MetsFan
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The Volume of the Red Ball
An engineer, mathematician, and physicist are each asked to determine the volume of a red metal ball.
The mathematician measures the diameter, divides it by two to obtain the radius, and then performs a double intergration.
The physicist weighs the ball and then weighs it again when immersed in water. Knowing the density of water and the difference in the two weights, she calculates the displaced volume of water, which is the volume of the ball.
The traditional engineer turns to her reference text The Physical Properties of Balls and in the chapter entitled "Metal", finds the table labelled "Red". Searching for a row that the contains the appropriate model number (which is stamped on the ball), she reads across to the column "volume", ignoring those dealing with "coefficient of thermal expansion" and "software rev. level".
An engineer, mathematician, and physicist are each asked to determine the volume of a red metal ball.
The mathematician measures the diameter, divides it by two to obtain the radius, and then performs a double intergration.
The physicist weighs the ball and then weighs it again when immersed in water. Knowing the density of water and the difference in the two weights, she calculates the displaced volume of water, which is the volume of the ball.
The traditional engineer turns to her reference text The Physical Properties of Balls and in the chapter entitled "Metal", finds the table labelled "Red". Searching for a row that the contains the appropriate model number (which is stamped on the ball), she reads across to the column "volume", ignoring those dealing with "coefficient of thermal expansion" and "software rev. level".