Great one-liners from PF members

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Discussion Overview

This thread invites members to share and discuss humorous or insightful one-liners from Physics Forums, highlighting wit and cleverness in responses related to various topics in physics, mathematics, and science in general. The scope includes pithy remarks, humorous exchanges, and notable quotes from members, as well as some commentary on broader themes in science and reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share one-liners that reflect humor in scientific discussions, such as comments on relativity and the limitations of crayons.
  • One participant notes the irony in the assertion that "thinking outside the box" requires understanding what is inside it.
  • Another humorous remark discusses the absurdity of "table/pillow duality" in relation to everyday objects.
  • A quote from a departed member emphasizes that interesting scientific questions often arise amidst conflicting ideas.
  • Several participants share humorous takes on homeopathy, including a quip about overdosing on homeopathic medication.
  • One exchange humorously highlights the redundancy of stating that wood is as strong as wood.
  • A participant reflects on the challenges of estimating forces in a humorous context, suggesting a light-hearted take on serious topics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share humorous observations and witty remarks, but there is no consensus on the validity or implications of the statements made, particularly regarding homeopathy and scientific reasoning.

Contextual Notes

Some remarks may rely on specific contexts or definitions that are not fully explored, such as the nature of homeopathic remedies and their purported effects. Additionally, the humor in some exchanges may depend on shared knowledge of prior discussions or scientific concepts.

  • #691
DrJohn said:
"Why can we not put just hydronium ions in pure water?"
Because you can't pick up a bucket of just one type of ion.
 
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  • #692
Ivan Seeking said:
The future ain't what it used to be.
 
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  • #695
Fun fact: Yogi Bear was likely named after Yogi Berra, who was nicknamed Yogi by a friend because he allegedly resembled a yogi in India.
 
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  • #696
kuruman said:
And no premature gesticulation, i.e. hand-waving right at the start. :oldsmile:
 
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  • #697
Flyboy said:
Personally I hate living in times where the poetry of history feels like a limerick instead of a haiku. 😒
 
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  • #698
Personally I’m too uncultured to understand the joke.
 
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  • #699
PhDeezNutz said:
Personally I’m too uncultured to understand the joke.
It's a snippet from this:
Flyboy said:
History may not repeat, but boy does it rhyme.

Personally I hate living in times where the poetry of history feels like a limerick instead of a haiku. 😒
 
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  • #700
DaveE said:
shreddinglicks said:
Is it possible to break this pipe up into three straight pieces and model each piece as a beam experiencing transverse vibration?
Of course that analysis is possible. But it won't give you the correct answers.
 
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  • #701
Context-free for a reason, but I actually love this one:

"What is 80% of infinity?"

It's both hilarious and I feel like maybe there's kind of an actual issue there. See also: "infinite space is expanding..."
 
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  • #702
russ_watters said:
Context-free for a reason, but I actually love this one:

"What is 80% of infinity?"

It's both hilarious and I feel like maybe there's kind of an actual issue there. See also: "infinite space is expanding..."
My answer to that would always be Graham's number.
 
  • #703
pines-demon said:
My answer to that would always be Graham's number.

And mine would be "interest imposed on my loan"...
 
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  • #704
russ_watters said:
"What is 80% of infinity?"

It's both hilarious and I feel like maybe there's kind of an actual issue there. See also: "infinite space is expanding..."
To be fair, I had made a mistake in the maths and he was correct to point it out.

I still need to revisit that whole thing, even though Dale got the same as my revised answer, because I feel like the definitions are screwy somewhere.
 
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  • #705
Ibix said:
To be fair, I had made a mistake in the maths and he was correct to point it out.

I still need to revisit that whole thing, even though Dale got the same as my revised answer, because I feel like the definitions are screwy somewhere.
Oh I see, you got 80% of ##\infty## wrong by how much? 🤣
 
  • #706
pines-demon said:
Oh I see, you got 80% of ##\infty## wrong by how much? 🤣
73% 😁

No, the context was one of the currently popular one-way speed of light threads. My hasty mental algebra came up with the idea that 0.8c was always 0.8c whatever you did to the speed of light, which prompted him to ask what was 0.8c if you'd arranged a coordinate system in which the speed of light is infinite. But I'd slipped up on the maths, and other velocities don't scale that way.

I still want to re-redo the maths. Maybe this weekend I'll have time...
 
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  • #707
centerline said:
The purpose is to make a storage rack for stacking atv/utv vehicles on, using a forklift, 3 high...
centerline said:
It will be a static load, except when loading or unloading the platform.
berkeman said:
Um, yeah. Have you ever driven a forklift?
 
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  • #708
Baluncore said:
If you design it to withstand an earthquake, it might survive a tired forklift driver.
In a reply to the above posts.
 
  • #709
jbriggs444 said:
It does not take much to rise above the level of the average slobs in the workplace.
 
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