2 1 1 . And What About You? _______
Are you of the mathematician or physicist type? Well, there is the following delightful test to tell whether you are a mathematician or physicist.
You are in a country cabin in which there is an unlighted stove, a box of matches, a faucet with cold running water, and an empty pot. How would you get a pot of hot water? Doubtless you will answer, "I would fill the pot with cold water, light the stove, and then put the pot on until the water gets hot," To this I reply: "Good; so far, mathematicians and physicists are in complete agreement. Now, the next problem separates the cases."
In this problem, you are in a country cabin in which there is an unlighted stove, a box of matches, a faucet with cold running water, and a pot filled with cold water. How would you get a pot of hot water? Most people reply, "1 would light the stove and put the pot of cold water on it." I reply: "Then you are a physicist! The mathematician would pour out the water, reducing the case to the preceding prob lem, which has already been solved."
We could go a step further and consider the case of a pot of cold water already on a lighted stove. How do we get hot water? The physicist just waits for the water to get hot; the mathematician turns off the stove, dumps out the water, reducing the case to the first problem (or he mightjust turn off the stove, reducing the case to the second problem) . A still more dramatic variation goes as follows: A house is on fire. We have available a hydrant and a dis connected hose. How does one put out the fire? Obviously, by first connecting the hose to the hydrant and then squirt ing the building. Now, suppose you have a hydrant, a disconnected hose and a house not on fire. How do you put out the fire? The mathematician first sets fire to the house, reducing the problem to the preceding case.
Are you of the mathematician or physicist type? Well, there is the following delightful test to tell whether you are a mathematician or physicist.
You are in a country cabin in which there is an unlighted stove, a box of matches, a faucet with cold running water, and an empty pot. How would you get a pot of hot water? Doubtless you will answer, "I would fill the pot with cold water, light the stove, and then put the pot on until the water gets hot," To this I reply: "Good; so far, mathematicians and physicists are in complete agreement. Now, the next problem separates the cases."
In this problem, you are in a country cabin in which there is an unlighted stove, a box of matches, a faucet with cold running water, and a pot filled with cold water. How would you get a pot of hot water? Most people reply, "1 would light the stove and put the pot of cold water on it." I reply: "Then you are a physicist! The mathematician would pour out the water, reducing the case to the preceding prob lem, which has already been solved."
We could go a step further and consider the case of a pot of cold water already on a lighted stove. How do we get hot water? The physicist just waits for the water to get hot; the mathematician turns off the stove, dumps out the water, reducing the case to the first problem (or he mightjust turn off the stove, reducing the case to the second problem) . A still more dramatic variation goes as follows: A house is on fire. We have available a hydrant and a dis connected hose. How does one put out the fire? Obviously, by first connecting the hose to the hydrant and then squirt ing the building. Now, suppose you have a hydrant, a disconnected hose and a house not on fire. How do you put out the fire? The mathematician first sets fire to the house, reducing the problem to the preceding case.
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