Humor 8/13/00: Physics Exam & Story of Life
Hi everyone,
I watched several movies this past weekend at home with some friends. I
would like to recommend two: "The Emperor and the Assassin" and
"Spanish Prisoner". Spanish Prisoner is a suspense/drama, a slight bit
like "Usual Suspects", but not really. "The Emperor and the Assassin"
is a Chinese movie about the first Chin emperor who united China. It's
directed by the critically acclaimed Chen Kaige, and Gong Li is one of
the main characters. It has strong character development and some
interesting plot twists. It's in Mandarin with English subtitles.
The only response to last week's question was "refrigerator".
This week's thought provoking question is: "If you had to pick the
worst television series ever made, what would win?"
This week's humor was forwarded by Brent Chinn (I especially like this
because I started out as a physics major in college, before switching to
East Asian Studies), followed by an inspirational piece forwarded by
Anna Man.
Enjoy!
-Josh.
_________________________________________
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 that 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 sqr root (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'."
That student was Niels Bohr, the only Dane to win the Nobel Prize for
Physics.
__________________________________________
THE STORY OF LIFE
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they
were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a
lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to
become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate,
neighbor, coworker, long-lost friend, lover, or even a complete
stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very
moment they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and
unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming
those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength,
willpower, or heart.
*Everything happens for a reason. *
Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury,
love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to
test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they
may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to
nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly
pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls
you experience, help to create who you are and who you become.
*Even the bad experiences can be learned from. *
In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them,
for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being
cautious when you open your heart.
If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because
they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and
how to open your heart and eyes to things.
*Make every day count. *
Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you
possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually
listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.
Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if
you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in
you.
You can make of your life anything you wish.
Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no
regrets.
*Most importantly*!!!, * if you LOVE someone tell him or her, for you
never know what tomorrow may have in store. *
And learn a lesson in life each day that you live.
THAT'S THE STORY OF LIFE
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