*Professor "Wild Bill" Williamson is at it again! *Rangernet! *Pray for this man, with a heart of gold who has recently been hit with heart and stroke problems.. -=A=- Bill Williamson wrote: > For all you creative thinkers among my correspondents! > > >Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 22:13:41 EDT > >Subject: Fwd: Creative thinking > >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > >I loved this one!!!! How true, I don't know. > > > > > The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the > University > of Copenhagen: > > "Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer." > > One student replied: > > "You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower > the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length > of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of > the building." > > This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student > >was failed immediately. The student appealed on the grounds that his > answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an > independent > arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed > correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To > resolve > the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six > minutes > in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal > familiarity with the basic principles of physics. > For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought. > > The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student > replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't > make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student > >replied as follows: > > "Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, > drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground. > The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula > H=0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer." > > "Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, > then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure > the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple > matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the > skyscraper." > > "But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a > short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum, > first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The > height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring > force T = 2 pi sqrroot(l/ g)." > > "Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be > easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in > barometer lengths, then add them up." > > "If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, > you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of > the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars > into feet to give the height of the building." > > "But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence > of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be > to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice > new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this > skyscraper'." > > The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane ever to win the Nobel prize > for Physics. -- ��ࡱ�
For all you creative thinkers among my correspondents!
>Delivered-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2000 22:13:41 EDT
>Subject: Fwd: Creative thinking
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Return-Path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
>I loved this one!!!! How true, I don't know.
>
>
The following concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the
University
of Copenhagen:
"Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper with a barometer."
One student replied:
"You tie a long piece of string to the neck of the barometer, then lower
the barometer from the roof of the skyscraper to the ground. The length
of the string plus the length of the barometer will equal the height of
the building."
This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student
>was failed immediately. The student appealed on the grounds that his
answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an
independent
arbiter to decide the case. The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed
correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics. To
resolve
the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six
minutes
in which to provide a verbal answer which showed at least a minimal
familiarity with the basic principles of physics.
For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought.
The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student
replied that he had several extremely relevant answers, but couldn't
make up his mind which to use. On being advised to hurry up the student
>replied as follows:
"Firstly, you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper,
drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground.
The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula
H=0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer."
"Or if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer,
then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow. Then you measure
the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is a simple
matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the
skyscraper."
"But if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a
short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum,
first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper. The
height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring
force T = 2 pi sqrroot(l/ g)."
"Or if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be
easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in
barometer lengths, then add them up."
"If you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course,
you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of
the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars
into feet to give the height of the building."
"But since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence
of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be
to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice
new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this
skyscraper'."
The student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane ever to win the Nobel prize
for Physics.
