Reverse Engineering

How the sausage is made.

Mathematical Illusion

It gets even weirder if you consider bases other than ten.

By Convention

“Why do we use these weird units?”

“Historical reasons.”

“Also, cosmic rays are electromagnetic radiation, right?”

“No, that’s a historical accident too. It’s convention now.”

Selection Pressure

“If you’re the weakest link, you’re left behind.”

Final Version

“What about that meeting?”

“Oh, it’s part of the paper.”

Trivial

“Maybe they are just getting in their teaching groove.”

In General

“In general” means something totally different for a mathematican.

Small Alphabet

“What about using the letter ‘f’?”

“That is a special symbol that’s reserved! You can’t just use an ‘f’ wherever you want. People will get confused. Think of the children!”

Second Atop the Mountain

“I knew I should have updated my copy of The Researcher’s Field Guide to Unclimbed Mountains.”

Where Are Your Weaknesses?

Whenever something looks trivial in mathematics, don’t skip it!