7th
Is This Container Full?
We all read this story somewhere, but I like it.. So it’s printed here.
A professor enters a second-year medical school class and places a large glass container on the podium. “Is this container full?” he asks. Confused, the students unanimously say no.
The professor then fills the container with rocks. “Is this container full?” he asks. Roughly half the class says yes, half says no.
The professor then pulls out a bucket of pebbles and pours them into the container. They fill up the space between the rocks. “Is this container full?” he asks. Most of the students, who have now caught on, say no.
The professor repeats the exercise with sand. “Is this container full?” he asks. Most say yes, a few still say no.
The professor repeats the exercise again with water. “Is this container full?” he asks once more. At this point, all the students agree that the container is full.
“So what has this taught us?” he asks. A young woman in the front row raises her hand. “As doctors, we’re going to be very busy,” she says, “but it’s important to remember that no matter how busy we think we are, there’s always room to cram more into our schedules.”The professor shakes his head. “No,” he says, “the point is that if you don’t put the big rocks in first, they won’t fit.”
