A man walks into a university lecture hall and declares to the professor, “I am here to challenge you. I know everything there is to know.”
The professor, intrigued, says, “Everything? That’s a bold claim. Fine. Let’s test it. What is the exact air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
The man replies instantly, “African or European swallow?”
The professor and the entire class are stunned into silence. He had answered a famously tricky question. “Incredible,” the professor whispers.
Feeling confident, a student in the front row decides to ask a question. “I have one. What did my mother have for breakfast on June 3rd, 1998?”
The man closes his eyes for a moment, then says, “Two scrambled eggs, a piece of whole wheat toast with strawberry jam, and a cup of black coffee.”
The student is shocked. He calls his mother on his phone, and she confirms every single detail. The lecture hall erupts in murmurs of disbelief.
Finally, another student stands up and asks, “I have a shovel. I dig a hole that is 3 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 4 feet deep. How much dirt is in that hole?”
The man thinks for a long time. He scribbles on a piece of paper, mutters to himself, and looks very confused. Finally, he gives up. “I… I don’t know,” he admits.
The student who asked the question smirks and says, “That’s easy. There’s no dirt in it. It’s a hole.”