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RE: BBC analogies



Here is another one:



Question at Physics exam: How to measure the height of a building with a

barometer?



Student: Measure barometer length, hang it to a rope, measure rope length,

lower it from the roof. Height=barometer length + rope length. Professor:

not the right answer.



Student: Drop the barometer from the building, measure falling time, deduce

height. Professor: not the right answer.



Student: Put barometer on the roof, measure shadow length on the soil,

deduce height. Professor: not the right answer.



Student: Hang barometer to a rope, let it oscillate close to soil, measure

period, deduce height. Professor: not the right answer. He offers a last

chance.



Student: You probably want to measure the difference in atmospheric

pressures. But this is so boring. Here is a better way. Make a deal with the

house administrator: in exchange to this beautiful barometer, tell me which

is the height of the building.



The student was Niels Bohr the only graduate of Copenhagen U. to receive the

Nobel Price.













Dr. Victor Steiner

Ministry of the Environment

Radiation and Noise Div.



Tel Aviv Univ.

Sackler School of Medicine

Room 719

Ramat Aviv 69978

Israel



Tel. 972-3-6420822

Fax. 972-3-6426268

Email victors@sviva.gov.il







-----Original Message-----

From: Jose Julio Rozental [mailto:joseroze@netvision.net.il]

Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:33 AM

To: Stabin, Michael; radsafe

Subject: Re: BBC analogies





Dear Mike, and colleagues, that have commented this issue.



With due respect these analogies look like the anecdote of Albert Einstein

and his blind friend



This story shows how complex Einstein could be. Not long after his arrival

in Princeton he was invited, by the wife of one of the professors of

mathematics at Princeton, to be guest of honor at a tea. Reluctantly,

Einstein consented. After the tea had progressed for a time, the excited

hostess, thrilled to have such an eminent guest of honor, fluttered out into

the center of activity and with raised arms silenced the group. Bubbling out

some words expressing her thrill and pleasure, she turned to Einstein and

said:



"I wonder, Dr. Einstein, if you would be so kind as to explain to my guests

in a few words, just what is relativity theory ? "



Without any hesitation Einstein rose to his feet and told a story. He said

he was reminded of a walk he one day had with his blind friend. The day was

hot and he turned to the blind friend and said,

"I wish I had a glass of milk."

"Glass," replied the blind friend, "I know what that is. But what do you

mean by milk ?"

"Why, milk is a white fluid," explained Einstein.

"Now fluid, I know what that is," said the blind man. "but what is white ?"

"Oh, white is the color of a swan's feathers."

"Feathers, now I know what they are, but what is a swan ?"

"A swan is a bird with a crooked neck."

"Neck, I know what that is, but what do you mean by crooked ?"

At this point Einstein said he lost his patience. He seized his blind

friend's arm and pulled it straight. "There, now your arm is straight," he

said. Then he bent the blind friend's arm at the elbow. "Now it is crooked."



"Ah," said the blind friend. "Now I know what milk is."

And Einstein, at the tea, sat down.



Jose

joseroze@netvision.net.il

Israel





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