A mathematician decides he wants to be a firefighter.
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One day, a mathematician decides he wants to be a firefighter. So he quits his job and applies to be a firefighter. But the chief doesn't think he is qualified so he gives him a test. He takes him to the alley and sets a dumpster on fire. He asks the mathematician, "What do you do?" The mathematician immediately grabs a hose and puts out the fire.
The chief then asks him, "Now that the fire is out, what do you do?"
Stumped, the mathematician thinks for a minute and says "I can reduce this problem into a problem with known solutions." With this he pulls out a match and sets the dumpster on fire.