Two mathematicians
were having dinner in a restaurant, arguing about the average mathematical
knowledge of the American public. One mathematician claimed that this
average was woefully inadequate; the other maintained that it was surprisingly
high.
"I'll tell you
what," said the cynic, "ask that waitress a simple math
question. If she gets it right, I'll pick up dinner. If not, you
do". He then excused himself to visit the men's room, and the other called the waitress over.
do". He then excused himself to visit the men's room, and the other called the waitress over.
"When my friend
comes back," he told her, "I'm going to ask you a question, and I
want you to respond `one third x cubed.' There's twenty bucks in it for
you." She agreed.
The cynic returned
from the bathroom and called the waitress over. "The food was wonderful,
thank you," the mathematician started. "Incidentally, do you know
what the integral of x squared is?"
The waitress looked
pensive; almost pained. She looked around the room, at her feet, made
gurgling noises, and finally said, "Um, one third x cubed?"
So the cynic paid the
check. The waitress wheeled around, walked a few paces away, looked back
at the two men, and muttered under her breath, "...plus a constant."
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