THE MIND OF A PHYSICIST

THE MIND OF A PHYSICIST

Every Friday afternoon, a mathematician/physicist goes to a bar. He sits in the second-to-last seat and turns to the last seat, (which is always empty) and asks a girl (who isn't there) if he can buy her a drink.

The bartender, who is used to weird university types, shrugs but keeps quiet. However, when Valentine's Day arrives, and the mathematician makes a particularly heart-wrenching plea into empty space, and his curiosity gets the better of the bartender. He says, "I apologize if this strikes you as a stupid question, but surely you know there is NEVER a woman sitting in that last stool. Why do you persist in asking out someone who's not even there?"

The university nerd replies, "Well, according to quantum physics, empty space is never truly empty. Virtual particles come into existence and vanish all the time. You never know when the proper wave function will implode and a girl might suddenly appear there."

The bartender raises his eyebrows. "Really? Interesting. But couldn't you just ask one of the girls who comes here every Friday if you could buy HER a drink? Never know... she might say yes."

The nerd laughs. "Yeah, right -- like THAT could happen!"