Tautology Memes

Elements Of A Set

17 days ago 5.8K views 0 shares

The graph perfectly captures that special moment in math class when someone asks you to prove the most ridiculously self-evident statement imaginable. "Prove that a set of elements contains the elements it contains" is like asking you to prove water is wet or that your coffee mug contains what your coffee mug contains. Yet somehow, the more obvious something is, the more pages of dense notation your professor expects. I once had a student turn in a proof like this with just "Because it does" written on it. I gave him an A for efficiency and a D for academic survival skills.

Euclid's Mind-Blowing Tautology

Math Scientists Science Academia

20 days ago 3.7K views 0 shares

Behold, the moment Euclid had his earth-shattering revelation that identical things are... wait for it... identical! The face of a man whose mind is absolutely blown by the most circular of logical reasoning. It's like discovering water is wet and then writing a 13-volume treatise about it. To be fair, ancient Greek mathematicians had to start somewhere—might as well begin with "things that are the same are the same." Revolutionary stuff! Next week: Pythagoras discovers that square things are square-shaped.

Straight Line: The Uncurved Curve

Math Academia

24 days ago 4.5K views 0 shares

Behold! Mathematical tautology at its finest! This professor just defined a straight line as "a curve which is uncurved" — essentially saying "this thing without curvature has no curvature." It's like defining water as "liquid that's wet" or calling sleep "unconsciousness where you're not conscious." Mathematicians love these circular definitions almost as much as they love pretending that π equals exactly 3 when the calculation gets too complicated! Next up: "A circle is just a polygon with infinite sides that forgot how to have corners."

Straight Lines And Curves: A Mathematical Tautology

Math Academia

24 days ago 3.8K views 0 shares

Straight Lines And Curves: A Mathematical Tautology

The mathematical equivalent of "water is just boneless ice." Only a professor who's been teaching for 30+ years would deliver this kind of circular definition with complete confidence. It's technically correct—the best kind of correct—while being utterly useless for anyone trying to understand geometry. Next up: "A circle is just a polygon with infinite sides" and "zero is just a number that equals nothing." Pure mathematical dad joke energy from someone who's definitely tenured enough not to care anymore.

Uncurved >> Straight Line

Math Academia Physics

1 month ago 4.6K views 0 shares

Mathematical tautologies hitting different in those 8 AM lectures! The professor dropping mind-bending definitions like "a straight line is just a curve that forgot how to curve." It's giving the same energy as "water is just boneless ice" or "sleep is death without the commitment." Next up: circles are just pointy objects with infinite points. Mind = blown. 🤯

Sometimes It's Just Unwinding Definitions

Math Academia Science

1 month ago 4.4K views 0 shares

Sometimes It's Just Unwinding Definitions

Pure mathematics in its natural habitat. First, we define a symmetric matrix as one where A equals its transpose. Then, in a stunning twist that shocks absolutely no one, we prove that if A is symmetric, then—wait for it—A equals its transpose. The circular reasoning is so perfect it could be used to teach geometry. Mathematicians spend years getting PhDs just to discover that things are what we defined them to be. Revolutionary stuff.

The Most Groundbreaking Correlation In Scientific History

Math Science

1 month ago 4.0K views 0 shares

The Most Groundbreaking Correlation In Scientific History

The perfect linear correlation that scientists dream of! This graph brilliantly demonstrates the most reliable mathematical relationship in history: current year minus birth year equals age. Revolutionary stuff. Pope Francis was born in 1936, and—hold onto your lab coats—his age increases precisely one unit per year! Who would've thought? Next up: groundbreaking research confirming water is indeed wet and gravity still pulls things downward. I've seen doctoral theses with less impressive R-squared values than this tautological masterpiece.

Technically Correct Electrons

Chemistry Science Physics Academia

1 month ago 6.9K views 0 shares

This test question is pure tautological gold! "In an atom, the number of electrons is equal to... the number of electrons." Well, technically correct—the best kind of correct! The Emperor's New Groove reaction is perfect because while the answer is ridiculously circular, it's not actually wrong. The number of electrons in a neutral atom typically equals the number of protons (not neutrons!), but saying electrons equal electrons is... well... a statement that would make even Kronk question his life choices. Chemistry teachers everywhere are either facepalming or secretly appreciating this student's malicious compliance. That one point might be the most honestly earned point in test-taking history!

Most Accurate Answer By Far

Chemistry Science Academia

2 months ago 4.9K views 0 shares

The ultimate circular logic trap! The question asks "In an atom, the number of electrons is equal to:" and one of the multiple-choice answers is literally "the number of electrons." The character's response of "That sounds sciency enough to be true" perfectly captures that moment when you have no idea what's happening in science class but still need to answer something. It's like saying water is wet because it has the property of wetness. Technically correct is the best kind of correct, right? Chemistry teachers everywhere are collectively facepalming!

Works 100% Of The Time

Math

2 months ago 4.6K views 0 shares

The mathematical precision here is simply flawless. Take your age, perform zero operations on it, and you're left with... your age. It's the identity property of addition (x + 0 = x) masquerading as profound wisdom. Reminds me of when my grad students think they've made a breakthrough but have actually just restated the original problem. Revolutionary stuff.

It's Not Always Proportional

Math Academia Science

2 months ago 5.7K views 0 shares

That face you make when someone redundantly explains inverse proportionality by... describing inverse proportionality. It's like saying "water is wet because it has the property of wetness." Mathematical tautologies make mathematicians die inside a little. Next they'll tell me that parallel lines never meet because they maintain constant distance from each other. Revolutionary insight! I'm just sitting here wondering if they also know that circles are round.

Pi Equals Pi, Who Knew?