Breaking a leg

[JMadonna]

Back in another life as a teacher a young student asked me why his answer to an algebra problem was wrong. The proof was a straightforward if A=b & b=c then A=c. As I went through the problem and he agreed with every step until the last step which concluded that a=c. His reasoning was that he knew c=7 and he knew A didn't ! Stunned, I went through the proof in every way I could think of all ending with the same conclusion. He could not accept that A=C because he was sure C = 7. Finally, I asked the department head for help. He went through it just like I did and the same ending occurred. Since I had a reputation as somewhat of a joker, he looked at me as if I was putting the student up to his conclusion but he soon realized that the student was serious and never got the right answer.

Thought you'd find that story interesting.

Jerry