Solve for Professor X

March 22, 2012 9:43 AM

Pop Culture Math: Artist Matt Cowan breaks down pop-culture icons into basic formulas.

• Green Maths
• Sly Maths
• Bruce Willis Maths
• Sir Maths
• Harrison Ford Maths
• Mister Maths
• Avengers Maths
• Captains Maths
• JLA Maths
• Doctors Maths
• X-Men Mathematics
• Batman Villains Mathematics
• Fantastic Maths
• Magneto Maths
• Blind Maths
• Johnny Depp Maths
• Zombie Maths
• Star Wars Baddies Maths
• Superhero Mathematics

posted by quin (11 comments total)

No Johnny Mathis Maths?
posted by jonmc at 9:49 AM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

I am a mathematician. And although I can appreciate these, I can't get past the part of my brain that says "that's not what a plus sign means".

Do other people with mathematical background have this problem? Do those without mathematical background not have it?
posted by madcaptenor at 10:19 AM on March 22, 2012 [6 favorites]

let f(x)=>.<

f(Bruce Banner)=Hulk
posted by cmoj at 10:29 AM on March 22, 2012

I am a mathematician. And although I can appreciate these, I can't get past the part of my brain that says "that's not what a plus sign means".

Do other people with mathematical background have this problem? Do those without mathematical background not have it?

Non mathematician here; it bugged me too.
posted by yoink at 10:48 AM on March 22, 2012

It's so true. Those actors were in those movies.
posted by Pathos Bill at 10:59 AM on March 22, 2012 [2 favorites]

maybe pop-culture arithmetic............... with misuse of symbols.
posted by kaibutsu at 11:06 AM on March 22, 2012

I am not a mathematician and didn't think twice about the whole "+" thing, but I did puzzle over Boba Fett (little Boba - Jango = big Boba)

Jango Fett is depicted as a brown figure, and brown figures prominently in the resulting Boba Fett (not overwhelmingly, but there are only four colors), though the equation suggests Boba Fett is whatever he was minus Jango Fett. Which isn't even true, really.

I'd suggest (+ issues aside) that it should have been "little Jango + big Jango's decapitated helmet with trickle of blood for effect = Boba Fett."
posted by mph at 11:13 AM on March 22, 2012

And although I can appreciate these, I can't get past the part of my brain that says "that's not what a plus sign means".

Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it sure ain't math.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 11:28 AM on March 22, 2012

This may not be math but I can see the beans multiplying right here in the comments.
posted by chavenet at 11:32 AM on March 22, 2012

No Johnny Mathis Maths?

Chances Are it would be statistics.
posted by sourwookie at 12:20 PM on March 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

These are cute but I noticed the artist is already starting to reuse the equations (frex I saw the same Han Solo bit twice).
posted by immlass at 4:14 PM on March 22, 2012