# What does this sign say? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592 "2017-04-30T19:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/1 "2017-04-30T19:21:35Z")
At the science march in Chicago a week ago, I saw a woman holding the sign shown in [this photo.](http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/AnnyMiddon/library/) (There’s only one pic in the album – I think you have to click on it to see it all.) I asked her about it, and she said that if I input the equations into a graphing calculator, I could see what her sign actually said. Sadly, I lack both decent math capabilities and a graphing calculator. But I know there are many here with both, so I’m asking you: What does the sign say? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/2 "2017-04-30T19:39:46Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > At the science march in Chicago a week ago, I saw a woman holding the sign shown in [this photo.](http://s1383.photobucket.com/user/AnnyMiddon/library/) (There’s only one pic in the album – I think you have to click on it to see it all.) > > I asked her about it, and she said that if I input the equations into a graphing calculator, I could see what her sign actually said. Sadly, I lack both decent math capabilities and a graphing calculator. But I know there are many here with both, so I’m asking you: > > What does the sign say? Anarchy symbol I guess. [Here](https://www.google.com/search?q=f%28x%29%3D2%2B+%28-%28x-2%29%5E2%2B1%29%5E%281%2F2%29&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#safe=off&q=f(x)%3D2%2B(-(x-2)%5E2%2B1)%5E(1/2),+2-(-(x-2)%5E2%2B1)%5E(1/2),+3x-3,+.2x%2B1.7)’s google rendering all but the last line, finishing the A. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/3 "2017-04-30T19:42:18Z")
Looks like an anarchy symbol to me: [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=graph+(2%2B(-(x-2)^2%2B1](https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=graph+(2%2B(-(x-2)%5E2%2B1))%5E.5),+((2-(-(x-2)%5E2%2B1)%5E.5)),(3x-3),(-3x%2B9),(.2x%2B1.7)) ETA: Darn it, beaten to it by **Folly**. I actually did the same thing with Google, but typed in “graph (2+(-(x-2)^2+1)^.5), ((2-(-(x-2)^2+1)^.5)),(3x-3),(-3x+9),(.2x+1.7)” and found out it will work, but only with 4 elements, so I had to delete one. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/4 "2017-04-30T19:46:55Z")
😉 perfectionist ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/5 "2017-04-30T19:50:45Z")
[Here’s a better visualization.](http://www.meta-calculator.com/online/f9ktwhszd8lv) Feel free to change XMin and YMin to 0 for an even closer look. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-this-sign-say/785592/6 "2017-04-30T22:41:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > [Here’s a better visualization.](http://www.meta-calculator.com/online/f9ktwhszd8lv) Feel free to change XMin and YMin to 0 for an even closer look. Thanks. Now it makes sense.