Envoking quantitization. Anything looked at closely enough reveals a quantized, i.e. granular nature. What we assume to be analog or continuous in nature is at best characterized by fine granularity and is quantized. Consider the digital music on a CD or an MP3, there are only a finite number of levels of volume or differences in frequency depending on the number of bits used to represent the sound and the rate at which the digital "words" or frames are recorded and played back.
da Teacha, In common usage "jump" as in jump from a bridge or building is often more like stepping off a high place and not a very vigorous action. Since a sufficiently vigorous jump can destroy the aquaduct how about a slightly less vigorous jump? What about a slightly less vigorous jump than the previous one? At some point before not quite making it over the gunwhale of the vessel the "jumper" will have "jumped" with sufficient lack of force and vigor so as to not cause the devestation.
Argument of the beard: If I have one long hair on my chin is it a beard? Most would say not. OK, how about 2 long hairs, or three, or 4, or... At some point most everyone will agree that I have a beard. It is an argument through incrementalization and although you may not get uniform agreement about where (what number of long hairs) makes me have a beard at some point you will get general agreement that I have one. This is the antithesis of the either-or all or nothing argument. It is generally accepted that you can't be a little bit pregnant,either you are or you aren't. That is an example where the argument of the beard is not useful.
Similar and in reverse a jumper exiting the vessel could exit with sufficient delicacy so as to not overstress the aquaduct. Envision a jumper with grotesquely large feet (no insult intended, Egon) with proper technique he could almost walk on water so exiting the vessel and letting his large feet act as hydraulic dampers to his downward motion he would spread and difuse the force distributing it in its temporal extent such that peak loads would stay below the threshold. He could also violently move his hands, oversized and grotesque, in a downward motion so the reactionary force would temporarily reduce his vertical downard component (temporary weight reduction) so as to ease his entry into the water. If he had untucked his shirt and flapped it along with his downward hand movement he could generate a pulse of aerodynemaic lift to further reduce the vigor of his aqueous entry. Perhaps this individual has extraordinary lung power and forcefully exhales in a downward direction in time with his "jump."
No one said anything about his companion(s) not helping to ease his transition by direct manual means.
Being a true "waterman" and would be pirate, he may have been able to get some assistance from his pet parot which was perched on his shoulder. The Nowegian Blue is known for the powerful thrust of its wingbeats. Ahh, beautiful plumage, the Norwegian Blue!
There are innumerable additional possibilities for assistance in gaining the "jumper" a smooth non-destructive entry into the water but those will be left as an exercise for the student (or da Teacha.) None of these were specifically elliminated by the problem statement which left an open field for certain categories of assumptions. There are, of course many assumptions that could be made that doom the jumper to disaster but listing them was not my intent. I chose to weigh in on the side of NOT destroying the aquaduct.
Oh, by the way... virtually everyone agrees that I DO have a beard!
Pat
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