This forum discussion centers around a collection of science jokes, particularly those involving mathematics and physics. Notable jokes include a mathematician with a dog and cow discussing knot theory, and a play on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. The humor often relies on advanced concepts such as the Jones polynomial and topological invariants, showcasing a blend of wit and scientific terminology. The conversation also touches on the cultural significance of these jokes within the scientific community.
PREREQUISITESMathematicians, physicists, educators, and anyone interested in the intersection of humor and science will benefit from this discussion.
Reminds me of Kishon. When chess computers came up, he let one of his figures say: "Buy a second computer and let them play against each other, while we are going to have a coffee."Ivan Seeking said:
The terms of use for the XKCD website mean you should provide a link or give credit. That's XKCD 2848, "Breaker Box", https://xkcd.com/2848/berkeman said:
Thanks Jonathan! I always include the attribution to the person posting it on FB or wherever, but it they posted it without attribution to the source, that's not good. I'll keep an eye out for that in the future.Jonathan Scott said:
Not to pile-on but:berkeman said:
My primary concern is that PF users should try to comply with any license conditions, so 1 is much less important and 2 is not a valid excuse. Obviously the original fault lay with the Facebook poster, but as this was obviously XKCD and I was aware of the license (as I have used other excellent XKCD comics myself in the past) I provided the appropriate link.DaveC426913 said:Not to pile-on but:
1. It is also customary with XKCD to add the alt text under the pic.
Alt: "Any electrician will warn you to first locate and flip the house's CAUSALITY circuit breaker before touching the CIRCUIT BREAKERS one."
2. XKCD attributions seem almost redundant at this point, it's so well known.
This can be not easy these days, especially as the origins are not always obvious. I'm very cautious about scientific copyright. So, for a while, I judged the legitimacy of references by their URL, you know, Western addresses can be trusted, Eastern not so much. That was a mistake. I have found a few copies of protected books on a university server in Scotland over time, and another American address that notoriously violates copyrights. So, if even serious material cannot be trusted, how much more jokes going viral?Jonathan Scott said:
fresh_42 said:
Ha!DaveC426913 said:
Yup. In my 'Everything Mars' phase I always thought that was cool. Made an interactive webpage of the topology (too bad it only worked for IE).BillTre said:
I have that T-shirt.DennisN said:
The first one is off by ##10^6##, no? A million microphones is a phone and a trillion would be a megaphone.berkeman said:
The practical "Troy system" unit of beauty, something we are more likely to encounter, is the micro-helen, the beauty required to push a single plank into a mill pond, on a dark night.Ibix said: