Sigmas From Shoulder to Shoulder [Science Tattoos]

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3equations.jpg

Joe writes, “My tattoo is 3 lines of equations, the top is the Born Oppenheimer Approximation, the second line is the equation in the form of a 3-Dimensional Schroedinger Equation, and the solution in the form of a Schroedinger Equation.  As a biochemist and molecular biophysicist I studied a lot of this stuff and I must say, Schroedinger was my favorite and well, I had to do it.  The ink was done at Red Sky Studios in Tucson, AZ by artist Lisa.”

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May 23rd, 2009 11:20 PM by Carl Zimmer in Science Tattoo Emporium | 96 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

96 Responses to “Sigmas From Shoulder to Shoulder [Science Tattoos]”

  1. 1.   Romeo Vitelli Says:

    It’s an intriguing way of sneaking cheat notes into a proctored exam anyway. So long as nobody asks why he has to take off his shirt during bathroom breaks, he’s fine.

  2. 2.   BJM Says:

    Physicists dream of the day when a Theory of Everything can be reduced to tattoo that will fit on one bicep.

  3. 3.   The Most Scientific Tattoo You’ll Ever See « dreamschooner.blog Says:

    [...] read more | digg story [...]

  4. 4.   TCo Says:

    That is a sweet tattoo.. it’s almost boring seeing people with tigers and dragons, and while those are also cool I like seeing these.. more.. unconventional tattoos more.

  5. 5.   jo Says:

    I have seen a “a to the mole power” before.

  6. 6.   John Says:

    It would be funny if there was a mistake…

  7. 7.   Hunter Says:

    If the ToE ever 1) is written, 2) is proven, 3) is small enough to fit on a human’s Back

    I’ll have my first back tattoo.

  8. 8.   Rich Says:

    BJM, is that on a regular person’s bicep or a physicist’s bicep?

  9. 9.   popurls.com // popular today Says:

    popurls.com // popular today

    story has entered the popular today section on popurls.com

  10. 10.   meneame.net Says:

    Tatuándose Ecuaciones de hombro a hombro

    3 equaciones: 1-Aproximación de Born-Oppenheimer 2-ecuación de Schrödinger 3-Resolución de la ecuación de Schrödinger ….Vía digg

  11. 11.   subcorpus Says:

    can you imagine this guy on the beach … every1 would be staring and talking about him … hehe …
    awesome …

  12. 12.   crazy charlie Says:

    Sigma-ta?

  13. 13.   Someone Says:

    Do humanity a favor and make sure you get mummified when you pass away. People 10,000 years from now may look at your back and marvel at what had been accomplished.

  14. 14.   Lacombe Says:

    A simple barcode on the base of the neck would have been sufficent.

  15. 15.   deb Says:

    nice!
    i like it

  16. 16.   BA Says:

    WHAT?? did he lose a bet or something…because thats stupid!

  17. 17.   JD Kasinsky Says:

    The problem of cheating with this is that you will be helping the student behind you lol

  18. 18.   Frank Cardenas Says:

    So what is the answer?

  19. 19.   Spoiler Says:

    I think there is a sign error in the second equation, in the denominator of the second term.

  20. 20.   C Choi Says:

    Sry, but thats too Nerdy, even for a geek.
    Not too sure what his gf is going to say about this

  21. 21.   CC Says:

    I too see a mistake, but it should be easy to correct…

  22. 22.   The Most Scientific Tattoo You’ll See Today (PIC) « Netcrema - creme de la social news via digg + delicious + stumpleupon + reddit Says:

    [...] The Most Scientific Tattoo You’ll See Today (PIC) [...]

  23. 23.   Television Spy Says:

    Those look great..but man that’s a lot of skin estate.

  24. 24.   Joe Says:

    Well I am glad some of you find it interesting or cool or whatever. Either way it usually gets people talking. I got it because I like the equations and it’s in my area of work. About any mistakes, there were none on the proof but its possible that something got miffed or whatever. Honestly I am not worried about it, and likewise haven’t bothered to stare at it long enough in the mirror!

