You would think that someone who loves math so much that they got the quadratic formula tattooed onto their forearm would also have some sort of appreciation for the precision of aesthetically pleasing typography. But no. Obviously not.
Also, did anyone else’s algebra teacher try to convince them that a good mnemonic for the quadratic formula was a tuneless and not at all memorable song like this one? What was up with that? Next time I try to get my aunt Shirley to remember the address of my “innernet blog,” I’m going to spell out “U-G-L-I-E-S-T-T-A-T-T-O-O-S-dot-F-A-I-L-B-L-O-G-dot-O-R-G” to the tune of the quadratic formula song and see what she does. Besides cut me out of her will.
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Ooh, veins. Is this arm made of Gorgonzola cheese?
no it’s made of skinny, pale, little math geek.
I’m almost speechless, but I have to say…what are the chances of this guy being under 18 and had to get someone to do it out of their house…or just did it themselves.
just, wow.
I don’t see a lot of underage people with tattoos that even know what this formula is. I would think someone “smart enough” to want this tattoo would also be smart enough to wait until it was legal to get said tattoo.
Right? That’s why I just don’t understand…I’m completely baffled.
Not necessarily. I’m seeing a lot of math tattoos lately, so I guess this is yet another trend and therefore doesn’t mean the people wearing them have any clue as to their meaning. Plus, it’s a really shitty ink job, so either it’s a home job, a freebie by a just-starting apprentice, or someone who really should not be getting paid for doing this shit.
Er, Sharpie job. I should have zoomed in before clicking on “Add Comment.”
I was ACTUALLY going to say it looks like sharpie… but I didn’t want to be that guy.
Why wouldn’t an underage person know this equation? Maybe we’re just awesome here, but I learnt it when I was 16.
16 is usually considered underage.
duh.
Oh, ha! I thought you said “why WOULD an underage person know this equation?” Aaaaaand I’m the ass. Sorry. As you were.
I’m underaged, have a tattoo, and totally understand what this is. I’ve used it too many times to forget D:
Thank you.
I don’t like maths, but this tattoo is quite lovely :]
Lovely? See, this is the reason why we have laws to forbid those who are under legal age from legally getting tattoos. As much as I’m sure you don’t like to hear this, you aren’t physically or mentally mature enough to make the right kind of decisions and that is why laws are written to forbid such things.
Guy? That arm looks female to me.
underage guy arm=female arm
My teacher just used “Never be for or against radicals. Be square against 4 alien creatures who divide to attack.”
see the only way i could remember that stupid mnemonic would be starting with the familiar quadratic formula.
Wow. I always have to think twice when I see the American/English version of the quadratic formula. In Sweden we learn this in a completely different way, so at first glance this seems way more complicated to me…
Also, what the fuck was up with that song..? That was just retarded…
We use the same formula (I mean the one tattooed on this guy’s arm) in Switzerland and Germany! Maybe you just have a totally different approach to maths in Sweden^^.
I suppose it’s just us Swedes being weird then. ^^ But as long as the end result is the same it doesn’t really matter I guess.
That version of the song was VERY retarded. I learned it to the tune of “Frere Jaques”. MUCH more effective.
I learned it to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Still remember it six years later.
I would love to know how it’s done in Sweden. I had no idea there was another version. Please show/tell.
That form of the formula in the tattoo was used in Finland in the early 90s as well.
Now this looks like a sharpie
You’re right, it seems to have a bit of blurred blue at the edges, and would make a whole lot more sense. F***ing cheaters.
I think it looks a lot like sharpie, too. Anyone want to talk about how they cheated on their tests in school?
I thought it was a fake :S
Try doing the quadratic formula to “Pop Goes the Weasel.” It’s much better than the tuneless song. X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root, of B squared minus 4 A C.. All over 2A!
that’s the one i learned! i haven’t had to use the quadratic formula in years but I still remember it because of that song lol
Yeah, that’s how I learned it too.
Wait till this person takes calculus… he’ll have the derivative and integral formulas scrawled all over both arms. Better have the trig identities, too.
He could always stick the vertex and standard forms of a quadratic on his arms while he’s at it…
It’s Baskara, right?
I used this formula…:
x= -b ± √Δ
2.a
+1 internetz for knowing the origin.
it’s s’posed to be pronounced as ‘Bhaskar’ btw, on anglicization it becomes Bhaskara. never heard of it as Baskara.
Had to Google “Quadratic Equation”… I am no closer to understanding it than I was 10 minutes ago… Math just isn’t my thing
I had to take everything through calc for my first major, but I since have forgotten all of it except for basic algebra stuff. It’s like I erased that part of the hard drive in my head to make room for other stuff. It probably is now occupied by the lyrics, rhythm guitar and bass parts for obscure songs. Figures.
well if it helps, the quadratic formula was derived from completion of the square (another common method for solving quadratic equations) as long as we are using a group with at least mod4- at least, I am pretty sure.
I’m not so good at math either… but the Quadratic Formula and factoring are two of the maybe five things I can do with some form of confidence.
As for the Quadratic Equation…
Well, it’s basically, as someone else said below, like completing the square, another way of solving quadratics. The formula comes from the standard form of a quadratic, which is: y=ax^2+bx+c. By plugging the numbers of a quadratic (the a, b, and c values) into the variable spots in the Quadratic Formula, you can figure out what two numbers make the x variable in the equation true.
I learned the quadratic formula at Ugliest Tattoos. I weep for the future!!
We need to make that a t-shirt, fast!
Why make it a t-shirt when we could all just get a tattoo of it? On our faces…
I want mine down my side to show that I’m unique and edgy.
u r a riot!!
I didn’t know “blob” was a mathematical term. This looks like it was done with a safety pin.
