83 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
83 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
From georgem@microso.UUCP Sun Jul 2 18:30:05 1989
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Flags: 000000000001
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Path: molokai!milano!cs.utexas.edu!ssbn!looking!funny-request
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From: georgem@microso.UUCP (George Moore)
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Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny
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Subject: Food for thought
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Keywords: heard it, funny
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Message-ID: <3582@looking.on.ca>
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Date: 2 Jul 89 23:30:05 GMT
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Sender: funny@looking.on.ca
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Lines: 66
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Approved: funny@looking.on.ca
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Reply-Path: uunet.UU.NET!microsoft!georgem
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{ed There are many versions of this story...}
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There are SEVERAL ways to solve a problem. For example, consider
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the following from "The Teaching of Elementary Science and
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Mathematics" by Alexander Calandra:
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"The process of creativity is a mysterious and interesting one.
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It is brilliantly described in the following story. A student
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refused to parrot back what he had been taught in class. When the
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student protested, I was asked to act as arbiter between the
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student and his professor.
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I went to my colleague's office and read the examination
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question: 'Show how it is possible to determine the height of a
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tall building with the aid of a barometer.'
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The student had answered: 'Take the barometer to the top of
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the building, attach a long rope to it, lower the barometer to
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the street and then bring it up, measuring the length of the
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rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building.'
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A high grade is supposed to certify competence in physics, but
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the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student
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have another try at answering the question. I gave the student
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six minutes, with the warning that his answer should show some
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knowledge of physics. In the next minute he dashed off his
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answer, which read: 'Take the barometer to the top of the
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building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer,
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timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula
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S = 1/2at2, calculate the height of the building.'
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At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He
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conceded, and I gave the student almost full credit.
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In leaving my colleague's office, I recalled that the student
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had said he had other answers to the problem, so I asked him what
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they were.
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'Oh, yes. There are many ways of getting the height of a tall
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building with the aid of a barometer. For example, you could take
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the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the
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barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow
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of the building, and by the use of a simple proportion, determine
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the height of the building.'
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Fine, I said. And the others?
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'Yes. Take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As
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you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer
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along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will
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give you the height of the building in barometer units. A very
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direct method.'
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'Finally, there are many other ways of solving the problem.
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Proably not the best is to take the barometer to the basement and
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knock on the superintendent's door. When the superintendent
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answers, you speak to him as follows: "Mr. Superintendent, here
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I have a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of this
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building, I will give you this barometer".'
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--
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Edited by Brad Templeton. MAIL, yes MAIL your jokes to funny@looking.ON.CA
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Attribute the joke's source if at all possible. I will reply, mailers willing.
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Remember: Only ONE joke per submission. Extra jokes may be rejected.
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