Scary, but true...

An actual conversation that I overheard during a laboratory exercise involving the metabolism of a goldfish between a student (S) and a lecturer (L):


S: Ma'am, we've got a problem...


L: Yes?


S: Well, we're supposed to weigh our goldfish before we start the experiment, right?

L: Yes...

S: Well...we forgot to, so now our experiment is ruined!

L:

S: What should we do?

L: Well, how were you going to weigh the fish before?

S: We were going to weigh a jar of water, put the fish into it, weigh it again and take the difference...

L: So why don't you just do that?

S: What?! You mean we can do that? Even though we were supposed to weigh the fish first?!

L: Well, do you think that the fish is going to lose that much weight during the course of the experiment...?

S: No...