I think applied math would cover the whole spectrum of the cartoon. Some very applied mathematicians are doing sociology, chemistry, etc. by means of mathematics. Other applied mathematicians are closer to the pure end of the spectrum.
Since people have been studying citation networks of scholarly articles since the 1950s, I bet there's even an applied mathematician who is studying the profession of pure mathematics.
This strip reminds me of a joke that my old differential geometry professor told me in grad school:
Sociologists want to be psychologists, because if you understand the brain you can understand society. Psychologists want to be biologists, because if you understand life you can understand the brain. Biologists want to be chemists, because if you understand matter you understand life. Chemists want to be physicists, because if you understand the universe you understand matter. Physicists want to be God.
God wants to be a mathematician.
He cited this joke as the reason why he left physics and became a mathematician.
that's not meta enough. Wake me up when there's an applied mathematician who's studying the citation network of scholarly articles in applied mathematics.
Mathematicians study insofar as they are students.
Pity the physics teacher didn't claim a reason why the physicists want to be God.
Of course if it's just a joke, maybe he never really did leave physics. Maybe the university just consistently errors in having him teach the wrong subjects.
9 comments:
glorified physics.
I'm more concerned by the title tag on the image.
I think applied math would cover the whole spectrum of the cartoon. Some very applied mathematicians are doing sociology, chemistry, etc. by means of mathematics. Other applied mathematicians are closer to the pure end of the spectrum.
Since people have been studying citation networks of scholarly articles since the 1950s, I bet there's even an applied mathematician who is studying the profession of pure mathematics.
This strip reminds me of a joke that my old differential geometry professor told me in grad school:
Sociologists want to be psychologists, because if you understand the brain you can understand society.
Psychologists want to be biologists, because if you understand life you can understand the brain.
Biologists want to be chemists, because if you understand matter you understand life.
Chemists want to be physicists, because if you understand the universe you understand matter.
Physicists want to be God.
God wants to be a mathematician.
He cited this joke as the reason why he left physics and became a mathematician.
Blake,
that's not meta enough. Wake me up when there's an applied mathematician who's studying the citation network of scholarly articles in applied mathematics.
God only wants to be a mathematician in order to gamble better.
Mathematicians study insofar as they are students.
Pity the physics teacher didn't claim a reason why the physicists want to be God.
Of course if it's just a joke, maybe he never really did leave physics. Maybe the university just consistently errors in having him teach the wrong subjects.
And isn't mathematics just applied logic? logic ftw!
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