A woodworker is applying for a job and must answer three questions!
Here's your first question," the foreman said.
"Without using numbers, represent the number 9."
"Without numbers?" The woodworker says. "Dat is easy," and proceeds to draw three trees.
"What's this?" the foreman asks.
"Ave you got no brain? Tree and tree and tree make nine," says the woodworker.
"Fair enough," says the foreman. "Here is your second question. Use the same rules, but this time the number is 99."
The woodworker stares into space for a while, then picks up the picture that he has just drawn and makes a smudge on each tree. "'Ere you go."
The foreman scratches his head and says, "How on earth do you get that to represent 99?
" Each of da trees is dirty now ! So it's dirty tree, and dirty tree, and dirty tree. Dat is 99."
The foreman is getting worried he's going to have to hire this fellow, so he says, "All right, last question. Same rules again, but represent the number 100.
" The woodworker stares into space some more, then he picks up the picture again and makes a little mark at the base of each tree, and says, Ere you go. One hundred."
The foreman looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that represents a hundred!
" The woodworker leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each tree, and says, "A little dog come along and crap by each tree. So now you got dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and a turd, which make one hundred... So when I start?"