Talk:2343: Mathematical Symbol Fight

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Revision as of 21:47, 9 August 2020 by 172.69.33.223 (talk) (Would anyone else like to join me in creating an anti-Gamma interest group?: new section)
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Can I get aleph-null aleph-shaped throwing stars? LunarNapolean (talk) 20:18, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Apologies to whoever added the "citation needed" that I stepped on. -- brad

That zeta looks conspicuously bad. I wonder if this comic will get a cleaned-up version uploaded. 108.162.237.16 20:51, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Megan usually has shoulder-length hair, so the person being attacked by Ponytail is probably not Megan... except in so far as all brunettes in this comic are called 'Megan'. LtPowers (talk) 20:53, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Is one of them Danish? And one of them Megan? 172.69.33.121 22:49, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

I think Randall is underestimating the weapon utility of psi. There's a real-world martial arts weapon that looks somewhat like it.172.69.68.197 22:04, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

I think he’s also seriously underestimating the value of keeping your fingers attached to your hand. Swords have guards for a reason. I’d pick the contour integral over anything else there.

Considering the title text, a bass clef looks pretty formidable, close to a bat'leth. Nutster (talk) 00:31, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

Yes, but the treble clef is the one in the title text, and that’s nothing like a Klingon bat'leth. I removed the comment from the table. Adam1729 (talk) 02:09, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

These “weapons” seem strangely appropriate for xkcd’s stick figures... -cpl

Agreed :)

Are we sure White Hat is holding empty set? There don't appear to be points extending outside the circle in which case I think he's actually holding Theta -jc

Can I use the LaTeX mathwitch? 141.101.98.26 10:03, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

First time editor here,hope I get the notation right! Question on the pi link to wikipedia: I put in the double link to the main page and the disambiguation because unfortunately https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_(disambiguation)#Mathematics doesn't include the mathematical constant definition (though it is listed at the top of the page). Thoughts? Alan g (talk) 10:38, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

I think that’s the is proportional to” symbol rather than just alpha. They are similar but have different Unicode symbols. Thoughts?--141.101.98.222 12:01, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

You're definitely correct. (They don't even look that similar...) It's the direct proportion symbol, not the symbol for Alpha.
ProphetZarquon (talk) 18:03, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

I don't think → is "implies", particularly as we've had ⇒ earlier. → is often used for "maps to", as in f: x → f(x) 141.101.107.166 19:24, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

→ and ⇒ often mean two different kinds of "implies". The single arrow is for the boolean operator that takes in two truth values and outputs a truth value. The double one is for "things on the left justify/prove things on the right", in somewhat of a metalanguage. Here's an example of two different ways of saying Modus Ponens with the operators: ((p→q) ∧p)→q vs p→q,p⇒q Alan g (talk) 03:52, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

Are we sure that is the multiplication sign (center dot)? The placement makes it seem more a decimal point. 162.158.123.47 21:51, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

Confusingly, math conventions in some countries use a low dot for multiplication, though it's not as common as it used to be. That's in addition to all the other things that bare dots can represent in math. Personally I can't "see" any particular set of semantics for that symbol, I just see a dot. 162.158.186.136 22:51, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

We see a greater-than, but no less-than. Where would that appear? I think >≠<, in fact ><<, if wielded properly. Though if thrown, either/both could be a multi-use projectile... 141.101.98.96 09:08, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

Took me a little bit to figure out what you meant, but I think it hasn't been clarified which side is the point or sharp side, so until that is clarified "<"=">"

Anyone else think the title text is hinting at a pun? "I got scared because his weapon looked like treble" sort of thing?

Where is the opening parenthesis? 172.69.33.223 21:43, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

Would anyone else like to join me in creating an anti-Gamma interest group?

Just asking. 172.69.33.223 21:47, 9 August 2020 (UTC)