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.)
