Tattoo featuring quantum physics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around ideas for a tattoo that incorporates themes from quantum physics and broader concepts in physics. Participants share various suggestions, including equations, visual representations, and personal interpretations of physics concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for a tattoo that symbolizes the building blocks of the universe, suggesting a preference for visual representations over equations.
  • Another participant proposes the equation e^{i \pi} - 1 = 0, noting its aesthetic appeal despite not being strictly physics-related.
  • Suggestions include the Klein-Gordon equation and discussions about its complexity and significance.
  • Some participants suggest alternatives to the Schrödinger equation, such as the Dirac equation, and discuss their visual appeal and relevance.
  • One participant humorously suggests a tattoo design involving a dead and alive cat to illustrate quantum superposition.
  • There are mentions of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle and Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams as potential tattoo ideas, with some acknowledging that they may not strictly fit the quantum theme.
  • Several participants engage in light-hearted banter about the appropriateness of certain suggestions and the nature of tattoos in general.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present a variety of competing ideas and suggestions, with no clear consensus on a single tattoo design. Some express confusion or disagreement regarding the implications of certain equations.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the complexity of certain equations and the potential for misunderstanding their implications. There are also references to the aesthetic versus conceptual value of the suggested tattoos.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in physics-themed tattoos, particularly those looking for creative and conceptual ideas that reflect their interests in quantum physics and broader scientific themes.

BslBryan
Hello community. This is my first post and thread in this forum.

I've been working with modeling circumbinary exoplanets lately and I'd like to commemorate the implications with a tattoo. I'm young and dumb - it's a perfect time to get a tattoo.

Instead of relying on my work with CBPs and getting something like a stellar luminosity equation, I'd prefer to get something that relates to the building blocks of the universe in entirety.

I've thought about the standard model, but that might change in my lifetime with a TOE. I don't want the theory of relativity. All I know is that I want a physics tattoo - either an equation with remarkable implications but preferably something visual (maybe with an equation) and I figured you guys would be the ones to ask.

No idea is a bad idea, and you're free to make a case for anything, even things like relativity where I've already stated I'd rather not have.

Thanks, guys. Let's hear some cool ideas.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
e^{i \pi} -1 = 0

Not exactly physics but a neat expression in any case.
 
Stephen Hawking on lower back.
 
Integral said:
Not exactly physics but a neat expression in any case.

It is neat, and quite beautiful, but I don't really understand the implications - I can't quite process imaginary numbers or the significance of these seemingly unrelated values coming out to 0.
 
The equations of motion for the Klein-Gordon field: ##\partial^{a}\partial_{a}\varphi - m^{2}\varphi = 0##
 
The complexity of this consequent equation may be off-putting to some, so I will include a brief motivation so that everyone here, from all levels of physics, can understand it:

Say we have a particle, be it a car, person, or ball. In order to determine both the speed and direction of this particle, we find the ##{\frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t}}##, with ##\Delta x## denoting the overall change in position of the particle from its starting position, and ##\Delta t## denoting the change in time. Due to the displacement (##\Delta x##) being a vector, the resulting magnitude of this equation also results in a direction. Denoting this resulting value and direction will be the symbol ##\mathbf v##, and it shall henceforth be referred to as velocity.

Thus, we can conclude that the velocity of a particle, ##\mathbf v##, is related to the object's displacement, and the time of its displacement, in the following equation: $$\mathbf v={\frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t}}.$$

The results of this conclusion are astoundingly complex, and spread throughout the entirety of physics, making its presence known to all who dare to learn and understand it in a truly deep level. I find that this would be your best choice for a tattoo.
 
WannabeNewton said:
The equations of motion for the Klein-Gordon field: ##\partial^{a}\partial_{a}\varphi - m^{2}\varphi = 0##

Nice idea. Any particular reason you suggested that over Schrödinger's Equation?
 
BslBryan said:
Nice idea. Any particular reason you suggested that over Schrödinger's Equation?
The latter is quite cliched is it not :smile:? You could also try the Dirac equation for the Dirac spinor if you get bored!
 
