One of the nice things about the Internet is you can do a comic that's just for Ph.D. students, or for truck drivers, and you get to reach all of them without having to satisfy the other 99%.
Randall MunroeRead
I think the really cool and compelling thing about math and physics is that it opens up entry to all these hypotheticals - or at least, it gives you the language to talk about them. But at the same time, if a scenario is completely disconnected from reality, it's not all that interesting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Math and physics provide a framework to explore hypothetical scenarios, but they should remain connected to reality to be truly interesting.
Randall Munroe emphasizes the importance of mathematics and physics as tools that allow us to explore various hypothetical situations. However, he also cautions that if these hypothetical scenarios are entirely divorced from reality, they lose their significance and intrigue. Thus, the interplay between imagination and realism is crucial in the study and appreciation of science.
Themes
MathPhysicsHypotheticalsRealityImagination
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at a science conference might use this quote to illustrate the importance of grounding theoretical research in practical applications.
More from Randall Munroe
All quotes →A million people can call the mountains a fiction, yet it need not trouble you as you stand atop them.
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News networks giving a greater voice to viewers because the social web is so popular are like a chef on the Titanic who, seeing the looming iceberg and fleeing customers, figures ice is the future and starts making snow cones.
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Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers. Open unmarked doors. And if you see a group of people in a field, go find out what they are doing. Do things without always knowing how they'll turn out. You're curious and smart and bored, and all you see is the choice between working hard and slacking off. There are so many adventures that you miss because you're waiting to think of a plan. To find them, look for tiny interesting choices. And remember that you are always making up the future as you go.
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Things are rarely just crazy enough to work, but they're frequently just crazy enough to fail hilariously.
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I read comics and I did science, and never really put them together until I accidentally found myself in the middle of one.
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