jmc

Let the number of hours after 2:00 p.m. that the two engineers arrive at Starbucks be $x$ and $y$, and let the number of hours after 2:00 p.m. that the boss arrives at Starbucks be $z$. Then $0\le x,y,z\le 2$ and in three dimensions, we are choosing a random point within this cube with volume 8. We must have $z>x$ and $z>y$; this forms a square pyramid with base area 4 and height 2, or volume $8/3$. However, if one of the engineers decides to leave early, the meeting will fail. The engineers will leave early if $x>y+1$ or $y>x+1$. The intersections of these with our pyramid gives two smaller triangular pyramids each with base area 1/2 and height 1, or volume $1/6$. In all, the probability of the meeting occurring is the volume of the big square pyramid minus the volumes of the smaller triangular pyramids divided by the volume of the cube: $\frac{8/3-1/6-1/6}{8}=\frac{7/3}{8}=\boxed{\frac{7}{24}}$.