An Italian man wants a job, but the foreman won't hire him until he
passesa little math test.
"Here's your first question," the foreman said.
"Without using numbers, represent the number 9."
"Without numbers?" the Italian says, "Datsa easy." and he proceeds to
draw three trees.
"What's this?" the boss asks.
"Ave you got no brain? Tree and tree and tree make a nine," says the
Italian.
"Fair enough," says the boss. "Here's your second question. Use the same
rules, but this time the number is 99."
The Italian 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 boss 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 boss is getting worried that he's going to actually have to hire this
Italian, so he says, "All right, last question. Same rules again, but
represent the number 100."
The Italian 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 boss looks at the attempt. "You must be nuts if you think that
represents a hundred!"
(You're going to love this one!!!)
The Italian leans forward and points to the marks at the base of each
tree and says, "A little doga came along and crapa by eacha tree. So now
you gota dirty tree and a turd, dirty tree and a turd, and dirty tree and
a turd, datsa makea one hundred. So, when I'ma gonna start?"
