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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?"
Someone I know recently got a lambda tattooed on his finger. Now he can bind people into expressions just by raising his middle digit.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Think twice. Do you *really* think this will be so important to you forever?
0=e^(i*pi)+1
the preceding post was not spell checked... suck it.
Personally, I've always enjoyed the beauty of Euler's identity, any form of Gaussian (normal) distribution which has a standard form here and entropy in regards to information theory. Of course, these are just personal favorites -- the last two because I am a computer scientist with so much college work hinging on them. You probably have personal favorites in chemistry or physics or another field even. Honestly, the loan formula is probably one of the most widely used and life changing formulas in the United States today -- especially given the recent financial crisis. I think it would be best for you to draw up your own formulas in a geometric display rather than someone else's symbols. I suppose that would require extreme precision on the end of the artist and also introduce interesting problems with the elasticity of your skin ... but I'm one for originality especially if you're about to mark yourself in a relatively permanent way.
My work here is dung.
If you don't know what you want then just wait until you do. One of the worst things you can do for a tattoo is ask what other people think you should get. You'll end up with something that they want and it may be cool now but years down the road it won't mean anything to you.
Tattoo's are suppose to be for life. If it's something that you foresee down the road that you'll not be interested in and go "why did I ever do that, ugh that's so yesterday" it wasn't a very good idea.
-- Ed Bugg --You have freedom of choice, but not of consequences.--
It is better to tattoo P=NP, because you still can modify it later, if the opposite gets proven (just strike trough the equality symbol).
The coolest math tattoo you could get would be nothing at all. Just hold up your arm and say "it's the empty set" and have them marvel at your coolness.
Seriously, tattoos are lame. Resist the urge. It's going to be an ugly green smear you will regrat.
You definitely want Quaternions and Euler Angles:
The story behind Quaternions justifies permanent ink if any math theorem ever did: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternion
Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et generaliter nullam in infinitum ultra quadratum potestatem in duos eiusdem nominis fas est dividere cuius rei demonstrationem mirabilem sane detexi. Hanc BRACCHIUMis exiguitas non caperet.
with one small change...
-Malakai
A Dragon Lives in my Garage
In the greek alphabet:
beta mu pi integral of e^x
which gives you
ButtSex
P=NP? die, heretic scum!
In Soviet Russia jokes are formulaic and decidedly non-humorous.
Think of how dignified those tattoos will look when you age and your whole body looks like Reagan's neck. Do you really want to explain to your grandkids why you thought a math equation or Mighty Mouse or a kanji character that means "desk" was something that held enough meaning that it required you to permanently scar your body with it?
This applies to everyone who resolves to get a tattoo before deciding what it is of, btw.
With explanations too:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/category/science-tattoo-emporium/
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
I like musicians who get the fermata symbol tattooed on their bodies. (Hold me.)
Best regards.
Come on, the math is simple here. There are six billion people on the planet right now. How many of them have tattoos already? The probability of you coming up with a tattoo that someone else doesn't already have is nearly zero.
In other words if you get a tattoo, someday later you'll meet someone else who has the same one, or someone who knows someone who has it. Then you'll realize that your attempt at "individuality" was a failure. At which point hopefully you went to a clean enough shop that you didn't pick up hepatitis in the process.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
Get a full sleeve of the Mandelbrot set drawn with (literally) painstaking detail and accuracy. That should keep you and your tattoo artist busy for a while.
This sig has been stolen. Return it to its original user for a reward.
But then again, I'm an old coot that never got the tattoo thing.
OK, yes, they hurt. That's true.
As far as endangering your health, it means you're going to the wrong damned shop. Any tattoo place that doesn't have an autoclave, and single-use needles should cause you to flee. I've never seen an artist not using latex gloves, not using sterile gear, and not using ink in little disposable cup that get tossed when they're done. Any modern shop is actually very clean, and if it isn't, don't go there.
As to being purely superficial, lots of people get tattoos that have a strong meaning to them (and, admittedly, lots don't). Some people get tattoos so that other people can see them and say "wow, he's got a tattoo, cool". Others get them entirely for themselves -- you can't see any of mine unless I want them to be seen. You're making absurd generalizations -- if 40% of Gen-Xers are sporting ink, there's almost no generalization you can accurately make about why people get them.
Somehow I knew a story about tattoos on Slashdot would trot out a bunch of people who know absolutely nothing on the topic. Now everybody gets to make categorical statements they can't support with anything but opinion.
Not everything outside of your experience is bad, or stupid. Just something you don't know about.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
A guy that I once met had a tattoo of a Smith Chart. Smart RF guy. Definitely dedicated to the field. ;)
in the 90s I got a tattoo of the solar system on my back and brontosaurus tattoo on my chest. now both are incorrect :(
I think by "superficial", he means that they are purely decorative - even if of some sentimental value to the wearer.
And this is true, but I wouldn't tell someone not to wear their wedding ring just because it is superficial.
