Yet Another Bad Math Joke

On Thursday night I taught my class the Pythagorean Theorem. This formula, used for calculating lengths of sides of a right triangle, can be summed up by stating that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

And here's a REAL groaner:

An Indian chief befriended a white man who had done much to help out his tribe.  This white man had used his education to help the tribe build better wigwams,  make more accurate bows, preserve food for longer periods of time, and  find peaceful coexistence with the white settlers moving through their lands.

The chief esteemed this white man so much that he decided to let the white man take one of his three daughters as his wife.  He told him that he could marry the daughter of his choice.

He brought his friend to a wigwam and opened the door.  Inside, sitting on a cougar skin was the most beautiful Indian maiden that the white man had ever seen.  He then took him to a second wigwam and opened the door.  The white man was astonished to see a woman even MORE beautiful, sitting on a bear skin.  In the third wigwam, sitting on a hippopotamus hide sat the ugliest woman this man had ever seen.

The chief then asked his friend who he wished to marry.

"The third," replied the white man.

"No, really.  I will take no offense," replied the chief.  "Choose ANY of my three daughters.

"I choose the third," maintained the white man.

"May I ask why?" questioned the confused chief.

"It's simple," replied the white man.  "Everyone knows that the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sum of the squaws of the other two hides."