Three friends, a mathematician, a physicist, and an engineer, are at a bar discussing how to find the volume of a red rubber ball.
The mathematician says, "Well, we can use the formula for the volume of a sphere, V = 4/3πr^3."
The physicist says, "No, no, no. We should measure the circumference of the ball and use that to calculate the radius."
The engineer thinks for a moment and then says, "Why don't we just fill a bucket with water, drop the ball in, and measure the change in volume?"
The bartender, who has been listening in, interrupts and says, "You guys are making this way too complicated. All you have to do is look up the manufacturer's specifications for the ball."
The friends all look at each other, sheepishly realizing they've been overthinking it. The physicist says, "Well, I guess that's one way to solve the problem. But where's the fun in that?"
The mathematician laughs and says, "Who knew finding the volume of a red rubber ball would be such a ball-buster of a problem?"