Notation Memes

Posts tagged with Notation

New Shorthand Just Dropped

New Shorthand Just Dropped
For the mathematically challenged but efficiency-minded researcher, behold the ultimate Boolean operator compression! "andd" - saving precious keystrokes by combining "and" with "and only and." This is what happens when mathematicians optimize their coffee-to-typing ratio. Next up: replacing "if and only if" with just a wink emoji. Formal logic papers would be 50% shorter if we all embraced this notation. Your dissertation committee might have questions, but think of all the trees you'll save!

New Operation Just Dropped

New Operation Just Dropped
The mathematician's version of a mic drop! This is the notation for an infinite sum from n=0 to infinity of n². While most series have nice, tidy solutions, this one is particularly spicy because it diverges to infinity. It's basically math's way of saying "this operation is too powerful to be contained!" Mathematicians get a special thrill from discovering which series converge to finite values and which ones dramatically explode to infinity. This one? Total mathematical chaos. The infinity symbol on top is just *chef's kiss* perfect foreshadowing.

The Factorial Fallacy

The Factorial Fallacy
The mathematical notation equivalent of a heart attack. In math, "!" means factorial (multiply a number by all positive integers less than itself), but here it's being used like an exclamation point to emphasize inequalities. The author of this textbook is committing mathematical blasphemy that would make Euler roll in his grave. Imagine telling a mathematician "x > 0!" and watching them frantically calculate whether x is greater than 1 (since 0! = 1) before realizing you're just being dramatic about x being positive. Pure mathematical terrorism.

The Decimal Point Of No Return

The Decimal Point Of No Return
Behold, the utopian future we could have had if humanity simply agreed on using periods instead of commas as decimal separators. No more spreadsheet errors. No more international finance disasters. Just sleek buildings, flying cars, and unified notation. Meanwhile, in our reality, engineers are still converting units because someone thought 12 inches in a foot was perfectly reasonable.

It's Notationally Consistent

It's Notationally Consistent
Mathematicians just love to make things unnecessarily confusing. First we have π (pi) at 3.14159... which is fine. Then some wise guy introduces τ (tau) as 2π because "it's more natural for circles." But the real galaxy brain move? Creating a symbol that equals π/2! Why stop there? Let's make symbols for π/3, π/4, and π to the power of π! Next semester's textbooks will need their own glossary just for circle constants. And they wonder why students develop math anxiety...

The Worst Way Ever To Write Seconds

The Worst Way Ever To Write Seconds
When you're so deep in physics notation that you write seconds as "kilogram-meters squared per seconds squared" instead of just "s"! This is the SI unit formula for seconds derived from dimensional analysis (kg·m²/s²), which is like ordering a coffee by listing all its molecular compounds. Only physics students would torture time itself this way! Next time your professor asks "how long did the experiment take?" just reply with this equation and watch their soul leave their body.

Which One Are You?

Which One Are You?
The ultimate physics personality test! On the left, we have E=hf (energy equals Planck's constant times frequency), while on the right, it's E=hν (literally the same equation, just using the Greek letter nu instead of f). This is basically the physics equivalent of people who say "to-may-to" versus "to-mah-to" but for quantum physics! Both equations represent the same thing—the energy of a photon—but physicists are hilariously divided on which notation to use. I'm definitely an E=hf person myself. Greek letters are just showing off! 😂

The Vector Of Panic Distribution

The Vector Of Panic Distribution
The mathematical trauma is real! The meme shows the normal distribution curve (bell curve) of reactions to seeing vector notation in math. Most people fall in the middle with mild anxiety (34%), while the extreme ends show two distinct responses: the blissfully clueless student who doesn't even recognize the vector symbol (left) versus the math major in their natural habitat (right) who calmly defines vectors while everyone else panics. It perfectly captures that moment in class when the professor casually drops vector notation and half the room starts sweating. The bold face font and overhead arrow (→) are actually standard notation for vectors in mathematics and physics, making this a brilliant inside joke for anyone who's ever survived a linear algebra or physics course.

The Bracket Asymmetry Crisis

The Bracket Asymmetry Crisis
The eternal struggle of programmers and mathematicians everywhere! The left bracket is a simple, elegant curve. But the right bracket? That's a chaotic nightmare that looks like it was drawn by someone having a seizure while riding a mechanical bull. No wonder debugging takes forever—half the time is spent just trying to find where that deranged right bracket ends! Programmers don't have imposter syndrome; they have "where-the-hell-did-I-put-that-closing-bracket syndrome."

It Could Be So Easy: Mathematical Solutions To Social Problems

It Could Be So Easy: Mathematical Solutions To Social Problems
Mathematicians sneaking their way into social discussions like ninjas! 😂 This brilliant meme shows how math notation can "solve" gender-inclusive language by using closed intervals [Ladies, Gentlemen] to include everyone between and including both endpoints. It's that beautiful moment where set theory meets social etiquette! Next up: using probability distributions to decide who pays for dinner!

That's The Mistake I Made When I First Saw A Double Factorial

That's The Mistake I Made When I First Saw A Double Factorial
The mathematical carnage behind this meme is both hilarious and terrifying! In math notation, 10!! (double factorial) means multiplying only even or only odd numbers up to 10, so 10!! = 10 × 8 × 6 × 4 × 2 = 3,840. But if you mistakenly calculate (10!)! (factorial of factorial), you're computing the factorial of 3,628,800... which is a number so astronomically large it would require scientific notation with over 40 million digits. No wonder we'd have flying cars and utopian cities—we'd have unlocked computational power beyond imagination! The difference between these two operations is literally civilization-altering.

Your Favorite Complex Number Representation?

Your Favorite Complex Number Representation?
The mathematical alignment chart we never knew we needed! This is basically D&D for math nerds. Your choice of complex number notation reveals your true nature - are you a clean exponential form purist, or a chaotic matrix representation deviant? Only those who write complex numbers as matrices at the bottom left have definitely sacrificed a graphing calculator at midnight. The rectangular form (a+bi) sits comfortably in neutral territory, for people who refuse to take a stand even in their mathematics. Meanwhile, that exponential form with the square root and tangent in the bottom right corner is what mathematicians see in their nightmares after grading too many calculus exams.