  25. 25.   Joe Says:

    I just thought of this, but should a mistake be there it could work in my favor. The first girl to find it is the girl I was meant to be with, assuming I want to be with any girl who could find a mistake in those equations, hah.

  26. 26.   UAProf Says:

    Is the font Computer Modern?

  27. 27.   Phyz Ed Says:

    Obviously he’s a man without a brane. I sport a much cooler – and more comprehensive – full-body tattoo of string theory. Unfortunately to see the full thing you have to be able to see in 11 dimensions. All that shows up in our 4 dimensions is a tattoo of chinese symbols that my Chinese friend says questions my “orientation”. I can’t believe how lucky I was to find the tattoo guy that was an expert in string theory AND was willing to give me an 11-dimensional tattoo for only $20.

  28. 28.   John Davis Says:

    LOL, what a nerd. I can see Angelina Jolie with something like that! LOL

    RT
    http://www.real-anonymity.pro.tc

  29. 29.   mauiz Says:

    “Obviously he’s a man without a brane.”

    classic

  30. 30.   S Johnson Says:

    He could have saved himself a lot of ink if he had used the Einstein convention. But then there would not be those cool zig zag thingies. :)

  31. 31.   Tattooed Equation | Design | Tech | Culture Says:

    [...] but this is one for the books! Do you know what these equations represent? Find out at The Loom. Link This entry was posted on Sunday, May 24th, 2009 at 9:00 pmand is filed under Neatorama. You can [...]

  32. 32.   greg Says:

    There’s a mistake in this equation… ;)

  33. 33.   ayu Says:

    nice tattoo, i luv it

  34. 34.   LordNecros Says:

    There IS no sign in the second denominator of the 3 Dimensional Schrodinger Equation

  35. 35.   David Says:

    I am a fellow biochemist and I totally understand the passion this guy has for Schroedinger (I call him “so danger” ;) ). I once put down the derivation of complex current (i) as in my tag line for msn and people thought it was cool.

    I still have to get something like that to get a tattoo!

  36. 36.   Larry Lepton Says:

    Cheating at an exam? Really. Anyone that needs to remember the Schrödinger equation will remember it without cheating. That’s part of its spell :)

  37. 37.   Kamic Says:

    I see an error.

  38. 38.   Tasteful Geek Says:

    What a dummass.

    If he had a modicum of taste, shouldn’t it have been the one very short equation that represents a fundamentatal building block of his fave theorem?

  39. 39.   tom_mandory Says:

    anyone who has ever had a tattoo knows this is fake.
    please!

  40. 40.   Truth teller Says:

    This man has never or will never be within 5 feet of a woman unless it’s his mom.

  41. 41.   Hank Says:

    Frucken nerd!

  42. 42.   Gk Says:

    Would’ve been scientifically more precise if the text read “virgin”

  43. 43.   Miguel Says:

    your one cool dude!

  44. 44.   Jazzy Says:

    I love this…classic.

  45. 45.   Dong Says:

    What a freak.

  46. 46.   vicnent Says:

    and here is mine :

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/vicnent/237587249/sizes/o/

    (Tribute to Euler)

  47. 47.   titanxv Says:

    Does that equal nerd or geek?

  48. 48.   JJ Says:

    There is a minus sign missing in the denominator of the second term of the second equation

  49. 49.   Mike Says:

    …without a brane… wtf

  50. 50.   ElPolloLoco Says:

    Forgot to carry the 1 about halfway into that second line, dude

  51. 51.   » Equations tattooed on your shoulder :: Granite Geek :: NashuaTelegraph.com Says:

    [...] who have equations tattooed on themselves. And we’re not talking E=MC2, folks; this guy (check it out) has The Born Oppenheimer Approximation, the second line is the equation in the form of a [...]

