Which (elementary mathematics) constant is the most badd-ass?

[futurebird]

I know physics has a lot of great constants, but someone else will need to make that poll, I'm not the one!

1. \pi (pi)
2. i
3. \phi (phi)
4. The Parabolic Constant
5. Euler–Mascheroni constant \gamma

 

[neutrino]

I don't see how #3 is a constant; and #6, too, unless theta is some other constant.

Oh, BTW, we also need an option for "I don't have a favourite constant./There is no "best" constant."

 

[fourier jr]

what about 1 or 0?

 

[moe darklight]

?? wtf. #3 is from a calculus question I asked a while ago?? I'm confused, what's happening. why is it a constant now? aaah!

what about pi? it's most definitely the most badass. c'mon. everyone knows it, there's even a movie about it, not to mention a euphemism, it's everywhere!

what, so now that pi is big no one likes it anymore? too popular? ... indie kids today...

 

[BobG]

I can't decide between e or pi, so I choose both combined as a new constant:

pie = 8.54

and remember, pie is always rounded.

 

[moe darklight]

hm... I think there is something wrong with my tex then. because on 3 and 4 I don't see pi, I see a function and its derivative (f(x)=1/30(sqrt)x^2... etc) that I remember posting a while ago... (this should explain what I can only assume seems like a nonsensical comment from my part).

and on 6 I see a question mark after the words.

I'm on a mac. is anyone else getting something weird on the poll parts that are tex? (tex that is part of a message doesn't seem to be affected)

 

[cristo]

I'm getting weird stuff as well, moe!

I reckon phi's probably the best constant. Of course, I have not got a clue what it stands for!

 

[out of whack]

Change is the only constant.

 

[Gokul43201]

Wow, the TeX on the poll seems to be completely messed up, I've got charge densities and wavefunctions!

We should have a poll on how many folks actually see the intended TeX in the above poll options. I wonder what you'd see if you have never TeXed here...

 

[Gokul43201]

I reckon phi's probably the best constant. Of course, I have not got a clue what it stands for!

The Euler Phi (Totient) function! It's one of my favorites

Nah, I think the OP is referring to the waaay overhyped "Golden Ratio"; the solution to the quadratic 1-x = 1/x

 

[futurebird]

The Euler Phi (Totient) function! It's one of my favorites

Nah, I think the OP is referring to the waaay overhyped "Golden Ratio"; the solution to the quadratic 1-x = 1/x

You got it. I agree it's over-hyped. It's not even trancendental.

Nobody knows if gama is trancendental... or even rational! So that's why I think it is the most awsome.


I really sorry that no one can read my poll. I'm under self-enforced house arrest studying for my complex analysis midterm and I just wanted to do something amusing...

 

[futurebird]

what about 1 or 0?

These are way too important to compete with the others. They need their own binary poll.

 

[fourier jr]

what about pi? it's most definitely the most badass. c'mon. everyone knows it, there's even a movie about it

actually yeah no other constant has made anyone drill a hole into their head like pi did in that movie...

but then 0 eats any other constant. hard to decide

 

[Astronuc]

Wow, the TeX on the poll seems to be completely messed up, I've got charge densities and wavefunctions!

We should have a poll on how many folks actually see the intended TeX in the above poll options. I wonder what you'd see if you have never TeXed here...

I get something completely different on the poll.

Rather than \pi and \phi, the third one is a problem from the inverse Compton effect homework problem (posted by loop quantum gravity) and the fourth selection is a PDE. But when I click on the Latex form I get the \pi and \phi in the window!

This is the third entry of the poll as I see it on my PC's.

E=\frac{E_0(1+\frac{v}{c})}{\frac{1}{\gamma}+\frac{E_0(1+\frac{v}{c})}{m_0c^2}}

the fourth is \frac{\partial{f(x)}}{\partial{x}}\,+\,\frac{\partial{f(y)}}{\partial{y}}\,+\,\frac{\partial{f(-2z)}}{\partial{z}}, but the bottom partials are cutoff.

Both are homework problems I have worked on with other members. The one on the Compton effect was not even posted.

 

[arildno]

Hmm..I got the transformation laws from Cartesian to polar coordinates..

 

[Astronuc]

Gokul explained it in the LaTeX gone wild! thread.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=190831

Each of us sees LaTeX which we have previewed (so the image is unique to each viewer), but not necessarily posted, and it's probably the last two which were previewed at the time the poll was constructed.

So the pointers are pointing to some png file stored somewhere on PF.
https://www.physicsforums.com/latex_images/preview15685-0.png
https://www.physicsforums.com/latex_images/preview15685-1.png


I can see the actual content of choices 3 and 4, which are \pi and \phi, respectively, but the images are from what I previewed previously.

I cannot see the \gamma image. I get https://www.physicsforums.com/latex_images/preview15685-2.png

So the pointers are going to the last three previews. 15685 is my PF userid number.

 

[neutrino]

Now I see the '69' integral as the third option.

 

[meganw]

Pi! It's just so classic. :)

 

[Astronuc]

Now I see the most recent LaTeX images which I previewed this morning, the pointers go to the latest previewed LateX files.

[edit] Just fixed the images I see in the poll by previewing \pi, \phi and \gamma.

Interesting.

 

[Mororvia]

I can't decide between e or pi, so I choose both combined as a new constant:

pie = 8.54

and remember, pie is always rounded.

This get my vote :)