FLAGPOLE
A team of engineers were required to measure the height of a flagpole. They only had a measuring tape, and were getting quite frustrated trying to keep the tape along the pole. It kept falling down, and they couldn't tell from the ground if the top of the tape was even with the top of the pole.
A mathematician comes along, finds out their problem, and proceeds to remove the pole from the stand, lay it on the ground, and measure it easily.
When he leaves, one engineer says to the other: "Just like a mathematician! We need to know the height, and he gives us the length!"
Cheers,
Paul (A.)
I heard this joke recently, except the mathematician is a woman. It's a lot funnier, actually.
ReplyDeleteSorry I don't have the funniest version of the joke. I takes 'em as they comes.
ReplyDeleteI posted as anonymous without having to type fuzzy letters.
ReplyDeleteThat's me up there after I signed out, and I didn't see fuzzy letters.
ReplyDeleteNot a joke told among engineers, I'm guessing...
ReplyDeleteJCF, as I see it, whoever tells the joke is free to choose the cast.
ReplyDeleteLike
ReplyDeleteLapin, I see you now speak only Facebook. What's not to like about a man of a few words...uh...one word? The world is a better place for it.
ReplyDeleteI shared this with my sister-in-law, one of the many mathematicians in my family. She sent the following back to me:
ReplyDeleteA political scientist, an engineer, and a mathematician are on a train that has recently entered Denmark.
In Denmark, the first field they see has a herd of black cows.
The political scientist says, "Look! The cows in Denmark are black."
The engineer chides him. "You're careless. You should say 'The
cows in this particular field in Denmark are black'."
Then the mathematician says, "You're both careless. You should say 'The cows in this particular field in Denmark are black on one side'."
Boo Cat
Mimi, you're confusing me with yer anonymous postings today :(
ReplyDeleteGood one, Boocat. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCathy, my anonymous comment is in the wrong thread. On another thread, Elizabeth K said that the fuzzy letters were back, so I did a test by signing out and leaving a comment. But that was in another thread, so it is very confusing, and you're probably not more enlightened after my explanation.
Enlightenment is where you find it.
ReplyDeleteAs in not here?
ReplyDelete