Flag Memes

The flag of Japan next to its complement in set theory is peak mathematical elegance. In set theory, the complement of a set contains everything that's not in the original set. So Japan's flag shows {J,A,P,N}, while its complement contains all the other letters of the alphabet. Mathematicians probably find this more satisfying than their morning coffee. The rest of us just pretend to understand while secretly wondering if set theory has any practical applications beyond creating flag-based humor.

It's Czech Republic all the way down! This flag is basically what happens when mathematicians get drunk on Pilsner and discover the concept of recursion. The infinite Czech nesting doll effect proves that patriotism follows the same principles as fractals - self-similarity at different scales. If you zoom in far enough, you'll probably find a tiny Czech physicist still trying to explain why the universe isn't actually infinite, just really, really Czech. Next up: the Mandelbrot Set of national anthems!