# Do these (physics and other) mathematics writings make sense? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783 "2012-11-22T00:40:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2012, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/21 "2012-11-23T08:32:56Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > Huh. I didn’t realize mathematicians cannot get laid. I will have to inform my sex partners that we did not, in fact, have sex. It’s how mathematicians multiply. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/22 "2012-11-25T08:30:42Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > It’s how mathematicians multiply. It’s algebraic, even. 8==D _(1)_( o Y o ) The confusion must come from the idea that it might not be clear which set of parens to solve first. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/23 "2012-11-25T16:34:59Z")
You know, I don’t know if this is an abstract conceptual mathematical joke or not, but I get it just by reading dirty pictures from the symbols. A lesson there for the “2+2=5” crowd. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/24 "2012-11-25T20:02:17Z")
Hey! That’s the Encyclopædia Britannica right there on the shelves. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/25 "2012-11-25T20:17:58Z")
> [@](#): > > You know, I don’t know if this is an abstract conceptual mathematical joke or not, but I get it just by reading dirty pictures from the symbols. A lesson there for the “2+2=5” crowd. No, you got it. There’s no actual mathematical content to **cmyk** ’s post, beyond “it has symbols other than numbers, therefore it’s algebra”. I mean, I suppose you _could_ assign meaning to it, but it wouldn’t be particularly interesting meaning. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/26 "2012-11-26T06:50:24Z")
I just like to titillate with meaningless variables. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/27 "2014-07-19T21:21:05Z")
Is this pertinent, somehow? / I re-found this thread by Google searching “Chronos” AND “I’ll be in my bunk.” Of all the stuff I remember him that he posts it’s this… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/28 "2014-07-20T00:14:50Z")
We don’t want to know why you were Google searching “Chronos” AND “I’ll be in my bunk.” Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/29 "2014-07-20T02:06:54Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > We don’t want to know why you were Google searching “Chronos” AND “I’ll be in my bunk.” > Just sayin’… I believe it was to find this thread, to post the new picture…but it still sounds odd. :insert reasonably witty smiley here: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/30 "2014-07-20T20:25:37Z")
OK, that picture that **Leo Bloom** just posted is definitely weird. What’s with the… masks, I guess? that they’re wearing? My best guess is that that picture was trying to convey a message basically opposite the one in the OP, from a morality play or some such that was saying that it was evil for women to be educated. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/31 "2014-07-21T12:45:34Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Is this pertinent, somehow? > > / I re-found this thread by Google searching “Chronos” AND “I’ll be in my bunk.” Of all the stuff I remember him that he posts it’s this… 🙂 Vassar 1889, The sophomores who finished their required mathematics warned the freshmen of the rigors to participate in an annual play called the Trig Ceremonies. [http://150.vassar.edu/histories/mathematics/](http://150.vassar.edu/histories/mathematics/) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/32 "2014-07-21T12:55:23Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > I really should take a closer interest in math. I really should take a closer interest in Tumblr. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/33 "2014-07-21T13:13:19Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I’ve seen [this photo](http://barefoot-lover.tumblr.com/post/36161349325/angela-i-see-why-you-have-been-spending-so-much) floating around the net for a few years. > > It’s a photo from the back of four college girls in a library, with their shirts down (NSFW in only the most repressive environments; not even butt crack is showing). xkcd forums has an explanation now. [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2739&sid=f33fc18abf19bcd3d5275a4c37879f5d&start=80](http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2739&sid=f33fc18abf19bcd3d5275a4c37879f5d&start=80) The full title is: Beyond the Standard Model: Nineteen things we understand and four we don’t It is true that it was inspired by the Pink Floyd poster. They’ve sold out. [http://www.cafepress.com/physchicks](http://www.cafepress.com/physchicks) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/34 "2017-05-11T15:46:16Z")
Found another one: [Tattoos this time (if real):](http://imgur.com/g3RwraB) Pythag I get. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/35 "2017-05-11T17:00:48Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Found another one: > > [Tattoos this time (if real):](http://imgur.com/g3RwraB) > > Pythag I get. From top to bottom it’s the Taylor-series derivation of the [Euler identity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler's_identity). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/36 "2017-05-11T18:12:46Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > From top to bottom it’s the Taylor-series derivation of the [Euler identity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler's_identity). “The mathematics writer Constance Reid has opined that Euler’s identity is ‘the most famous formula in all mathematics’.” [above cite] Well that oughta shut me up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/37 "2017-05-11T21:03:33Z")
Though as **Indistinguishable** is fond of pointing out, the Taylor series is far from the most elegant way to prove the Euler identity. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/38 "2017-05-11T21:09:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Though as **Indistinguishable** is fond of pointing out, the Taylor series is far from the most elegant way to prove the Euler identity. Maybe, but it’s the only way I’ve seen that I found to be comprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/39 "2017-05-11T21:19:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Though as **Indistinguishable** is fond of pointing out, the Taylor series is far from the most elegant way to prove the Euler identity. It’s the only way I know of. How do you define sin and cos? By some dubious pictures or by the power series? I prefer the latter. Unless you are going to get them from y’'=-y, plus initial conditions, which is legitimate but requires an existence and uniqueness proof, Picard’s little theorem. Proof of convergence of the power series is far the easiest, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783/40 "2017-05-11T21:35:50Z")
Well, from my point of view as a physicist, the “dubious pictures” are the one and only definition of sin and cos, and if you want to use the power series, you have to first prove that they’re faithful descriptions of the pictures. Which is probably about as much overhead as what you’re describing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-physics-and-other-mathematics-writings-make-sense/641783.md?page=3)