  52. 52.   middy Says:

    I’m afraid the solution should be delta cubed not delta squared…

  53. 53.   piipaa Says:

    Ok, it is different. But for a math phobic like me, this man would be a real turn off. I would have night mares about impossible mathematical equations all night long. =O

  54. 54.   S Johnson Says:

    Tom_Mandory, it does look a bit too good to be true. In ten years, it won’t be readable anyway, just a blur. I am so glad I passed up equations for my science tattoos.

  55. 55.   Physics Geeks: I dare you to get this tattooed on your back! Says:

    [...] Discover] // Share and [...]

  56. 56.   mandy Says:

    My friend has a nice belt sander that will take that right off!

  57. 57.   Fôtôs é vydéôs |Video drole image comique jeux photo fun Says:

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  58. 58.   Angel H Says:

    You guys who keep calling this guy a virgin and saying no woman will every be within 5 feet of him are jealous of his higher intellect. I happen to be a woman and I find this tattoo incredibly sexy. Intelligent women like intelligent men! We will NEVER be with any man whose IQ is lower than ours. This guy is the shit!

  59. 59.   Fascist Nation Says:

    Couldn’t you have just encompassed it all in a tattoo of “42″?

  60. 60.   CuriosaWeb Says:

    Tatuaje Matemático

    “Mi tatuaje son 3 lineas de ecuaciones, la primer es la Aproximación de Born Oppenheimer, la segunda es la ecuación en la forma 3-dimensional de Schroedinger, y la solución en la forma de Ecuación de Schroedinger. Al ser bioquímico y biofí…

  61. 61.   MP Says:

    “Crap, I needed the cheat sheet on the front!”

  62. 62.   Captain Biffle Says:

    Touche Fascist Nation, 42 would have been shorter to right then all that, but i think he should get the question to the answer 42 :)

  63. 63.   Ihna Says:

    I agree with Angel H and Joe. If Joe’s SO can’t appreciate it, then they shouldn’t be there long. And if they can spot the error, that just proves that not only are they date-able, but a definite keeper.

  64. 64.   Blog.TattooFocus.net » Blog Archive » Sigmas From Shoulder to Shoulder [Science Tattoos] Says:

    [...] Credits:  blogs.discovermagazine.com [...]

  65. 65.   Brane Says:

    @mauiz
    @Mike

    In theoretical physics, a membrane, brane, or p-brane is a spatially extended mathematical concept that appears in string theory and its relatives (M-theory and brane cosmology) that exists in a static number of dimensions. The variable p refers to the number of spatial dimensions of the brane. That is, a 0-brane is a zero-dimensional pointlike particle, a 1-brane is a string, a 2-brane is a “membrane”, etc. Every p-brane sweeps out a (p+1)-dimensional world volume as it propagates through spacetime.

    From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brane

    P.S. Go read The Fabric of the Cosmos or any of the books written by Brian Greene

  66. 66.   Geek ou pas Geek ?? | It's an illusion Says:

    [...] blogs.discovermagazine.com / image / image Tags: Chat, équation, Equation de Schrodinger, geek, Tatoo, Tatouage Category: [...]

  67. 67.   Reneschach vs. Sigmas « My Days as a King… Says:

    [...] Encontrado en DiscoverMagazine [...]

  68. 68.   Definitely the first time this tattoo artist saw the Born Oppenheimer Approximation « Unterekless Thoughts Says:

    [...] Via Discover Magazine [...]

  69. 69.   melly Says:

    Yea, I’m completely lost. But the point of a tat is to express YOURSELF, not look cool for other people (a point lost on most of my generation, sadly) – the more offbeat the better. This guy is awesome :)

  70. 70.   C Says:

    Nice Joe, I got a form of the Schroedinger Equation as an arm band. I’m not native american, I haven’t been to jail, I’m not Irish etc. so all the ‘traditional’ arm bands were not meant for me. But as a Ph.D. Chemist I wanted to express my brand of dorkishness. I met the equation in school and always kept it on paper in a draw, I eventually had in inked in 2003 at the age of 33. I have a deliberate mistake, I did drop the bar in h/bar as it looked ugly to me, but didn’t add the Pi below as it crowded the letters.

