From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!rocheste!sher Newsgroups: net.jokes Title: Mathematician Joke Article-I.D.: rocheste.401 Posted: Tue Jan 11 19:40:05 1983 Received: Thu Jan 13 07:08:37 1983 From: David.Sher This is a joke about a mathematician whose name I forgot. Therefore to save time I will call him Feit (a mathematician whose name I remember). Anyway this guy Feit worked with a collaborator Thompson (the names have been changed to protect my memory). Anyway Feit had a sabatical and decided to work durring that year as a railroad switch man. Anyway going to the local railroad agent. Anyway the agent was suspicious (and who wouldn't be) so he decided to test Feit. He asked Feit lets say you were the switch man. Theres a train going west on line 5 at 50 miles per hour 2mi east. Theres a train going 60 east on line 5 2mi west. What do you do? Feit responds I pull the switch so the train going 60 goes on to another line. Lets say the switch is stuck asks the agent. Well, I radio the trains and tell them to brake. The radio is out the agent quickly interposes. Well I flag them to stop from the tower. Its night, says the agent who has clearly played this game before. Then I use torches says the ever resourceful Feit. You're out of torches, the agent, straining a bit, responds. Then I build a fire so they can see me and use flags. Its raining! responds the agent triumphantly. Feit calmly responds then I call my collaborator Thompson. You call your collaborator? asks the confused agent, What do you ask him? Feits says, I tell him "Come on over to the station if you want to see the damnedest train wreck!" -David Sher (oftimes ai project)