A team of mathematicians were required to measure the height of a flagpole. They only had a measuring tape, and were getting quite frustrated trying to keep the tape along the pole. It kept falling down.

　　An engineer came along, and found out their problem. He put down the pole and measured it easily.

　　When he left, one mathematician said to the other: "Just like an engineer! We need to know the height, and he gives us the length!"

　　有人要求一队数学家去测量一根旗杆的高度。他们的工具只有一把卷尺。他们多次想使卷尺沿旗杆固定下来，但卷尺总是掉下来，于是他们感到十分沮丧。

　　这时一个工程师走过来，发现了他们的困难，于是他放倒旗杆很容易地量出了旗杆的长度。

　　工程师走后，一个数学家对其他人说，“他终究不过是一个工程师！我们需要知道的是高度，而他给我们的却是长度。”