An engineer, a physicist, and a lawyer were being interviewed for a position as
chief executive officer of a large corporation. The engineer was interviewed
first, and was asked a long list of questions, ending with "How much is two
plus two?" The engineer excused himself, and made a series of measurements and
calculations before returning to the board room and announcing, "Four." The
physicist was next interviewed, and was asked the same questions. Before
answering the last question, he excused himself, made for the library, and did
a great deal of research. After a consultation with the United States Bureau
of Standards and many calculations, he also announced "Four." The lawyer was
interviewed last, and was asked the same questions. At the end of his
interview, before answering the last question, he drew all the shades in the
room, looked outside the door to see if anyone was there, checked the telephone
for listening devices, and asked "How much do you want it to be?"