BslBryan said:
Nice idea. Any particular reason you suggested that over Schrödinger's Equation?

Forget the Schrödinger equation. Use the Dirac equation sandwiched between 2 p-obitals! Cool.
 
  • #10
Integral said:
e^{i \pi} -1 = 0

Not exactly physics but a neat expression in any case.

Is this some sort of trolling attempt? :-p
 
  • #11
DiracPool said:
Forget the Schrödinger equation. Use the Dirac equation sandwiched between 2 p-obitals! Cool.

I eat antimatter for breakfast. Cool idea!
 
  • #12
You would be better off learning something, say a trade or a skill, rather than running around like a two-legged billboard.
 
  • #13
SteamKing said:
You would be better off learning something, say a trade or a skill, rather than running around like a two-legged billboard.

Maybe you could learn something about running around like a two-legged billboard. Let's keep this to suggestions for tattoos.
 
  • #14
SteamKing said:
You would be better off learning something, say a trade or a skill, rather than running around like a two-legged billboard.

You would be better off learning something, say a trade or a skill, rather than wasting away time replying to random people on the internet about your discomforts of how they conduct themselves...

Oh wait, this could go on forever.
 
  • #15
penguin_diagram.jpg
 
  • #16
Try some of the images for particle collisions
 
  • #17
Tattoo featuring quantum physics.

Dead.
 
  • #20
Heisenbergs uncertainty principle is a VERY good idea. Its simple, looks cool and illustrates rather poeticaly how we can never know everything.
 
  • #21
I always find Hertzsprung-Russell diagrams, from the simple black ink type to the multicoloured variety, to be captivating.

(Yeah, I know that it's not quantum physics, but you did mention a lot about stars in your introduction.)
 
  • #22
BslBryan said:
It is neat, and quite beautiful, but I don't really understand the implications - I can't quite process imaginary numbers or the significance of these seemingly unrelated values coming out to 0.

If don't understand the implcations of that relationship how can you understand any equation in advanced Physics?

Perhaps you need:

F=ma
 
  • #23
Integral said:
e^{i \pi} -1 = 0

Not exactly physics but a neat expression in any case.

That should be:

e^{i \pi} +1 = 0 It's a good thing he didn't go out and get a tattoo with a typo. :smile:
 
  • #24
How about
"Remember when tattoos were non-conformist?"
 
  • #25
When my son asks me about Rorschach tests, I tell him:

"Son, the equation is what you want to be."

Do you prefer classical or modern architecture?
 
  • #26
Curious3141 said:
That should be:

e^{i \pi} +1 = 0 It's a good thing he didn't go out and get a tattoo with a typo. :smile:

Call it a senior moment. That is what I get for working from memory instead of deriving.

Hey guys remember that this is a thread about finding a tattoo that the OP may not understand but likes the look of. :rolleyes:

Who says log of only positive numbers should be taken?
As soon as you include i in an expression you have stepped out of the realm of Real numbers, it is a complex number and now the rules of the complex plane hold.
 
  • #27
lisab said:
penguin_diagram.jpg

He's asking for a quantum mechanics tattoo, not a zoology one!


But a Feynman diagram is actually a pretty cool idea! He could go with some electron-positron scattering for simplicity
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Electron-positron-scattering.svg

Or i guess something with loops if you're feeling fancy. Maybe a Higgs loop if that's what you're into?
 
  • #28
I have an idea for the perfect quantum physics tattoo.

Walk into the tattoo parlor with two designs. One is of a dead cat, and one if of a cat that is very much alive and active. Pick some area of your body that is difficult, if not impossible, for you to look at. Tell them to flip a coin, if it's heads then they will tattoo you with the dead cat design, otherwise it's the live cat. Tell them NOT to let you know the result.

You'll walk out of the tattoo parlor with a single tattoo that is both a living and a dead cat! http://www.websmileys.com/sm/happy/783.gif You can't get any more quantum then that.
 

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