A biologist, a physicist, and a mathematician were sitting in a street café watching the crowd. Across the street they saw a man and a woman entering a building. Ten minutes later they reappeared together with a third person. “They have multiplied,” said the biologist. “Oh no, an error in measurement,” the physicist sighed. “If exactly one person enters the building now, it will be empty again,” the mathematician concluded.
WHAT? I don't even get where the people are to begin with. Are they inside and then they leave with 3 people? Do they leave and then walk back past it again? And why does the mathematician say that at the end? Please help !
2007-02-04 07:50:03 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Entertainment & Music ➔ Jokes & Riddles
April J, I think you're right. I thought that as well, but in a slightly different sense:
2 go in, 3 come out, so the house adds 1.
Then, if 1 goes in, plus the house value of 1, that gives a value of 2, not zero.
2007-02-04 08:01:10 · update #1
The mathmatician part is simple. Assuming the building was originally empty (having a value of zero) before the two went in (now having a value of two), and three peolpe came out (now giving the building a value of -1), if one person enters (now a value of zero again) the building will be empty.
2007-02-04 07:57:14 · answer #1 · answered by April J 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think this is a joke about the way the three different professions look at reality...and problem solve a real-world thing, just like it's the kind of stuff they deal with in their profession...
2 people enter a building, and three people leave...
The biologist, decides that that the people are like a herd of cattle, since two entered, and three left, the herd increased, so they multiplied.
The physicist, since two entered, and three left, treating them like atoms, decided there was an error in measuring the motion of the people...
The mathematician, treating it like a math problem, does the math, and two people enter the building, so the building population is 2, then three people walk out, so the building population is -1 (negative one, since 2 minus 3 equals -1), and says if one person goes in, the building population will be 0 (zero, since -1 plus 1 equals 0)
I think
2007-02-04 08:07:50 · answer #2 · answered by Hatir Ba Loon 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yeah, i dont get that joke either. dont feel all too bad.
all i know is that the biologist, physicist, and mathematician all are watching the 2 ppl outside of the cafe they are sitting in. they go in and then come out with a third person. the biologist exclaming "they have multiplied" is in reference to living organisms and how they multiply. the physicist exclaiming "oh no, an error in measurement" is in reference that physics use a lot of tools to measure quantities. however, i have no idea what the mathematician means when he says that statement, but i suppose it has to do with logic, a topic of math.
again im not sure. im sorry i could not help that much.
2007-02-04 08:01:13 · answer #3 · answered by nybabyblu 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They [the biologist, physicst, and mathematician] are people watching and the man and woman go into the building later reappearing with a third person, the biologist states incorrectly 'They have multiplied' but this is incorrect because they there is only one addition to the group, so they Physicst points out an error, and the mathematician explaines it saying something that makes no sense.!!!! *smiles broadly*
2007-02-04 11:24:21 · answer #4 · answered by maevel5218 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, I understand the part about the biologist and the physicist. But the Mathematician got my confused.
Maybe it's trying to poke fun at men and women hving s**. A man and a woman = a baby. So if 1 single person enters now, no one would be pregnant, therefore "it's empty again"
Am I making any sense? Errr...
2007-02-04 07:58:24 · answer #5 · answered by sugarscamp 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's all about perspective. In this case, satire on the core theories of the scientific principles of the three branches of science:
Logic of the biologist is reproduction.
The Physics thinks of the "uncertainty principal"
http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p08.htm
Of course the math guy wants to balance the equation.
2007-02-04 08:01:03 · answer #6 · answered by sprinting_turtle 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i dont get it and for what april said how can 2 people go in and 3 people come out if there were only 2 people inside to begin with?????????????
2007-02-04 09:33:35 · answer #7 · answered by Tori 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think what the math guy means is that if one person goes in he/she will always come out. You can't stay in the building forever.
2007-02-04 07:56:28 · answer #8 · answered by zombiepirate_13 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not even sure that's a joke, do what I do and laugh anyway but only if the other people around you are.
2007-02-04 07:54:29 · answer #9 · answered by Chimpanzees? Monkey. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is probably the stupidest joke ever... I don't get it either
2007-02-04 07:53:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