Of Engineers and Mathematicians

Okay, a little different 'Sunday reflection' this morning.... ;-)

A mathematician and an engineer capsize a canoe and end up on a deserted island. They quickly notice that there are just two palm trees on the island and each bears one lone coconut at the top. The engineer doesn't hesitate to climb up one palm, grab the coconut, and eat it. Seeing this, the mathematician scurries up the other tree, grabs the single coconut, shimmies back down, and climbs up the first tree, replacing the now missing coconut. Then he climbs back down and, with a wide grin on his face, proudly announces to his engineer friend, "Now we've reduced the situation to a problem we already know how to solve."

-- old, old math joke