The image is from Boopathi Rajaa Nedunchezhiyan boopathirajaa.

A British newspaper once held a high-stakes quiz with a large cash prize. The question was: There is a hot air balloon that is about to crash and one person has to be thrown out to reduce the weight so that the other two could survive. The passengers consist of three scientists whose work was crucial to the fate of the world. Which one should be sacrificed?

The host went on to elaborate: The first scientist was an environmental expert whose research could save countless people from dying from environmental pollution. The second was a nuclear expert who had the ability to prevent a global nuclear war, thus saving Earth from destruction. The third was a food expert who could successfully grow food in barren lands and save millions from starvation.

After the question was published, letters poured in like snowflakes. Everyone tried their best to explain the logic behind their answer; some of their leaps in deduction were comical.

In the end, the winner of the huge prize was a little boy. His answer was: Throw out the fattest scientist.

熱氣球難題

英國某家報紙曾舉辦一項高額獎金的有獎徵答活動。

題目是：在一個充氣不足的熱氣球上，載著三位關繫世界興亡命運的科學家。
第一位是環保專家，他的研究可拯救無數人們，免於因環境污染而面臨死亡的惡運。
第二位是核子專家，他有能力防止全球性的核子戰爭，使地球免於遭受滅亡的絕境。
第三位是糧食專家，他能在不毛之地，運用專業知識成功地種植食物，使幾千萬人脫離饑荒而亡的命運。
此刻熱氣球即將墜毀，必須丟出一個人以減輕載重，使其餘的兩人得以活存，請問該丟下哪一位科學家？
問題刊出之後，因為獎金數額龐大，信件如雪片飛來。
在這些信中，每個人皆竭盡所能，甚至天馬行空地闡述他們認為必須丟下哪位科學家的宏觀見解。
最後結果揭曉，鉅額獎金的得主是一個小男孩。
他的答案是 — 將最胖的那位科學家丟出去。

The original Chinese article is from http://www.minghui school.tw/school/article/2005/11/29/50524.html.