    Nice job.

    P.S. Never met anyone who didn’t think it was cool.

  71. 71.   Tech and Amusing Stuff » Tattoed equation Says:

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  72. 72.   Пресата presata.com» Blog Archive » Does this Physics Tattoo Make this Man the Biggest Nerd on Earth or Hottest Geek Alive? [Image] Says:

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  73. 73.   Reto Langaria: El tatuaje más geek/nerd | Langaria.net Says:

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  75. 75.   Tatuaj matematic | DaLinku - Linkuri pentru oameni ca noi Says:

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  76. 76.   Tatuaj matematic | DaLinku - Linkuri pentru oameni ca noi Says:

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  77. 77.   Hannah Says:

    I’m a physics major, as long as you don’t get too flabby or tan too much and turn your tattoo into something nasty and deformed looking, I don’t think it’s weird or unattractive or anything. I saw someone in the SPS Lounge here once with at least one of their arms completely covered in tattoos of physics equations.

  78. 78.   cesar Says:

    this guy should post the LaTeX code for his new ink….

  79. 79.   Irwin S. Punymeyer Says:

    Nnnnnnnneeeeerrrrrrrrrd :D !

  80. 80.   Mike Gilson Says:

    that is so classy.

  81. 81.   D Ross Says:

    When the find this guy’s mummy some 5-thousand years hence, the laughter will be uproarious. Much the same as the Flat World Society today. Silly and sad.

  82. 82.   dumbgeek Says:

    that tat says ‘virgin’

  83. 83.   Physics Geeks | RohFun All in OneSite Says:

    [...] [Via Discover] [...]

  84. 84.   H Says:

    Angel is absolutely correct. Those who believe women will be deterred by this type of tattoo have no idea what they’re talking about. I’m a female Mensa member, and let’s just say this tattoo will be more effective in its silence than a lifetime of pickup lines. I love tattoos, and this is the best I’ve seen. I’d say Joe has just ensured he’ll find exactly the kind of woman he wants.

  85. 85.   Cargojack Says:

    This is much better than the people who think those nonsense words they had tattooed in Kanji or Hebrew letters are real words.

    I have seen tattoos that were just nonsense syllables in Hebrew/Aramaic letters. I did not have the heart to tell the person she had gibberish on her neck.

  86. 86.   Sophia Says:

    I agree with Cargojack. I don’t know how many times I see people with Chinese or Japanese on themselves and have no idea what it actually means. There was this guy showing off his “Chinese birth symbol.” The character read as “Sheng” – which doesn’t represent the powerful Ox he was going for. It means “birth” or “birthday.” :S Oops.

    I also love it when I see tattoo shops offering characters that are either upside-down or backwards haha. People don’t stand a chance if they’ve never studied the languages.

    I’m proud the guy actually knew exactly what he was putting on his body.

  87. 87.   MOHAMMED Says:

    GET A GIRL FRIEND YOU FREAK!!!!

  88. 88.   A few links Says:

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  89. 89.   Tattoo da nerd: l’equazione di Schrödinger | Iris Tatuaggi Says:

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  91. 91.   nextcode:ch » tattoo vs. geek Says:
  92. 92.   Hot Damn Says:
  93. 93.   will Says:

    lame.

  94. 94.   MikeinFXBG Says:

    Excellent tattoo; partial credit: It would be an ‘outstanding’ check your math.
    Second equation, third term, the denominator is cubed, not squared. Like it.

  95. 95.   Tattoos and science | A Guide To Tattoos Says:

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  96. 96.   wefwe Says:

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