A Quantum of Parody (Synopsis)

Although physicists are well-known for their quirky personalities, the in-joke among ourselves is our extremely nerdy sense of humor, telling jokes about our field, our equations, and of course, the legends in our field. These range from the subtle (Schrodinger walks into a bar, and also he doesn't), to the mischievous (Heisenberg gets pulled over by a police car. "Do you know how fast you were going?" "I have no idea, officer, but I know exactly where I am!"), and beyond.

Image credit: Courtesy of peterdsmith.com. Image credit: Courtesy of peterdsmith.com.

But one of the field's most iconic personas -- Niels Bohr -- inspired a whole set of volumes on jokes dedicated to him and his works: The Journal of Jocular Physics, published in three editions on the occasions of his 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays. It's the closest thing you'll ever see to a comedy roast of a physicist.

Image credit: Courtesy of the Niels Bohr Archive. Image credit: Courtesy of the Niels Bohr Archive.

Paul Halpern has the inside scoop on this historical curiosity of physics.

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You physicists don't have a monopoly on this. We lowly chemists have our own versions, although they are often pictorial in nature so it's hard to share here. I'll give a couple a try:

Fe++
/ \
Fe++ Fe++
| |
Fe++ Fe++
\ /
Fe ++

"Ferrous Wheel"

Horse + VVVV = "A horse with nonane"

(I won't even attempt "Steroid to Heaven"!)

Don't get me started on laser physics jokes: stimulated emission, what's that about?

By Ted Lawry (not verified) on 10 Jun 2015 #permalink

@Sean T,
Two I saw in high school:

PhD
/ \
| |
\ /
PhD

(Paradox)

MD
/ \
| |
| | MD
\ /

(Meta-physicians)