Posted 12/13/2024 10:18 AM (GMT -5)
Hank and Jeff are college freshmen. Neither can decide between a career in engineering or one in mathematics. They go to see their advisor, who says he'll give them each a two-part test that shows which is the better choice. He explains that in both parts of the test, the objective is to go into the room and boil the water.
Hank goes into the room and sees an empty pot on the floor, a sink with a water faucet, a gas burner, and a book of matches. So he takes the pot, fills it with water, puts it on the burner, turns on the gas and lights it with a match. In a while the water boils.
Fine, the prof. says. Now go back in and do it again.
Hank goes back into room and sees that the pot is already on the burner, filled with water. So he turns on the gas and lights it with a match. Soon the water boils.
"Engineering," says the advisor.
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Jeff goes into the room, sees the empty pot on the floor and does the same thing Hank did to boil the water.
OK, the advisor says. Now go back in and do it again.
Jeff goes back into room and sees that the pot, filled with water, is on the burner. He takes the pot to the sink, dumps out the water, puts the empty pot on the floor, and says to the advisor "I've reduced this to the first case, which I've already solved."
"Mathematics," says the advisor.