Logic, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the liitations and incapacities of the
human misunderstanding. The basic of logic is the syllogism, consisting of a major and a minor premise and a
conclusion—thus:
Major Premise: Sixty men can do a piece of work sixty times as quickly as one man.
Minor Premise: One man can dig a post-hole in sixty seconds; therefore—
Conclusion: Sixty men can dig a post-hole in one second.
This may be called the syllogism arithmetical, in which, by combining logic and mathematics, we obtain a
double certainty and are twice blessed.
(Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary)
Vanadium 50 said:My favorite version of this: "It takes a 40-piece orchestra six minutes to play a particular Strauss waltz. How long will it take a 60-piece orchestra to play the same waltz?"
Vanadium 50 said:My favorite version of this: "It takes a 40-piece orchestra six minutes to play a particular Strauss waltz. How long will it take a 60-piece orchestra to play the same waltz?"
"Okay, there are 6000 notes left to play. You take the first 100, you take the second 100, ...Matterwave said:40*6/60=4 minutes. I'm so good at these problems, I breeze right through them. :)
Interestingly enough, if you have enough people in the band, you can reach a singularity where the whole piece is played before the conductor even finishes conducting the first downbeat.mfb said:"Okay, there are 6000 notes left to play. You take the first 100, you take the second 100, ...
Go!"
DaveC426913 said:My favorite has always been Hofstadter's Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.
(Hofstadter is a big fan of Godel and Escher)
Vinny Gambini: Eggs and grits. I like grits, too. How do you cook your grits? Do you like them regular, creamy or al dente?
Mr. Tipton: Just regular, I guess.
Vinny Gambini: Regular. Instant grits?
Mr. Tipton: No self-respectin' Southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits.
Vinny Gambini: So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you five minutes to cook your grits, when it takes the entire grit-eating world twenty minutes?
Mr. Tipton: [a bit panicky] I don't know. I'm a fast cook, I guess.
Vinny Gambini: I'm sorry, I was all the way over here. I couldn't hear you. Did you say you were a fast cook? That's it?
[Mr. Tipton nods in embarrassment]
Vinny Gambini: Are we to believe that boiling water soaks into a grit faster in your kitchen than on any place on the face of the earth?
Mr. Tipton: I don't know.
Vinny Gambini: Well, perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove. Were these magic grits? I mean, did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?
The light bulb is not changed yet, therefore THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER. But if we find out, there will be light.BobG said:We never figured out how long it takes to change a light bulb!? What were we thinking!?
The statement means that if sixty men work together, they can dig a post-hole in one second.
No, it is not physically possible for sixty men to dig a post-hole in one second. It is an exaggerated statement used for emphasis or to make a point.
The factors that could affect the time include the size and depth of the post-hole, the tools and equipment available, the physical abilities and coordination of the men, and the environment (e.g. soil type, weather conditions).
No, the statement cannot be interpreted in that way. It is referring to the collective effort of sixty men, not the individual abilities of one man.
In a scientific context, this statement could be used as a hypothetical scenario to demonstrate the concept of teamwork and the power of collaboration. It could also be used as an example of an exaggerated statement and the importance of critically evaluating information.