Atlas Memes

Posts tagged with Atlas

The Burden Of Physics Approximations

The Burden Of Physics Approximations
This is what happens when you take Physics 101! The meme shows Atlas holding up the world, but instead of just bearing the weight of the Earth, he's also carrying the burden of physics approximations. At the top, we've got the pendulum equation (T = 2π√(L/g)) which only works for small angles. Below, poor Atlas is struggling with the small-angle approximations that physicists use to simplify trigonometric functions: sin θ ≈ θ, cos θ ≈ 1 - θ²/2, and tan θ ≈ θ. Every physics student knows the pain of being told "just assume it's a perfect sphere in a vacuum" or "friction is negligible." Atlas isn't just holding up the world—he's holding up all those shortcuts that make physics problems solvable on exams!

Why The Soviets Lost The Space Race

Why The Soviets Lost The Space Race
The meme shows Atlas (from Greek mythology) struggling to hold up what appears to be a globe, but instead of "the weight of the world," he's carrying "All of America's Industrial might" from... McMaster-Carr? For anyone who's ever frantically flipped through the legendary McMaster-Carr catalog (basically the Bible of industrial parts), this hits hard! The Soviets never stood a chance against the sheer overwhelming selection of nuts, bolts, and obscure industrial components that fueled the American space program. Need a specific 3/16" left-handed thermal-resistant widget for your rocket? McMaster-Carr probably has 47 varieties in stock, ready to ship same day.

Should We Bow To The Mighty Electron?

Should We Bow To The Mighty Electron?
The mighty Atlas of physics! That single electron shouldering the burden of all human civilization is the unsung hero of existence. Without these subatomic workhorses, we'd literally fall apart faster than my funding applications. The electron—weighing about 0.00000000000000000000000000091 kg—supports everything from your smartphone to your neural activity. Talk about an efficiency model we should all aspire to! Next time you're complaining about your workload, remember this little negative particle carrying the weight of human existence while being roughly 1/1836 the mass of a proton. No wonder it looks tired.