I'd be much more concerned about the expense of laser removal once the tattoo fad passes.
And if you don't think that this is a fashion fad, may I interest you in some vintage mid-90s facial piercings? You'll never need cosmetic earlobe repair surgery, because giant, comical rings embedded in your earlobes will be cool forever.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
Don't get any tattoos. I can only name 2 people that I know that don't have something...
The older I get, the older that the "hip" crowd gets, and it just looks plain pathetic to be 30+ and have all these tattoos... Just think how bad the population is going to look 20 years from now - you'll have all these 40 yr olds that have way too much "ink" and you'll have none. I can't wait to be one of the very very few people who can say "I didn't get a tattoo because I wanted to be unique" at my 20 yr high school reunion.
Well, it's thousands of years old. At the moment, I would agree, it is a bit of a fad. But, again, in and of themselves, tattoos aren't the problem, it's bad choices on what to get, and where to get it. Admittedly, it's a lot more prevalent.
I actually understand what you're saying, I just don't understand the bile -- it's not like it has anything to do with you. Yes, I see kids getting their neck done, or getting the big ear-lobe thing, and I worry that in a few years those are going to be career-limiters. Because, even as someone involved with tattoo culture, there's certain things I am aware of will give the average person the willies.
When I show up in a suit, you don't see any ink. My eyebrow piercing is long gone, and nobody seems to even notice my earrings anymore. By choice, I don't have anything more extreme that is visible to anybody unless I want it to be.
Well, then 40% of Gen-X is about to look REAL dated. Probably a higher percentage of Gen-Next is well on their way to getting ink. And, shockingly, an increasing amount of boomers are getting inked.
Hell, I know school teachers with tattoos. Typically discrete things that would never actually be shown at school.
You're over-generalizing to all of the "in your face" (literally and figuratively) stuff that people get done, and extrapolating that everybody who has ever gotten a tattoo. Why you're venting this much spleen at the concept of tattoo is hard to guess.
Seriously, it's not your damned lawn, grandpa. Get over it.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Get tats of chicks with big boobs -- boobs can never, ever be proven wrong.
"I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert
That's why you show up for a date bathed and with your teeth brushed.
Ohhhh...
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.)
You should tattoo pi * 1337%
My other account has a 3-digit UID.
Umm, no? He realizes that while he likes his tattoos not everyone shares his opinions?
I think my cock is awesome but I don't show up for a job interview in crotchless chaps.
The "no visible tattoo" policy is the antithesis of the 1st Amendment.
Please people, read the first amendment and try to understand it.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
It starts - and pay attention - "Congress shall make no law".
Do you see anywhere that Congress has made a law that says visible tattoos are bad?
This is a corporate policy. If you are hired, they are welcoming you in the door onto their property - on their terms. If they say you have to wear purple underwear to work here, guess what? YOU DO.
Employment is optional. Nobody has to give you a job. If they don't like your tattoos they don't have to hire you. It is really as simple as that. You have to do what the boss says - it's a job. It is not a right.
So back OT, to the guy who wants a sleeve of math equations, my advice would be DON'T. It's fun, it's nerdy, I can see the appeal. But you are limiting your options.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
he should get P=NP above the four knuckles of one hand, and the strike-through version on the other four knuckles
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
Here is my rule for tattoos: Select the exact design and location you want to have. If you still want that exact design and location in ten years, then get it. Otherwise, or if you change the tattoo or its location even in some minute point within those ten years, the clock starts over.
I think my cock is awesome but I don't show up for a job interview in crotchless chaps.
Best. Analogy. Ever.
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.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
By the gods, I wish that I had modpoints today. Protip: Don't argue against tattoos to the tattoo'd. They are maniacally pro-ink (and they MUST be! They'll be inked for the rest of their lives!). As the saying goes: If you have no tattoos, don't get any tattoos. If you HAVE tattoos, get MORE tattoos. It used to be that tattoos and body modifications were mostly used as a mechanism to show membership in a particular group. Nowadays, it seems that people get ink to show that they are a member of the "people who have ink" group. Not sure what to make of that, tempted to think "fad", just as you stated. I'm sure I'll be flamed for this, just like you were. I was a US Marine (am, I suppose. Once/Always, etc.) and I saw more young marines getting inked than NOT getting inked. They wanted to show that they were part of a group, that they belonged. I managed to avoid getting inked back then, and I figure if I didn't get inked in the Marines, then I might as well skip it going forward. I'm not against a tasteful tattoo on a man, think tattoos on women are gross, and think that all of the "people who judge me based on my tattoos are wrong." crowd are naive. People judge me based on my face and appearance all day long. As a people, we look at a face and body and make a snap decision about that person. It is how we've evolved to survive. and to be honest, I know that the in-your-face tattoo crowd are making snap judgements about my face when they see it, too.
Each processor would proceed sequentially as if it had been better for them not to rise against Saul.