Oops! It's Anonymous

Figures Can Lie

A college student, home on vacation, was talking with his grandfather. 'What are you studying?' asked the older man. 'Math,' replied the young man. ' I'm going to be a mathematician. Math is an exact science,' continued the boy, with more enthusiasm than wisdom, 'obeying fixed, immutable laws. Figures never lie.'

'That's fine,' said the grandfather slowly, 'but I wouldn't be too sure about that business of figures never lying.'

'Give me one instance where figures lie.'

'I wouldn't know if it's a lie exactly,' said the older man, 'but if one man can build a garage in twelve days, you'd tell me twelve men can build a garage in one day?'

'Correct.'

'Then I suppose 288 men could build a garage in one hour, and 17,280 in a minute, and 10,36,800 men could build a garage in one second?'

-Anonymous.