Comics about mathematics, science, and the student life.

Context

A student reads a passage from a textbook and doesn't quite understand, but they decide that the context will help them figure it out (it won't).

This is part of the reason why you can’t just expect to blaze through a textbook. Understanding all of the terms requires patience.

Equal Time

A student decides to spend equal time on two different assignments, even though one is way shorter.

My inability to distinguish between the importance of various assignments really contributed to being much more stressed out than I should have been in school.

Membership Perks

A membership card advocating theory X, which offers a bunch of perks.

You get all the benefits of being in a club, especially the tendency to protect each other when a member is criticized!

Information Telephone

A lineup of people are transmitting a piece of scientific news. As it passes from the researcher to the university committee to the science journalist to the media organization to the social media influencer to the news anchor to a family member, the message can't help but get garbled.

The best is when it comes full circle and I get back “noisy” news.

Labels

In the first panel, a student is unsure if their supervisor is actually invested in their research. In the second panel, he explains that his supervisor has given labels to the equations as "ThatOneINeverUnderstood".

You can tell a lot about a person by how they label their equation in LaTeX.

Filter

In the first panel, the physics professor tells the class that they won't be studying the real world, and instead will live in the land of approximation. The professor lists off a bunch of handwaving that will be done, and this makes the math student in the class get up and leave.

Becoming better in physics means getting used to the fact that you’re only ever approximating reality. That’s the price to use those shiny mathematical tools we know and love.

Existence

In the first panel, a mathematician shows their friend what they think is a treasure map. The friend confirms that it is a map, and wants to go find it. The mathematician just shakes their head and says they are satisfied with knowing it exists.

“I bet you’re one of those people who enjoy being the “team player” instead of getting to be the star, huh?”

Overgeneralizing

A student keeps on ramping up the generality of the problem until it gets away from the point.

I’ve been known to do this, and I have yet to impress anyone by it.

Sudden Free Time

A student forgets that they need to be studying during the week before exams, not lounging around.

When the semester ends, it’s like an abrupt switch in pace. I don’t think I would forget about an upcoming test (I would be stressed out), but I know there are many who would be a bit too care-free.

Incorrectly Correct

A student makes a mistake while simplifying sin(x) = sin(2) by "cancelling" the "sin".

If you don’t handle this well, students will start thinking there’s a conspiracy against them.