Comments on: I’d Give Him An “A”.

By: Bou

Bou — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 04:03:10 +0000

You know… I was sitting there reading the problem, going through my various physics formulas and thought, ‘Wait. WTF is an elephant doing there… is that part of the problem?” before I got the entire gist of it.

By: Christina

Christina — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 02:53:30 +0000

Looks like he earned a donut for his troubles!

; )

By: Shamrock

Shamrock — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:43:50 +0000

I would have flunked . . . how the hell does something continue to move after it’s come to rest? Should that be “does it resume moving . . .”???? Maybe it’ll be clearer after a glass or four of wine. Or maybe my brain will just come to rest.

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 22:55:20 +0000

At least he got a doughnut for his troubles!

By: MajorDad1984

MajorDad1984 — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:41:31 +0000

Michele…thankfully, God gave me the ability to straddle the line pretty effectively. While I was a cadet, I concentrated (no such thing as a major when I was there) in Russian language….but also took the “heavy” engineering load. Yes, it hurt!

When it comes down to brass tacks, you’d probably rather me order for you at a Russian restaurant than build you a bridge.

See ya on the high ground.

MajorDad1984

By: Michele

Michele — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 06:00:10 +0000

As a former English teacher and someone who struggled with Statistics and Advanced Physics, I truly appreciate your and Major Dad’s sense of humor. This and the next post are priceless. Thank you!

By: MajorDad1984

MajorDad1984 — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:29:35 +0000

And who says West Point cadets don’t have a sense of humor?

“James Whistler, the artist best known for his painting Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother (commonly called Whistler’s Mother, 1871), went to West Point in his youth. One of his engineering class assignments was to draw a bridge. Being an artist, he put two small boys fishing off the bridge in his assignment. His instructor, being a proper military type, told him to take the boys off the bridge. Whistler redrew the boys fishing on the riverbank under the bridge. The instructor then changed the specs to “Get rid of those two damn boys!” to be sure that the goal was clear. Whistler then redrew the assignment to show two small graves on the riverbank.”

What did either student have to lose? (Whistler eventually got bounced from the Academy for failing Chemistry.)

See you on the high ground!

MajorDad1984

By: caltechgirl

caltechgirl — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:17:57 +0000

In my husband’s class that answer would earn half a point “humor credit” for making us laugh. I’ve seen him give out points for that kind of thing before.

By: Erica

Erica — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 03:19:23 +0000

Strangely, something’s beginning to take shape here, though it might take a few more at-its before I fully grasp.

Okay…I think I got it: In answer to (b) if the object does not continue to move, depending upon what the object is, the object either continues to move, never appreciating having come to rest, or its head/frontal-most-point of its body becomes wedged inside the Brown Zone.

If it weighs significantly less than, and is not waylay-ed by, a big elephant, the object will go pretty frickin’ high.

An elephant, on the other hand, will most likely not go anywhere. Up, down, or otherwise.

Outta here, for the greater good.