"If a five-piece jazz band can play 'Honeysuckle Rose' in six minutes, you might think a ten-piece could play it in three minutes. In fact, it would take at least 12, because everybody's got to have time to take a solo."
A physicist and a Mathematician were asked the same question:
Suppose you walked by a burning house. Next to the house is a hydrant and a hose laying on the ground not connected to the hydrant. What would you do?
Physicist: I would attach the hose to the hydrant, turn on the water, and put out the fire.
Mathematician: I would attach the hose to the hydrant, turn on the water, and put out the fire.
Then they were asked this question:
Suppose you walked by a house (not on fire) and also saw a hose connected to a hydrant. What would you do?
Physicist: I would keep walking, as there is no problem to solve.
Mathematician: I would disconnect the hose from the hydrant and set the house on fire, I would therefore have reduced the problem to a previously solved form.
Posted by duver001 at March 24, 2006 2:12 PM | TrackBack