Three elderly men went to the doctor for a routine memory test. The doctor smiled and explained that he would ask each of them a simple question to see how sharp their minds still were.
He turned to the first man and asked, “What is three times three?”
The man thought very hard, scratched his head, and confidently replied, “Two hundred seventy-four.”
The doctor raised an eyebrow but stayed calm. He turned to the second man and said, “Alright, your turn. What is three times three?”
The second man smiled proudly and answered, “Tuesday.”
The doctor sighed quietly, wrote something on his clipboard, and then turned to the third man.
“Okay,” the doctor said, trying one last time. “What is three times three?”
The third man didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“Nine!” he shouted.
The doctor’s eyes lit up. “Excellent!” he said. “That’s absolutely correct. And can you tell me how you got that answer?”
The third man leaned back, smiled, and said,
“Easy, doc. I just subtracted 274 from Tuesday.”
