The Engineer's Solution

An artist, a baker, and an engineer are in line to be beheaded.

The artist goes first. They put his head in the guillotine and release the mechanism. It stops three inches short! The king decides that he'll be merciful and releases him! He's ecstatic! The baker is next. They put his head in the guillotine and release it. This time it stops two inches short. The king also decides he'll be merciful and releases him. Lastly, the engineer. They put his head in the guillotine and release it. It stops a hair from his head. The engineer screams, "I SEE THE PROBLEM!"