Tattoos For the Math and Science Geek?

An anonymous reader writes "I've been thinking of getting a sleeve of math and science tattoos for quite a while now. With the money saved up, the only question remaining is, what equations/ideas should I get? I know for certain that I'm going to include some of Maxwell's equations, and definitely Ohm's Law. So, if you were going to put a tribute to the great math and science minds on your body forever, which ones would you choose?"

Comments

Science Tattoo Emporium

[nacturation]

With explanations too:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/category/science-tattoo-emporium/

Re:Before you do it

[bensode]

Hotlink didnt work ... try this link instead:

http://www.funatiq.com/simply-funny/crazy-math-tattoo/

Re:Before you do it

[brian0918]

On the contrary - all laws are true within their context. And that will be true of all laws discovered in the future. There will never be a law in the future which you could definitely say will "always be true", as that would require omniscience, which is impossible. So truth requires context, and all laws are true.

For the same reason, if I claim to be a soothsayer, and accurately predict specific global events far into the future, it would not mean that I am speaking the truth. There is no conceivable means by which I could have known that those events would have occurred. I simply guessed correct, but my statements were not true. Truth is the product of the recognition of reality - so with no possible means by which I could have recognized future events, I cannot speak truth about them.

Even your mathematical truth, e.g. Pythagoras' theorem, is only true in the context of Euclidean geometry.

Re:Before you do it

[severoon]

Um, if you're gonna get it tattoo'd, you probably want to go with the more traditional form of: e^(i*pi) + 1 = 0. This single equation shows a relationship between 5 important mathematical constants, as opposed to the other form, which just shows 3 (I don't think -1 qualifies, as i is the more fundamental).

Or, you could go with the more general form: e^(i*theta) = cos(theta) + i*sin(theta).

I might also go with the Euler product form of the Riemann zeta function, arguably the greatest unsolved problem in all of mathematics: sigma(n=1, infinity, n^-s) = pi(p prime, inv(1 - p^-s)).

I wouldn't worry about putting stuff on your arm that might get proven wrong—it doesn't mean F=m*a isn't a significant step in the evolution of human thought just because Einstein improved upon it. Speaking of Einstein, how about the Minkowski invariance relation (I think that's what it's called?): s^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + (i*c*t)^2.

Another significant idea worth memorializing is Godel's Incompleteness Theorem...you'd have to find a form using logic notation.

Finally, you might think about getting N E R D C O R E across your knuckles...

Re:Let me see.

[D Ninja]

Somehow I knew a story about anything on Slashdot would trot out a bunch of people who know absolutely nothing on the topic.

Fixed that for you. (Now, do I get modded Flamebait or Insightful...that's the real question.)

Really?

[Weaselmancer]

This is the most poignant question you've seen in a long time? Seriously?

Ok, look. Here's some wiki for you.

2,332,760 / 4,314,880 * 100% = 54%

54% of the arable land in North America is not utilized. If you want to live on a farm go do it. Uncle Sam will even help. But if you're totally punk rock and don't want to "be part of the machine", then go be Amish. They manage it pretty well.

The reason why nobody actually does this is because that way of life is stupefyingly difficult. Up before dawn to a full day of hard labor every single day.

Go spend a week on a real farm. Just a single week. I'm sure they'd be glad for the help. I'll bet you don't last two days. I doubt I would.

Re:No it isn't

[DNS-and-BIND]

I agree. What's needed is a sort of planned economy, to give jobs to everyone. With the plan in hand, we could make just the right amount of goods, with no waste. We could get rid of advertising as it would no longer be needed. There could be no more than 3 or 4 times pay difference between ordinary American peasants and the Ivy League elite. This system would only work if we were all on the same page about it, so we'd need political education at a national level. We could have sort of town meetings every Tuesday night where Obama could brief us by video on last week's progress and tell us what we need to work on for the coming week. Everyone would register in a work unit so we could make sure nobody missed the meeting.

Or you could just, you know, get another job. It's up to you. Where did this bizarre idea that someone else is responsible for your job come from? Has this idea ever been tried before, on a large scale? How did it work out?