This mathematical wordplay is absolutely brilliant! The joke hinges on the dual meaning of "higher power" - in mathematics, exponents are literally raising numbers to higher powers (like x²), while in religious contexts, a higher power refers to a deity or supernatural force. So an atheist, who by definition doesn't believe in a divine higher power, would theoretically struggle with mathematical higher powers too! The stressed-out chimp staring at papers perfectly captures that mathematical existential crisis we've all experienced. Whoever created this deserves a Nobel Prize in Comedy Mathematics.