this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2023
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Science Memes

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Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



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[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 117 points 1 year ago (2 children)

physics majors when they're asked to apply their knowledge (they've never been outside of the lab)

[–] wizzor@sopuli.xyz 103 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They can design the chicken coop, but only for spherical chickens in a vacuum.

[–] Steve@startrek.website 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Built from ideal materials with zero tolerance

[–] nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Just like the Tesla Truck!

Though lack of both physics and engineering is on display there.

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[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 79 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If you ask a scientist what pi is, they will tell you it equals 3.14159. If you ask a mathematician, they will tell you pi equals the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. If you ask an engineer, they will say “about 3, but let's round it up to 5 to be safe.”

[–] oce@jlai.lu 15 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I'd replace scientist to something more precise like physicist because usually people consider mathematicians as scientists even if it depends on definitions.

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago (5 children)

usually people consider mathematicians as scientists

Yikes!

... Wait, does this mean I can call a historian an artist? Then I'm game.

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[–] skybreaker@lemmy.world 70 points 1 year ago (2 children)

As someone with a degree in physics who ended up in an engineering role, I approve of this meme.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

As an engineer, I don't believe in any of that mind reading mumbo jumbo.

[–] rh4c6f@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Astronomy is one of the many tools of the devil.

[–] beneeney@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Fr, what can you do with a physics degree except teach people physics

[–] dalekcaan@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago

Come up with new physics to teach people?

[–] troyunrau@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Applied physics is a thing. Lots of jobs there. Geophysics, biophysics, engineering physics (yes, that's a thing...)

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[–] NeuronautML@lemmy.ml 48 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What's the first indicator a scientist tried to build their own experiment using the soldering station ?

The smell of burnt fingers.

What's the scientist waiting for sitting in front of their own experiment ?

Waiting for the infinite loop they coded to finish after they claimed they didn't need the engineer's help to write the code in their experiment.

How many scientists do you need to change a light bulb ?

Theoretically just one, but it can take several until one of them can call an engineer and admit they only know how to change light bulbs theoretically.

What does a scientist call an electrolytic capacitor ?

Acid distribution subsystem.

[–] Zorque@kbin.social 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is the date a perfect sphere in a vacuum with no friction?

[–] Elektrotechnik@feddit.de 6 points 1 year ago

Aww, he doesn't understand physics and has a small dick? :(

[–] mctoasterson@reddthat.com 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Her: "No I meant I'm a software engineer."

Him: "Oh. I also hate myself and want to die."

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago

"Can I lick the science?"

"Nothing else has made the code work so ya might as well!"

[–] user1234@lemmynsfw.com 35 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Engineering is just physics with real numbers.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 37 points 1 year ago (4 children)

You can have loads of imaginary numbers in EE.

[–] bisby@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] nicoweio@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

He has the capacity to.

[–] user1234@lemmynsfw.com 18 points 1 year ago

Which is why I stay away from EE.

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[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 35 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Ask a ~~physician~~ physicist to build a bridge, it collapse but he knows exactly how and why it collapsed.

Ask an engineer to do it, it holds but he has no idea how it's holding together.

[–] lemmyseikai@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Wow med school has really upped their game.

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[–] Hobo@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think the word you're looking for is physicist. A physician is a medical doctor (as in a person that treats sick people). A physicist is a person that studies physics (as in a person that knows how to solve word problems involving pool tables).

[–] oce@jlai.lu 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's a classic French speaker mistake because physicist is "physicien" and physician is "médecin", very different.

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[–] Pulptastic@midwest.social 23 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Who said she's a mechanical engineer?

[–] RagingRobot@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

She probably drives a train

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[–] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 23 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Isn't physics a pretty integral part of engineering?

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 72 points 1 year ago

No, integrals are mathematics

[–] Zacryon@feddit.de 16 points 1 year ago

Depends on the specific engineering branch. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes nothing at all. But all engineering branches share one thing with physics: math.

[–] Forester@yiffit.net 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

For structural analysts it's very important.

[–] AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I think the joke is you don't understand enough physics to make that your gig, so you go engineering as the backup plan. Source: am IT, we're everyone's backup plan when their initial goals fall through

[–] Forester@yiffit.net 15 points 1 year ago (2 children)

As a former engineering student who now works in IT.... I resent your comment.

[–] Droggelbecher@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

About to graduate in physics and I've definitely scrolled through IT job postings when anxious about not getting a PhD position

[–] AFallingAnvil@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't worry, when IT students get those moments they look at construction ads. It's turtles all the way down.

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[–] pigup@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have worked with guys who got physics undergrad and mech E masters. They are both awful engineers who don't really get it. I take this joke too personally because I know it's bs from experience.

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[–] Darkonion@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Engineering is more like accounting, but for objects instead of money. Tables, rule books, and lobbyists.

And writing reports, calculations and such...even manuals if there is time

[–] PhlubbaDubba@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Hey we understand plenty! Well the parts we have to to make the thing not go boom anyways....

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[–] baseless_discourse@mander.xyz 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] tslnox@reddthat.com 5 points 1 year ago
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