Math or physics tattoo?

chroot

So all I have to do is work on becoming samoan?

- Warren

Cyrus

Well, I mean I see people getting tattoos left and right and the only reason I can think why is because all their friends have one. But I really dont see why anyone would have the need to put something on their body like that if its not part of their custom/culture. I see very very very few people with nice tattoos. Id honestly say that 90% of them look bad- really bad.

Moridin

http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2007/08...th_science.php

I like the Darwin fish and periodic table on your arm. Wonder if that would be cheating on a test?

robphy

Well... how about something like ... um... a light cone?
... a section of a plane electromagnetic wave [showing the E and B fields]?
... a hypercube?

moe darklight

Get Gallileo's face tattooed on your face. That is sure to spark conversations and provide excellent opportunities to educate people.

how about the ubiquitous light refraction triangle, only have the corresponding wave length written on each color, or something like that. I think that'd be pretty neat.

EDIT:
ah! you beat me to it!

Kurdt

No its not mine. I would never be that nerdy.

chroot

I totally agree. I've seen people with sharks that look like they were drawn by children. I've seen people with letters that aren't straight, etc. That's why I think I'm the sort of person who would turn down numerous designs before actually getting one put on me.

Oh, another requirement: no large areas of solid colors. I think they look bad. I would prefer something more akin to line art. I'm thinking something in the line of stylized mathematical blackboard symbols, perhaps.

- Warren

Kurdt

I think most tattoos mean something to the people that get them even if they mean nothing to you. Its the individuals choice to adorn their body with whatever they wish and its not just a social compliance thing.

chroot

People would mistake a light cone for a funnel or an hourglass. The EM wave would be a little too plain, though maybe something with a sinus shape would look nice. I think I just like curved lines. I'd prefer to avoid "pictorial" tattoos, like the DNA monster or the Mandelbrot set, in favor of symbols with clean, simple lines.

- Warren

Cyrus

I could see a tattoo of your frat done nice, or a family crest or something like that.

I had a friend who just graduated who had lots of tattoos, but the one I like the most was on his inner bicpet. It was the indian with a bow and arrow that used to come in a tootsie roll done in blue. I thought it was interesting and nice.

chroot

BTW, lest I sound too pessimistic -- I do appreciate all your suggestions! I'm just picky.

- Warren

Cyrus

You damn well better be, that thing ant going away!

Get some on your eye lids and fingers that say something like LIVE \DIE on each side

Oh, and get the tattooed tear on the corner of your eye too.


Also, I could understand if your an old white guy with a big santa clause beard and a harley and sunglasses.

chroot

Surprisingly, I thought that would be exactly the kind of tattoo you'd hate.

- Warren

robphy

How about the magnetic field lines of the earth, a loop, or a bar magnet?
http://images.google.com/images?&q=magnetic+field+lines
(FYI: some cool animations at http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/teal_tour.htm )

Here's a place you can shop for curves
http://xahlee.org/SpecialPlaneCurves...aneCurves.html
(EDIT: How about a Lissajous figure?)

How about a conic section and either its reflection property or something?

Cyrus

Well, it looked nice because it was thin. It was like the outline of an indian wearing a feather hat with a bow and arrow extended infront of him about to shoot. It was like the outline of a real indian, not a comic character and it was all blue and done rather thin so it did not look stupid. It wasnt bad because it was original and nice.

chroot

Thanks for the suggestions, robphy, but I don't think I could do anything pictorial and busy like that. The tattoos I tend to like best on other people are simple line art, symbolic, with sinuous, solid, bold black lines.

- Warrren

gabee

E8.

Get ready for pain.