call 2 apples next to each other, or even stacked on top of the other, a “pile”? I don’t think so. So I would say a stack that has a solid base, so probably at least 4 - at least 3 to form a base, and then at least one more to sit on the base, forming the “pile”
But that’s just my stoned brain rambling, so make of it what you will lol
Three. Just two grains is a stack.
What if they are side by side
That’s very arrangement dependent!
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I don’t think there is a specific number of grains where something becomes a pile. The state of being a pile is determined by qualities that are correlated but not strictly proportional to the number of grains.
In this way, two sets of sand grains could have the same number of grains, but not both be considered a “pile”, depending on their arrangement etc. Similarly, you could take a pile of sand grains and make it no longer a pile by changing its configuration (while keeping the grain count constant).
At what point is a sauce not a curry, soup or drink?
Bug your indian friends by calling Ketchup a tomato curry.
When you give up and stop counting, it becomes a pile.
Edi: And if you give up without even attempting to count, then it’s officially a “shitload”.
Every pile is also grains, and every grain is a bit like a pile, in that it sits on something and has one or more peaks. I’d say a pile and a grain are just separate simplifications of sand. A very small collection of grains, say 100, may be best captured by one or the other depending on application.
Why yes, I do like the pragmatist school of philosophy, why do you ask? /s
It’s a famous problem which cannot be answered. It is meant to illustrate the vagueness of natural language and the need for structured communication for technical subjects where precision matters
It becomes a pile at the point where any further grains dropped are likely to come to rest on top of existing grains. So there’s not a specific number, but a statistical change in behaviour to be a pile.
My 2c.
I agree with @spittingimage. “Pile” implies height.
I would call it a pile as soon as it reaches pile-shape. Shape, not quantity, is the determining factor.
When the sands of the hour glass feel like the days of our time.
