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16 comments
Power-User

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Glen Mills, PA.
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Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/30/2009 7:57 AM

Which are you?

A group of boys are lined up on one wall of a dance hall, and an equal number of girls are lined up on the opposite wall. Both groups are instructed to advance toward each other by one quarter the distance separating them every ten seconds. When do they meet at the center of the dance hall? A mathematician says they will never actually meet because the series is infinite. A physicist says they will meet when time equals infinity. An engineer says that within one minute they will be close enough for all practical purposes.

From Wolfram

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Guru
United States - Member - Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Malaysia - Member - Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Engineering Fields - Mechanical Engineering - Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? Engineering Fields - Instrumentation Engineering - Vibration guy Hobbies - Musician - Wannabe Guitar Hero

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#1

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 8:07 AM

Engineer, definitely an engineer. Close enough is close enough. I even use Kg as a unit of weight because it is good enough in a 1 g field.

(Oops, I suppose I shouldn't have opened up that one again...)

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Power-User

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Ohio. USA
Posts: 385
Good Answers: 15
#2
In reply to #1

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 8:12 AM
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Guru

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: City of Light
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#14
In reply to #1

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

11/01/2009 12:01 PM

Hey, you do not forget it!

As an engineer you may

Associate

Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, US
Posts: 33
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#3

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 9:08 AM

Instructions? Who needs those? If she's a looker a minute may be too long!

-T

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Engineering Fields - Environmental Engineering - New Member

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#4

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 11:03 AM

Hey, I'll simply use the Force to telekinetically lift the girl I fancy best into my arms ahead of the competition.

Who needs instructions when there's a better way of doing things anyway?!

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If only you knew the power of the Dark Side of the Force
Guest
#5

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 12:04 PM

Choice is mine

I am the guest - so definitely she is going to say that to me and not you- to be or not to be is the question that I have to ask myself.

Guest
#6
In reply to #5

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer

10/30/2009 12:07 PM

Forgot to correctly place my answer- my comment was meant for Darth Vader. Could not correct in guest form.

BTW has it got anything to do with this?

Guru

Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 940
Good Answers: 51
#7

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/30/2009 2:39 PM

This maybe one of the few times a sociologist agrees with the engineer. For clearly the boys and girls will meet close enough for most of today's dance. Now the after dance activities are a completely different question.

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Power-User

Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: S. Korea
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#8

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/31/2009 8:42 AM

Since when do kids listen to and follow instructions?

I think some information may be missing though. What is the age group? If it's a high school or college dance, then the meeting time will be driven by hormones and amount of alcohol consumed prior to the dance. If they are 6-8 graders, they may never meet...may never get off the wall (at least the boys).

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J B
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Red Hook, New York (Mid-Hudson River Valley)
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#9

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/31/2009 9:59 AM

The engineer, 'cause he knows enough to throw out the damn instructions and then grab the nearest "looker" and just have some fun for the remaining part of the evening!!! ***Wink Wink Nudge Nudge***

The remaining comments made by moi have been censored.....

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"Veni, Vidi, Vici"; hendiatris attributed to Gaius Julius Caesar, 47 B.C.
Guest
#10
In reply to #9

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/31/2009 1:46 PM

I prefer the moderized version "Veni, vidi, velcro' I came, I saw, I stuck around - My high school latin teachers (of years ago) might have been amused.

Power-User

Join Date: May 2009
Location: Red Hook, New York (Mid-Hudson River Valley)
Posts: 190
Good Answers: 9
#11
In reply to #10

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/31/2009 2:04 PM

Hey Guest, I like I like!!! Stuck around!!! heheheehe Can I use that saying sometime when it's appropriate???

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"Veni, Vidi, Vici"; hendiatris attributed to Gaius Julius Caesar, 47 B.C.
Commentator

Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 100
Good Answers: 5
#12

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

10/31/2009 2:29 PM

Bogus. Everyone will get the right answer because integral calculus was invented in the 1600s.

The basis behind integral calculus involves integrating (adding up) an infinite number of infinitely-small intervals to get a finite result (the area of a circle, the volume of a sphere, etc.).

Back in Classical Greece, Zeno the philosopher asked the same question, except that Achilles raced a turtle and kept halving the distance between it and himself. Zeno had no answer back then, but Newton and Leibnitz later came up with integral calculus.

And these days, all mathematicians, physicists, and engineers learn calculus.

Cheers! DZ

P.S. This article is an engineer's vicious slur against mathematicians and physicists. I can say that cuz I'm an engineer myself. :P

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Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Bangalore, India
Posts: 274
Good Answers: 13
#13

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

11/01/2009 10:40 AM

Use this: http://www.wolframalpha.com/

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bioramani
Commentator

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Baltimore
Posts: 75
Good Answers: 3
#15

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

11/01/2009 2:49 PM

I guess I'm both a mathmatician and engineer. The mathmatician says they never reach each other, but the engineer realizes that in a dance hall neither side of the room will follow instructions.

Commentator

Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Montreal, Canada
Posts: 100
Good Answers: 5
#16
In reply to #15

Re: Mathematician, Physicist or Engineer?

11/01/2009 3:09 PM

Mathematician AND engineer ... You must be a Gemini like me, hahahaha. I'M an engineer-MBA, so I know what it's like to half have two brain hemispheres fighting each other like squirrels in my head.

My sympathy.! DZ

P.S. And what ... Mathematicians don't do cal? Sort of like it's a 'been there, done that, off to discover something else' kind if thing?

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