Erdos Memes

The mathematical personality spectrum is real! Mathematicians really do build their entire identity around that ONE theorem they proved in grad school. You've got your Unabomber types who scribble proofs in remote cabins, your eccentric Erdős types who live for math and nothing else, your clean-cut academic who explains group theory at dinner parties, and finally... the "I haven't showered since discovering a new prime number" look. The mathematical community's unspoken dress code ranges from "potential FBI watchlist" to "delightfully disheveled genius." Erdős himself was famous for living out of a suitcase and showing up at colleagues' homes announcing "my brain is open" - the original mathematical nomad!

Finding out your date has an Erdős number of 3 or less is basically the mathematician's equivalent of discovering you're dating royalty. For the uninitiated, the Erdős number measures your collaborative distance from legendary mathematician Paul Erdős, who published more papers with more collaborators than anyone in history. The lower your number, the closer you are to mathematical greatness! A 3 or lower? That's like finding out your date casually hangs out with mathematical celebrities. No wonder our protagonist's brain is exploding with excitement - he just went from "nice date" to "I'm definitely putting this on my CV" territory.