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College student explains hell - Page 2

post #16 of 19
3/9/10 at 6:38pm
Except that's probably a real story and much funnier
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post #17 of 19
3/9/10 at 7:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stewtheking View Post
It reminds me of a story I heard Clement Freud tell on the radio a while ago. I am paraphrasing, but here goes.

A gentleman in his final year of a physics degree was appealing about the results of an exam, where he was asked a question, answered correctly, and was given no correct.

The question had been 'how would you gauge the height of a skyscraper, using a barometer?". He had replied that he would take the barometer to the top of the skyscraper, tie to it a piece of string, and lower it to the bottom. When the barometer touched the ground he would measure the string, (adding to it the length of the barometer) and get his answer.

He appealed against the decision to give him no credit for this answer, and so he was given a viva exam. When he appeared a second time, he said "It's not that simple. I could go to the top of the skyscraper, and drop the barometer, and with an accurate stopwatch, time how long it took to fall. Or... I could take the baromentric pressure at the base of the building, and again at the top, and do some calculation. On consideration, however, what I think I would do is go to the building manager, and say 'If you tell me the height of this building, I will give you this barometer!' "

I paraphrase, and don't have his comic timing, but it's another good one.
I've heard the story too, and the physicist in question was none other than Niels Bohr.
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post #18 of 19
3/10/10 at 6:13pm
Lol.
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post #19 of 19
3/10/10 at 8:33pm

Prepare to laugh your behinds off.

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