A group of attorneys had to measure the height of a flag pole for evidence to support a lawsuit. They went out to the flagpole with ladders and a tape measure.
They proceed to fall off the ladders and drop the tape measure, the whole thing was just a mess. An engineer comes along and sees what they're trying to do. He walks over, pulls the flagpole out of the ground, lays it flat, measures it from end to end, gives the measurements to one of the attorneys and walks away.
After the engineer has gone, one attorney turns to another and laughs. 'Isn't that just like an engineer. We're looking for the height, and he gives us the length'
They proceed to fall off the ladders and drop the tape measure, the whole thing was just a mess. An engineer comes along and sees what they're trying to do. He walks over, pulls the flagpole out of the ground, lays it flat, measures it from end to end, gives the measurements to one of the attorneys and walks away.
After the engineer has gone, one attorney turns to another and laughs. 'Isn't that just like an engineer. We're looking for the height, and he gives us the length'