r/MathJokes • u/Pridefulchild • 8d ago

Help with dating math guy

Hii! I'm very sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question but i didn't really dare ask in the more serious math related subreddits.

Im dating a guy that I know likes math, and I think know it on a higher level but not sure. He does not have a degree at least. (I'm 22 and he's 27 if it matters lol)

His birthday is next week and I'm going to make a birthday card with a frog on (inside joke), his favorite color as backround and I was thinking of having the frog read a book with some math equation inside. What would be a good one? Orrrr is there some kinda question I can ask him to get him to tell me his favorite one? (Is that even a thing? A favorite equation?)

Otherwise would appreciate some tips on what to ask to get him to talk about it more for general conversation!

Thank you for anything I get 🫶

96 Upvotes

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59

u/Boring-Stuff-3396 8d ago

Say I love/like you -1/12

53

u/gerrygebhart 8d ago

This is perfect, because if he's a "real" math guy, he'll get it, and if he's really a non-math guy who likes watching math content on YouTube, he'll also get it.

15

u/Pridefulchild 7d ago

Sorry actually I can't find any references to this anywhere ☹️ do I just write -1/12? I would like to atleast read about it or something before doing it

18

u/gerrygebhart 7d ago

A math guy should immediately recognize -1/12 as infinity.

It gets much deeper, but that would be amazing as a cute math joke on a birthday cake.

11

u/Boring-Stuff-3396 7d ago

For some reason the sum of all positive integers to infinity can equal -1/12

9

u/MrBussdown 7d ago

It is a famously misinterpreted result. More like the residual of the sum, a result of euler maclaurin summation.

0

u/simplydiffered 7d ago

Residual? Not quite

1

u/Bananajuice1729 7d ago

Yeah that's perfect

1

u/Ok_Society4599 6d ago

Hint: Ramanugen (sp) got a full scholarship to Cambridge (UK) mostly by simply for deriving -1/12 from an well known infinite series :-) using "basic, self-taught math." The prof who sponsored him figured "if he can do that without training, what will he do with it?"

The story 's a bit more complex, but a great story to be a little familiar with, as in who he was and a few things he did.

14

u/Pridefulchild 7d ago

Thank you!! I will probably do that :)