Several people are asked to prove that all odd integers greater than 2 are prime.
- Tenured mathematician: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is not prime. Ha! A counterexample.
- Untenured mathematician: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime… so by induction, all subsequent odd integers are prime.
- Statistician: Let’s verify this sone several randomly selected odd numbers, say, 23, 47, and 83.
- Computer scientist: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, segmentation fault?
- Computer programmer: 3 is prime, 3 is prime, 3 is prime, 3 is prime…
- Physicist: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is an experiemntal error, 11 is prime…
- Mechanical engineer: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is approximately prime, 11 is prime…
- Civil engineer: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is prime…
- Biologist: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is… still awaiting results…
- Psychologist: 3 is prime, 5 is prime, 7 is prime, 9 is prime but suppresses it, 11 is prime…
- Economist: 2 is prime, 4 is prime, 6 is prime…
- Politician: Shouldn’t the goal really be to create a greater society where all numbers are prime?
- Sarah Palin: What’s a prime?
i love the civil engineer one
Comment by bluquar — 07.8.09 @
The Computer Programmer should be more like: 1, 1, 1, 0, 1…
Comment by Artifex — 07.17.09 @
I was laughing, right up until I saw the last one. You guys just can’t let it go can you? Pathetic.
Comment by ron — 07.18.09 @
Lol…so true! I love the last one.
Comment by afaf — 07.20.09 @
Leonhard Euler discovered that 2^32 + 1 = 4294967297 is divisible by 641 and so is not prime. http://www.gap-system.org/~history/HistTopics/Prime_numbers.html
Comment by Eddie — 08.5.09 @
This is great! Another Mathematics site that’s also pretty good is the one I just came from http://mymathgenius.blogspot.com/ but this one is great for a laugh.
Comment by Steve — 08.7.09 @
I was laughing all the way through then I read the comments and died.
Comment by baslisks — 09.12.09 @
Quit your whining ron.
Comment by Casey — 09.21.09 @
[...] [...]
Pingback by Prime numbers (humorous) — 10.9.09 @
Number 3: We can’t let it go that almost half of America wanted to elect, as vice president, a woman who can’t accurately describe what the 3 branches of our government do? No… hell no. We cannot let that go. 10:1 she actually doesn’t know what a prime number is.
Comment by Jason E — 10.10.09 @
This was grand.
To baslisks: never, ever read comments. You should know this.
Also, and I quote: “]something insane supporting whatever Glenn Beck or one of the others said last night.]”
QED
Comment by Rivin — 10.24.09 @
As a computer programmer, I am offended by the lack of inventive computer programming humor. It could go like:
- 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 etc are primes in this release. 9 is a known problem in this version of the theorem, but we’ll fix in in the next release. or
- 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 are primes …Nobody really is going to expect us to handle the 9 case …:)
besides that, yeah it was funny …even the Palin bit.
Comment by steve — 10.28.09 @
ron: You’re right, Sarah is pathetic….which makes her ideal joke material.
Comment by Bob Fry — 11.1.09 @
No, we can’t let it go… she was an idiot and “you people” stood behind her because of her political affiliation, not her positions.
> I was laughing, right up until I saw the last one. You guys just can’t let it go can you? Pathetic.
>
> Comment by ron — 07.18.09 @
Comment by Chris — 11.2.09 @
this is a PRIME example of lame
Comment by friedlinx — 12.23.09 @
Al Gore: 3 is prime. 4 is prime despite all evidence. 5 is prime. 6 is prime, and prime numbers keep increasing due to man’s activity. Prime numbers are going to destroy the world unless you buy integer credits!
Obama: Let me be clear. I don’t want to get into the prime number business. But I have to. For your own good.
Prime is on the other number line, now, isn’t it?
Comment by oldestgenxer — 12.25.09 @
@Steve
Loved the Computer Programmer alternatives. They’re all good though
Comment by Craig — 02.6.10 @
2 actually is a prime number… look it up.
Comment by Marc — 03.26.10 @
Great list – I was actually laughing louder and louder until I got to the last one. Then I roared with laughter! Then the comments! Wow, Ron, you made me laugh even louder. ‘Cause the funny thing about Palin supporters is that the Economist one is even MORE offensive to the loony right – but they’d have to think about it!
Comment by ojnothered — 03.26.10 @
Chris: Try to get past that chip in your brain that coughs up invectives like “idiot” whenever you see or hear a person with whom you disagree. You might admit to yourself that she is not an idiot, and others might not get the impression that you are mean and condescending. Regarding Ron’s remark: He’s right. Let it go. After all, Obama won the election. I’ve noticed that reminding us is one of his favorite rhetorical tools. In any case Chris, you are off to a good start, writing: “she was an idiot”.
Comment by Skip — 04.8.10 @
That last one WASN’T a joke! I bet she really doesn’t know! I like the Economist too :p
Comment by holyshit — 04.25.10 @
I loved the economist one!
Comment by Picaro — 09.1.10 @
@Eddie: The Article also discovered that 2^3 + 1 = 9 is divisible by 3 and therefore isn´t prime either. :D But: Nice stuff, I liked the psychologist. :)
Comment by Someone — 10.14.10 @
3 is prime 5 is prime 7 is prime 9 is…
…Must be global warming.
Comment by Johnnyjeffers — 02.5.11 @
3 is prime 5 is prime 7 is prime 9 is…
…must be global warming!
Comment by Johnnyjeffers — 02.5.11 @
The last one is dumb. It’s ironic, too, when one considers all the misspellings throughout the list. But, then, the left lives in the land of hypocrisy.
Comment by Cygnus — 02.8.11 @
I really this is really something that i should not find funny… but its hilarious
Comment by metalupyourass — 02.9.11 @
The only odd prime number is 2. It’s the only one that’s even which makes it the odd one.
Comment by John — 02.27.11 @
Chuck Schumer (Democrat, of course) recently stated his own version of the three branches of government: the House, the Senate, and the President. Gosh, Palin’s looking smarter all the time… prime example.
Comment by Eddie Gonzalez — 03.24.11 @
Obama: it’s complicated….
Comment by Clare — 03.25.11 @
What’s annoying is that the Left has to politicize everything!
People can debate Palin’s merits and whether the media fairly or unfairly portrays her, but do you have to inject politics everywhere?
Comment by Andy — 04.3.11 @
Just like to say Palin would never admit not knowing something. She would just make up some crap about how the liberal media was making 9 out to be something its not.
Comment by Tom — 04.30.11 @
Got in to a discussion with a FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A MATHS TEACHER AND SHE MAINTAINED THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT A PRIME NUMBER IS. I selected a table of guys and she approached them asking if they knew what a prime number was? They all looked her up and down lasciviously and replied, “YOU ARE A PRIME NUMBER BABY”.
Ha Ha
Oh, and John, Two is an even number!!
Comment by Robbie — 05.6.11 @