Indices Memes

Posts tagged with Indices

The Great Index War: Programming Vs. Physics

The Great Index War: Programming Vs. Physics
The eternal battle between programmers and physicists! Programmers insist arrays start at index 0 (looking at you, C and Python devs), while Einstein's General Relativity uses indices that run from 1 to 3 for spatial dimensions. The title "Μ∈{0,1,2,3}" is the mathematical way of saying "the index μ can be 0, 1, 2, or 3" - which is actually the compromise in physics for spacetime coordinates where time gets index 0! This epic arm wrestling match captures the tension between two worlds that will never agree on how to count. Programmers save memory by starting at 0, physicists save sanity by matching dimensions to indices. The struggle is real! 💻vs🔭

Dimension-Hopping Mathematicians Skip Fourth Floor

Dimension-Hopping Mathematicians Skip Fourth Floor
Theoretical physicists skipping the 4th dimension like it's a hotel floor in Asia is peak academic chaos. The author's like "We'll use x 5 for the 5th dimension and just pretend 4 doesn't exist because... reasons!" Then has the audacity to acknowledge this creates confusion but basically shrugs it off with "hopefully context will save us." This is the mathematical equivalent of building a house and labeling the floors G, 1, 2, 5 while mumbling "everyone will figure it out." No wonder string theorists can't agree on anything when they're out here playing interdimensional hopscotch with their indices!