Mathematics vs Morals

"Making Animal Pen"*

*A rancher hired an architect, an engineer, and
a mathematician to design the largest animal
pen possible using only a limited number of fence segments.

The architect arranged all the fence pieces in a
perfect square. "Making all sides equal in length
maximizes the space," he explained to the farmer,
who looked on with interest.

Next, the engineer took the fence pieces and
arranged them in a large circle. "Eliminating
sides and making the pen round produces a
shape with even greater area than a square,"
he told the farmer, who was even more impressed.

Finally, the mathematician took only three fence
pieces and arranged them in a triangle with
himself in the middle.

"I am outside the pen," he declared.

**************************************************

"Mathematics vs Morals"*

*A mathematician is interviewing for a prestigious
job. To make sure he has the right morals, the
interviewer gives him the following situation:

"You're late for a meeting, when you come across
a burning house, a fire hydrant, and a fire hose
lying across the street. What do you do?"

The mathematician responds:

"People's lives are more important than the meeting.
I screw the fire hose into the hydrant and put out
the fire before coming to the office."

The interviewer is impressed, but asks him a follow up
question just to make sure:

"You're late for a meeting when you pass a fire hose
connected to a hydrant, next to a perfectly safe
house. What do you do?"

The mathematician thinks for a moment, then replies:

"I unscrew the fire hose, carry it across the street,
and set the house on fire. Then I've reduced it to a
problem I've already solved."
Received on Mon Aug 25 11:14:57 2008