SMBC Comics Forum

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3134#comic

Alright mathers, 'splain this one to me.

Tau is a term that certain people are trying to introduce into mathematics, and tau = 2 pi.

The right hand side of the equation on the votey is an incredibly convoluted was of writing "tau divided by pi"*, which is of course two.

LET THE LAUGHS ENSUE

*If any of you fuckers try to pedantically discuss the various situations in which the two things are not equivalent, you can consider yourselves crossed off my Christmas card list for good.

That is one bald, tooth-deprived two-year old. Is he/she using meth?

The white bit on the roof of the mouth is the teeth.

I'm more concerned by the jowly neck.

Sahan wrote:*If any of you fuckers try to pedantically discuss the various situations in which the two things are not equivalent, you can consider yourselves crossed off my Christmas card list for good.

I have never done this, and yet still no christmas card? I am affronted.

doubtingapostle wrote:That is one bald, tooth-deprived two-year old. Is he/she using meth?

Clearly, yes.

Sahan wrote:Tau is a term that certain people are trying to introduce into mathematics, and tau = 2 pi.]

Thanks. I knew the votey reduced to pi over tau*, but hadn't heard the whole 2pi=tau thing before. Is there some good reason for this? I know 2pi is common, but it doesn't seem necessary to abbreviate and tau is already used for other things so it seems like it would be more confusing than useful.

*and I didn't even have to consult wolfram alpha

So I'm fairly drunk, but this comic still makes me want to punch Zach directly in the gut.

panther991 wrote:So I'm fairly drunk, but this comic still makes me want to punch Zach directly in the gut.

"Despite being drunk I want to be violent." How novel.

Kaharz wrote:

Sahan wrote:Tau is a term that certain people are trying to introduce into mathematics, and tau = 2 pi.]

Thanks. I knew the votey reduced to pi over tau*, but hadn't heard the whole 2pi=tau thing before. Is there some good reason for this? I know 2pi is common, but it doesn't seem necessary to abbreviate and tau is already used for other things so it seems like it would be more confusing than useful.

*and I didn't even have to consult wolfram alpha

http://tauday.com/ is where the Tau Manifesto, including the reasoning, can be found.

kifujin wrote:http://tauday.com/ is where the Tau Manifesto, including the reasoning, can be found.

Meh.

Kaharz wrote:

Sahan wrote:Tau is a term that certain people are trying to introduce into mathematics, and tau = 2 pi.]

Thanks. I knew the votey reduced to pi over tau*, but hadn't heard the whole 2pi=tau thing before. Is there some good reason for this? I know 2pi is common, but it doesn't seem necessary to abbreviate and tau is already used for other things so it seems like it would be more confusing than useful.

*and I didn't even have to consult wolfram alpha

I first found tau meaning half-pi in the 60's in a book by Eagle called something like "The Jacobi Elliptic Functions as they Should Be". There he introduced tau as a one-legged letter that's half of a two-legged letter.

Vi Hart will tell you why Pi sucks and Tau is awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation ... G7vhMMXagQ