Comics about mathematics, science, and the student life.

Completionist

A person looks for their lost notes in the recycling bin, even though it probably isn't there.

I think we might sometimes take this a little too far, but at least we’re sure dark matter isn’t made out of discarded class notes!

23 Jan 2019

Not So Special

A student tells their friend that they can't wait to get out of secondary school, only to find that it's a lot of work and not everything is so fun.

The mathematical tools always look better on the other side.

21 Jan 2019

Copied Solutions

A goes to check the solutions that their professor posted, only to find that the solutions refer to other solutions which aren't given.

“Can you give us complete solutions next time, Professor?”

“Ah no, I have to make you work for them!”

18 Jan 2019

It All Makes Sense

A teacher introduces a new subject and exclaims, "It all makes sense."

Why do we even say this? Students are learning the material, so they almost certainly don’t understand it. We need to be careful with the implicit standards we set.

16 Jan 2019

Meetings

A plot of the utility of any academic meeting over time.

I wonder if we could compress meetings to about half their time without losing significant information?

14 Jan 2019

Myth of Grades

A student is kept in a cage that is unlocked, not even trying to escape because they are worried about not studying enough.

As much as it might seem like it at times, I promise you that there are other things that matter than grades.

11 Jan 2019

Aspirations

A friend asks if the other person got a lot of studying done over the break. The person scratches their head and admits that they were really busy, when really they spent a lot of time reading.

We tend to have a lot of hopes for our breaks, but we often end up retreating to our favourite (non-work-related) activities.

09 Jan 2019

Abuse of Notation

The Gamma matrix puts the Pauli matrix in its place.

No one will ever find this confusing, I’m sure of it!

07 Jan 2019

Expert Opinion

Person is reading a book and thinks the author is quite insightful. Later, a friend asks if the author has some interesting insights in their own field, and the person exclaims that the "expert" is an idiot.

“And I thought they were insightful!”

04 Jan 2019

Commutative Line

A woman cuts in line (to the anger of another customer), but she promptly informs them of the sign that says "Commutative Line".

I think we get too comfortable with commutativity in our early mathematical education.

02 Jan 2019