Re: but this can't be true
As someone else pointed out, I was wrong - they have equal masses, not weights.
My point is that they're equal in at least one respect, but that doesn't make them identical. It's not complicated.
Nope, lots of things are considered identical where they are functionally indistinguishable but not indistinguishable in other respects.
For example, I manufacture two machine screws using the same process. They have the same material composition, thermodynamic history, dimensions, appearance and physical characteristics. They are functionally indistinguishable.
They are not indistinguishable in non-functional respects though; say they're assigned with two different serial numbers for example. I can therefore tell one from the other, but I can still justifiably say they're identical.
If they were equal in every possible functional and non-functional respect then they would no longer be merely identical, they would literally be the same object.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
