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Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

Posted November 11, 2008 9:05 AM

From Neatorama:

A group of mathematicians and a group of engineers are traveling together by train to attend a conference on mathematical methods in engineering. Each engineer has a ticket whereas only one of the mathematicians has one. Of course, the engineers laugh at the unworldly mathematicians and look forward to the moment the conductor shows up. Suddenly one of the mathematicians shouts: "Conductor coming!" All the mathematicians disappear into one washroom. The conductor checks the ticket of each engineer and then knocks at the washroom door: "Your ticket, please." The mathematicians stick the one ticket they have under the door, the conductor checks it and leaves. A few minutes later, when it is safe, the mathematicians come out of the washroom. The engineers are impressed. When the conference has come to an end, the engineers decide that they are at least as smart as the mathematicians and also buy just one ticket for the whole group. This time the mathematicians have no ticket at all… Again one of the mathematicians shouts: "Conductor coming!".All the engineers rush off to one washroom. One of the mathematicians goes to that washroom, knocks at the door, and says: "Your ticket, please…" If you like that, there are more excellent math jokes at University of Alberta's math professor Volker Runde's website.

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#1

Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/11/2008 2:34 PM

Are mathematicians smarter than engineers?

You be the judge:

A mathematician and an engineer are at a table working out the details for a new type of particle accelerator when all of a sudden the department's drop-dead-gorgeous director enters the room. She approaches them and in one long stride covers half the distance between herself and them.

Her second stride covers half that distance, her third covers half that distance, and so forth.

The mathematician blurts out, "She'll never get here!!!"

The engineer ponders this for a moment, then calmly replies, "She'll get close enough!"

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#2

Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/12/2008 7:24 PM

Engineers are smarter. When mathematicians add 1 and 1 they get 2. When engineers add 1 and 1 they get 1.414... If you don't understand my answer, you're a mathematician.

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Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/12/2008 7:46 PM

Playin' with your phasor again, Mr. Scott?

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Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/12/2008 8:36 PM

I'm sorry, Mr. Scott can't play today, he's stuck in a transporter beam. I don't think the phasor has an 'anti-paranoia' setting, so sorry again, E.

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Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/12/2008 10:06 PM

Go ahead, Mr. Scott, change your avatar once I can no longer withdraw my post! See if I care.

Glad to hear you're stranded in that beam, thou Klingon ingrate.

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Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

11/13/2008 11:08 AM

Did you hear about the constipated mathematician?

He was OK though, he worked it out with a pencil.

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Re: Who's Smarter: Engineers or Mathematicians?

01/20/2009 2:06 PM

Ha!

How about the proctologist (okay, he minored in mathematics) who reached in his shirt pocket and to his surprise pulled out a rectal thermometer:

"Dammit! Some asshole has my pencil!"

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