Bad Math Jokes

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Discussion Overview

The thread revolves around sharing and discussing bad math jokes, with participants contributing various humorous anecdotes, puns, and references to mathematical concepts and figures. The scope includes light-hearted jokes, memes, and playful interactions related to mathematics and its terminology.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share jokes, such as the sailor knot joke and various puns related to mathematics and knot theory.
  • Others reference mathematical concepts like Kruskal's tree theorem and the busy beaver function in a humorous context.
  • There are jokes involving famous figures in mathematics, such as Pythagoras, and playful takes on mathematical expressions.
  • Some participants engage in discussions about the humor in probability problems and the implications of certain mathematical scenarios.
  • Several jokes reference popular culture, including Doctor Who, and the humor derived from misunderstandings or wordplay.
  • Participants also mention historical comedic references, such as Abbott and Costello, and their relevance to math humor.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a light-hearted approach to the topic, contributing jokes and humorous observations. However, there is no consensus on which jokes are the best or most effective, and the humor is subjective, leading to a variety of interpretations and responses.

Contextual Notes

Some jokes rely on specific mathematical knowledge or cultural references that may not be universally understood, which could limit their accessibility to all participants.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those who enjoy mathematics, humor, and wordplay, as well as fans of popular culture references related to math.

  • #391
Screenshot 2025-09-24 at 9.52.31 AM.webp
 
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Physics news on Phys.org
  • #392
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  • #393
sigma.webp
 
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  • #394
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  • #395
James Demers said:
Shouldn't that be 7/16"-10¢?

jack action said:
BillTre said:
Shouldn't that be: "7/16" - 10 cents"?
The 10 cents was borrowed from his buddy. Since he owes 10 cents, the negative value is implicit. This is why math is important. :woot:
 
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  • #396
surrender-power.webp
 
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  • #397
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  • #398
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  • #400
I'm just remembering the story told by a Math prof ,about a student who took a Calc exam ,where one problem involved Superman jumping from a building. It seems in exam, the student drew an incredibly -detailed picture of the problem, including a carefull drawing of the cape and costume, windows and other features of the building, potted plants in the balcony, etc. But he never bothered answering the problem itself.
 
  • #401
  • #402
Why does no one laugh at my jokes?

The joke:

Why was 6 scared of 7? sin(21°)
sin(21°) = cos(69°) = cos(69° + 720°) = cos(789°)
 
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  • #403
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  • #405
jack action said:
IIRC, it was asked in the entrance exam of some of the ivies. Only solution I can think of is [0]_2=[2]_2.
 
  • #406
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  • #407
Screenshot 2025-12-13 at 10.14.57 AM.webp
 
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  • #408
BillTre said:
Give one to Adam. It wiĺl be his, Adam's apple. If Adam's a male snake, it will be hiss.
 
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  • #409
Why did the girl-eigenvector and the boy-eigenvector split up?

They found that they had very different eigenvalues. And they both needed more Hilbert space.
 
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  • #410
Steve4Physics said:
Why did the girl-eigenvector and the boy-eigenvector split up?

They found that they had very different eigenvalues. And they both needed more Hilbert space.
A bit of polishing...

girl-eigenvector to boy-eigenvector: "Of course I care. It's just that we have very different eigenvalues, and I need more Hilbert space."
 
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  • #411
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  • #412
dextercioby said:
You could collapse the song " One bottle of beer on the wall, one half a battle of beer,..." *Into " Two bottles of beer on the wall". *Song will never end.
 
  • #413
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  • #415
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  • #416
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  • #417
Math his beautiful and full of surprises.

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