# Anyone with an Erdos number? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 15, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806 "2012-09-15T18:55:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/21 "2012-09-16T21:52:35Z")
Mine’s 4. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/22 "2012-09-16T23:57:29Z")
Mine’s 5. It’s the median, as **Lobot** said, but I remember being _so_ thrilled when I found out I actually had one lower than, say, one thousand - I am a computer scientist, not a mathematician. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/23 "2012-09-17T08:47:39Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > The MathSciNet app clearly has a limited database. I work with (but have never published with) a couple of 2’s and know many of their co-authors. I searched for four of them, all with Erdos number 3 and none of them turned up. Perhaps the database does not cover bioinformatics very well. Same here. I’m in physics, probably have Erdos number 4, and am not in the database. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/24 "2012-09-17T11:34:26Z")
> [@iamnotbatman](#): > > Same here. I’m in physics, probably have Erdos number 4, and am not in the database. Right. The database only covers mathematics. Like most biologists, my Erdos number comes through a statistician colleage. If you’re not a mathematician, use the database to search for your likely coauthors. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/25 "2012-09-17T12:14:26Z")
I once investigated my Erdos number. I don’t recall exactly what it was, but it was higher than 4 – 5 or 6. I’ve had a couple of papers with prolific and influential authors, so there are several possible paths. I should check again. Maybe, like Bacon numbers, Erdos numbers go down with passing time. If you’re strict about Bacon numbers, requiring that you be in a movie with someone else, then I have no Bacon number. But I’ve been on a TV show with someone who has a Bacon number, so I’ve got a Bacomn number if you allow TV shows. And, especially if you allow TV shows, there are lots of Bacon/Erdos number holders. Stephen Hawking has made multiple appearances, and he _has_ to have an Erdos number. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/26 "2012-09-17T13:47:30Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Right. The database only covers mathematics. Like most biologists, my Erdos number comes through a statistician colleage. I’m in hydrology, and my connections go through fluid mechanicians. ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/27 "2012-09-17T16:07:33Z")
I am a 3. Although I am a chemist, my connection is through a machine-learning colleague. ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/28 "2016-01-07T16:38:05Z")
Just found out I have an Erdos number of 6! Yes, yes, I know a jillion people have an Erdos number of 6, but I expected it to be undefined, so this is the little thrill of the day. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/29 "2016-01-07T16:46:45Z")
Mine’s imaginary. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/30 "2016-01-07T16:52:07Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Mine’s 5 if we count all publication types, or 7 if we restrict it to peer-reviewed. > > On edit, no, its 5 due to a paper we just published! Mine is 4 if you count all publication types, otherwise, I don’t have one. I have only co-authored one peer-reviewed paper, and I’d be surprised if any of the authors have Erdos numbers. (My husband legitimately has an Erdos number of 3.) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/31 "2016-01-07T17:23:26Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Anyone have an [Erdos/Bacon Number](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erd%C5%91s%E2%80%93Bacon_number)? I mean besides [Danica McKellar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_McKellar)… In a few months, mine will be 8! Last fall, the local PBS station shot a segment on one of my research sites. I was interviewed by John Burke, who was in RIPD with Kevin Bacon. It’s expected to air in March. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/32 "2016-01-07T18:44:30Z")
I was stumped until I remembered my Einstein number was two. So, my Erdos number is four. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/33 "2016-01-07T19:00:20Z")
I’m not in the database mentioned above, but a few of my coauthors are, so mine’s upper bounded by 5 (which is probably the actual value). By the way, Natalie Portman has an Erdős-Bacon-Sabbath number of 10 (E5-B2-S3). ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/34 "2016-01-07T19:03:44Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Mine’s imaginary. 😃 Mine’s irrational. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/35 "2016-01-07T20:56:32Z")
Surprisingly, I just found out I have an Erdos number of 5. Wow! No bacon number that I am aware of, I don’t think any of the shorts I’ve been in have a cast/crew that made it into a mainstream production. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/36 "2016-01-07T21:31:29Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > …Mine is 2. I read somewhere that the largest known one is 13. Wait, so if I asked around, I’d probably have an Erdos number less than 13? That’d be cool… But, wait… Anyone that I ever talked to that’d be impressed by that… would probably have a number in the single digits. So never mind. ETA: After some cogitating, I have a Probable Erdos/Bacon Number in the 6-10 range. Not worth the time to nail it down (if I did, Erdos and Bacon would both be disappointed in how I spend my time). ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806/37 "2016-01-07T22:28:12Z")
Mine is three, which is lower than I expected. Evidently my thesis supervisor, with whom I co-authored some other works, is a 2. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-an-erdos-number/634806.md?page=1)