this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 255 points 9 months ago (12 children)
[–] can 230 points 9 months ago (4 children)
[–] [email protected] 58 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I identify as degenerate matter.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago

Degenerate lives matter

[–] [email protected] 32 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 30 points 9 months ago (9 children)
[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago

In condensed matter physics, a time crystal is a quantum system of particles whose lowest-energy state is one in which the particles are in repetitive motion. The system cannot lose energy to the environment and come to rest because it is already in its quantum ground state. Because of this, the motion of the particles does not really represent kinetic energy like other motion; it has "motion without energy".

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago

Theorized form of matter that could exist in the cores of neutron stars.

Essentially matter compressed beyond a critical point where protons and neutrons break down and dissociate into quarks.

If this quark matter contains strange quarks, then it is called strange matter.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

Glass 🙂

Superglass 😎

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[–] illectrility 160 points 9 months ago

Well first of all, fuck you smartass.

But also yes, you're right

[–] [email protected] 51 points 9 months ago (4 children)

I wouldn't even try to defend OP, but I once heard someone say that if you have more than four apples, then it is also definitely true that you have four apples.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago

That's true in a very literal sense, but there's a whole branch of linguistics called pragmatics that's concerned with things like why it's usually safe to conclude that when someone says they have four apples, they mean that have only four apples. When there's any ambiguity I talk like a mathematician and use phrases like "at least four apples" or "exactly four apples".

[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's technically correct, like saying at least 4 people died from covid.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

More specifically: "4 people died from covid" is also true

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

As a teacher, this type of response is a great jumping off point for the discussion of curriculum vs truth, what is the extent of reality vs what is going to be on the assignment / exam etc.

It's also a great way to stick it to the know-it-all who is trying to undermine my credibility, and has the added bonus of perking up the rest of the class.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (7 children)

If you can actually have a reasoned discussion about it, instead of simply getting angry at being questioned, then you are better than 90% of teachers.

In my experience most teachers don't like being questioned, which of course is directly antithetical to their supposed vocation.

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[–] [email protected] 130 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"You're right Johnny! Please explain Bose-Einstein Condensates for the class."

[–] [email protected] 30 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 29 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"Please explain plasma"

explains lcd instead

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"Please explain liquid crystals"

[–] [email protected] 22 points 9 months ago (5 children)
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[–] [email protected] 66 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My ass can make at least 3.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago (1 children)

You just need more spicy food to make it 4.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago

Taco Tuesday leads to Plasma Wednesday.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 9 months ago (7 children)

My earth science teacher denied plasmas are a thing when I mentioned it

This was 8th grade

I Immediately lost all respect for her and if present day me were around for it I'd have taken her idiocy to the union rep to recommend she prove she actually has the education she claims to have had.

[–] illectrility 38 points 9 months ago (2 children)

There is a point in everyone's education where they realize that their teachers are actually just adults, who are just old children, that went to school a couple years longer than you.

Mad respect to teachers though. I specifically remember my computer science teacher to be the coolest and most knowledgeable guy ever.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

There are a lot of great, brilliant, committed and dedicated teachers.. but also, unfortunately, some pretty bad ones too

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago

plasma is a kind of rifle not a state of matter, go play fallout DUH

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago (3 children)

My 6th grade science teacher tried to explain that Chernobyl was foretold in the book of revelations.

This was a US public school. In the 90s. In a blue state.

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[–] [email protected] 50 points 9 months ago (14 children)

You're probably the kind of person who complains that they don't teach complex numbers when first introducing square roots in school.

[–] illectrility 43 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Not really no. It's a meme. Although, now that you mention it …

[–] [email protected] 63 points 9 months ago (4 children)

To learn to count to 10, we first have to understand quaternions.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The fundamentals of math takes like 700 pages before it gets to 1+1=2

[–] [email protected] 12 points 9 months ago

Yeah, time to stop coddling those kindergarteners!

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago

You blew right by creating the universe first. Your apple pies probably come out terrible.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago

“This is a triangle. It has three sides and three vertices.” [proceeds to give a collegiate trig course to the dismay of kindergarten students]

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago (4 children)

I pretty distinctly remember being introduced to square roots at the same or nearly the same time as complex numbers. Obviously we didn't do the whole Complex Numbers Extended Cinematic Universe, but I think my class did learn to solve quadratics with complex roots in middle school.

I mean I did go to Catholic middle school, but I don't think the math education was that weird.

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 9 months ago (2 children)

How about Bose-Einstein condensate?

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"There are actually 72 different states, but let's focus on the first 3"

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Aang: "There are three jings?"

King Bumi: "Well, technically there are eighty-five, but let's just focus on the third."

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Yep, this was me, but it was pointing out the particle wave duality of light. Needless to say I was mocked by the teacher and students.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 9 months ago

I disagree. In physics, you choose the simplest model that works for a particular purpose. If it is enough to assume that there are three phases, then that's the simplest model that works, and therefore the "correct" one to use. A model that has four phases is, then, bloated.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Did the same thing to a science teacher when they said, "light only travels in a straight line" thing. It DOES only travel in straight lines, but refraction is a thing, and geodesics are never perfectly straight.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 9 months ago (4 children)

Bonus, it only travels through a straight line through curved space, so to an outside observer the light did curve.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 9 months ago

My high school taught the quantum mechanical model of the atom instead of whatever simplified model most high schools teach.

I found out this was a huge advantage taking university chemistry because I was like "cool this is all review I'm gonna ace this," but everyone else in the class was like "what the fuck is going on this isn't what they taught us!"

I may have messed up the curve that quarter...

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago (11 children)
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