Did Homer Simpson Accurately Calculate the Mass of the Higgs Boson?

[jim mcnamara]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...oson_n_6793204.html?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media

According to Simon Singh, in a 1998 episode the writers of the Simpsons had Homer in front of blackboard with a supposedly accurate calculation of the mass of the Higgs boson. Hmm. Apparently the people who write the Simpsons were trained in mathematics, now making a much better living doing something else.

Not sure what the 'else' is. I'd bet it pays better than most post-docs.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

supposedly accurate calculation of the mass of the Higgs boson

C'mon PF let's confirm this! :)

 

[russ_watters]

Same episode:

 

[metacristi]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...oson_n_6793204.html?utm_hp_ref=media&ir=Media

According to Simon Singh, in a 1998 episode the writers of the Simpsons had Homer in front of blackboard with a supposedly accurate calculation of the mass of the Higgs boson. Hmm. Apparently the people who write the Simpsons were trained in mathematics, now making a much better living doing something else.

Not sure what the 'else' is. I'd bet it pays better than most post-docs.

Lubos Motl has a good blog entry on this: http://motls.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/did-homer-simpson-calculate-correct.html . Unfortunately Homer was off target. Interesting Motl's suggestion that Singh himself is behind the equations written by Homer (if really so I would have expected more from him :) ).