HAPPY PI DAY!
A mathematician, a physicist, and an engineer are all given identicalrubber balls and told to find the volume. They are given anything theywant to measure it, and have all the time they need. The mathematician pulls out a measuring tape and records the circumference. He then divides by two times pi to get the radius, cubes that, multiplies by pi again, and then multiplies by four-thirds and thereby calculates the volume.The physicist gets a bucket of water, places 1.00000 gallons of water in the bucket, drops in the ball, and measures the displacement to six significant figures. And the engineer? He writes down the serial number of the ball, and looks it up.
This joke illustrates the different approaches taken by a mathematician, a physicist, and an engineer when asked to find the volume of a rubber ball.
The mathematician employs mathematical calculations using the ball's circumference to determine its radius, then applies the formula for the volume of a sphere. The formula for the volume of a sphere is V = (4/3) * π * r^3, where V represents the volume and r represents the radius.
The physicist, on the other hand, uses the principle of displacement to measure the volume. By placing the ball in a bucket of water and measuring the amount of water displaced, the physicist calculates the volume of the ball. Water has a known density, so by measuring its displacement, the volume of the ball can be determined.
Lastly, the engineer takes a different approach. Instead of using mathematical calculations or physical measurement, the engineer relies on external resources. The engineer writes down the serial number of the ball and looks up its information, which likely includes the volume.
In summary, the mathematician uses mathematical formulas, the physicist relies on the principle of displacement, and the engineer utilizes external information to find the volume of the rubber ball. This joke humorously highlights the different problem-solving approaches taken by individuals from different fields.