Three engineers and three mathematicians
Three engineers and three mathematicians are travelling by train to a conference. At the station, the three mathematicians each buy tickets and watch as the three engineers buy only a single ticket. "How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asks a mathematician. "Watch and see," replies an engineer. They all board the train. The mathematicians take their respective seats, but all three engineers cram into a rest room and close the door. Shortly after the train departs, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the rest room door and says, "Ticket, please." The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on. The mathematicians see this and agree it is quite a clever idea. After the conference, the mathematicians decide to copy the engineers on the return trip and save some money. They buy a single ticket for the return trip, but are astonished to see that the engineers don't buy any ticket at all. "How are you going to travel without a ticket?" asks one perplexed mathematician. "Watch and see" is the answer. They board the train, the three mathematicians cram into one rest room and the three engineers cram into another one nearby. Shortly after the train departs, one of the engineers leaves his rest room and walks over to the rest room where the mathematicians are hiding. He knocks on the door and says, "Ticket, please."
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