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From: jablow@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Eric Robert Jablow)
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: Another Math Story
Message-ID: <11953@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Thu, 20-Feb-86 22:40:27 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.11953
Posted: Thu Feb 20 22:40:27 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Feb-86 07:07:13 EST
References: <1769@jhunix.UUCP> <8700235@uiucdcsb>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: jablow@brahms.UUCP (Eric Robert Jablow)
Organization: Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
Lines: 38
Keywords: Lost Balloonists
Summary: The Two Balloonists and the Spectator.

The following story has been going around at the institute:

Two hobbyists get into their balloon for an excursion.  After
a while, the wind unexpectedly picks up, and the balloon goes
out of control.  The two balloonists, with great effort, manage
to keep the balloon stable, upright, and away from power lines.
But they are lost.  With more effort, they get the balloon near
the ground.  While floating over a country road, they see a man
walking below. One of the balloonists calls down to him:

	"We're lost!  Can you tell us where we are?"

The man thinks for a while, looks down, looks up, looks down
again, stares into space for a minute, and then cries out:

	"You're in a balloon!"

The wind picks up, and the balloon floats off.  After a moment,
one balloonist says to the other:

	"That man must be a mathematician."

	"Why?"

	"Three reasons.  First, he took a long time to answer.
	Second, he was perfectly correct.  Third, his answer
	was perfectly useless!"


			Respectfully,
			Eric Robert Jablow
			MSRI
			ucbvax!brahms!jablow

	I may be a screwy little wabbit, but at least I'm not
	going to Alcatraz!

				--E. Fudd--