Awesome mouseover.
I have the Pythagorean Theorem on my nut sack.
Not enough room to put the quadratic formula on your wang and still be legible, eh?
The theory didn’t stand up well.
Rauss, it’s not the size of your polynomial, it’s how much you can expand it.
at the risk of sounding overly didactic (or being wrong), didn’t he forget the 1,2 below the x? Because if you have a formula with both the plus and the negative sign, there are two results: x1 and x2.
Well yeah, but that’s the least terrible thing about this tattoo.
True, but I like to think of me as a person that looks on the bright side of life. It’s rather challenging on this site though!
True, but I like to think of myself as a person that looks on the bright side of life. It’s rather challenging on this site though!
I learned the quadratic formula to the tune of row row row your boat. It’s one of the only things I still remember from algebra.
i learned it to the tune of pop goes the weasel…more than 10 years ago and still remember it! woohoo!
If your math tattoo isn’t laid out in LaTeX, it’s not worth it.
So true. At the very least, he should get a tattoo of the latex code:
\[
x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}
\]
Actually, I think that would make a better tattoo.
We learned it to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel”.
Frere Jacques for me!
Frosty the Snowman for me!
Yankee Doodle here…
Wait… isn’t this is quadratic formula that when applied to a graph, creates the shape of a heart?
It looks familiar. And if it is… then that’s a pretty nifty nerd tattoo.
Best. Mouseover. Ever.
I still have really boring nightmares about that thread.
I wrote it on my arm for tests, but I never thought of tattooing it on my arm.
As a mathematician, I’m offended at all the commenters using the word “math” to refer to anything taught to 12-year-olds.
Also, if he’s trying to use this to cheat on a test, I think he’s going to run into trouble when he has to take b squared minus that weird Old English “ae” thing. Smudginess to the max.
Okay, this is interesting. When I attended elementary school we called all of our classes about numbers “math.” More advanced “math” was termed other things like algebra, geometry, etc. in high school.
So, what is the proper name for classess about numbers for people under 12?
I don’t think I’m trying to be sarcastic, but I’m really curious if addition and subtraction are still considered math.
this ^
Captain, I’m detecting a high level of douchiness in quadrant four. Should we set phasers for “stun” or “annihilate?”
Can we set them for “extract explanation?” Because I feel like if this personal really is a mathematician, we’re about be seriously enlightened.
*person
ugh.
Sorry. There’s a setting for “extract internal organs” but that’s as close as there is. Maybe he’ll grace us again with his presence with an explanation for us poor ignorant masses.
Honestly, that looks like he just drew on his arm with a permanent marker.
greg…………..shut up!!!!!!!!!!!! offended by the word “math” your so dumb
do you hate using the reply button?
F**king reply button, how does it work?
F**king maths.
I have no idea why exactly, but this made me laugh…. a lot.
i think you’re kinda dumb too…
My math teacher last semester had ‘Mathematics’ tattooed on his arm. He was a chill bro.
Don’t tell Greg about this.
Once upon a time in music theory, my teacher said that if we got the circle of fifths tattooed on our arms, he had to let us use it.
I went with henna, but maybe math geeks are just more hardcore than music majors.
+1 to the typography comment. what sort of maths geek could stomach a font like that? should really be in the LaTeX displaymath font.
Looks like someone is really proud of their middle-school math skills.
Sigh…
I’m sorry, I’m American. What’s a quadratic equation?
Hmmmm. If you’re American, you should absolutely know this. Assuming you attended high school.
And, this is JV. The “Prostitutes” name was left over from my last hilarious roasting.
I am not a prostitute. Just to clear that up.
so…. you do or do not exchange sexual favours for cash? I’m still confused.
Generally, no. I was running a sting operation earlier and forgot to change.
hahahaha @the random “I’m American”
You are ALL a bunch of NERDS!!! I slept through all my “maths” classes. It’s true what they say about absorbing information when you’re sleeping. I always aced my testes.
I don’t really want to know what you do with your testes, sleeping or not.
I just spit out my drink at “testes.” No actual testes were harmed during said exercise.
^ bad quadratic formula tattoo
v good quadratic formula tattoo
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/files/2008/07/quadratic.jpg
this bastard copied my brilliance.
it’s actually “f(x)=”
No it’s not. when you have a function, f(x)=ax^2+bx+c, where a, b, and c are all constants, you plug a, b, and c into the quadratic formula (the tattoo) to find what x is equal to, not f(x).
Least he won’t forget it, I mean Iwouldn’t get that as a tattoo but i’m also never going to have a job that involves math, this guy was thinking rationally
This equation is already engraved in my head, I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it once i will be done with school.
This is why I’m SO glad there are laws against tattooing someone that is underage… I would look like such an idiot right now with all the stupid shit I would have gotten without thinking very much about it.
Although I can safely say that I wouldn’t have gotten anything misspelled or incorrect because I would have checked it a bunch of times, had other people check it, have a decent tattoo artist that would check it AND make sure the artist was doing his/her job. Ohya that’s why you gotta be legal to get tattoos, most kiddies don’t think like that!
Finding roots to Polynomials must be really hard for this person that they had to tatoo it onto them selves.
Pretty sure I know this person. She is a girl. She is awesome, loves math, and generally all around rules. I always thought her tattoo was great – really don’t see the problem with it… Unlike every other tattoo on this site. Oh, and it’s not a fake. So all of you who felt very smug proclaiming that it was Sharpie can now feel a bit chagrined.
Being a math nerd, I like the idea of math tattoos, but this one looks poorly done. Personally, I plan on getting ” 168/56 ” on my wrist.
oh hellz yeah im gunna get this tat