The h Bar

@Pissedofflayman I'd rather not discuss this here. I think there's an obvious choice of a dictator, but I'd rather say it's fascist policies they are implementing than dictatorship.

Swapnil Das

@SirCumference Are you an Astrophysics/Cosmology student?

mochacat

@SirCumference any thoughts on interstellar? i might need to revise the curriculum

Sir Cumference

@mochacat Didn't watch it

Pissed off layman

5:11 AM

My remark was meant sarcastically @BalarkaSen

@SwapnilDas I guess

Ooh. Cool.

@SwapnilDas You?

@Pissed Gotcha. I misinterpreted.

Pissed off layman

np

Swapnil Das

5:11 AM

@SirCumference I'm a 10th grader :P

Sir Cumference

@SwapnilDas Oh lol

Swapnil Das

Lol.

Pissed off layman

Those that have the gold make the rules @BalarkaSen

aka golden rule

Swapnil Das

@SirCumference So you are a Masters student?

Sir Cumference

@SwapnilDas I'm an undergrad

Freshman

Swapnil Das

5:16 AM

Oh cool. You definitely know a lot.

Sir Cumference

Well, I dunno about that >_>

I think I know the least amount of math out of everyone in the chat

Besides high schoolers, of course

Pissed off layman

<_<

Swapnil Das

Of course.

@SirCumference You know GR?

Sir Cumference

Eh, a bit

Swapnil Das

ok. cool.

Sir Cumference

5:17 AM

So what math do you know so far?

Idk.

Uh, calc?

A bit, maybe.

@Pissedofflayman Are you revolver ocelot?

mochacat

huh

google time

Pissed off layman

5:19 AM

@SirCumference nah

Sir Cumference

I dunno these people

Balarka Sen

liquid ocelot, apparently

Swapnil Das

@SirCumference Can you seriously call Gamma function exactly a factorial, being Euler's integral?

Balarka Sen

Gamma function just agrees with the factorial at natural number arguments. It's an extension of the factorial function.

Swapnil Das

Yes.

Pissed off layman

5:21 AM

"liquid" like the creature in terminator

Swapnil Das

@BalarkaSen But what's the definition for non-natural factorials? Nothing than a result of the integral I suppose?

Balarka Sen

There is no such thing as factorial of a non-natural number.

Factorial is defined only and only for natural numbers.

Swapnil Das

Exactly. So is it OK, for writing Gamma(4.5) = 3.5! ?

Balarka Sen

No.

Swapnil Das

Thanks.

@BalarkaSen It's euler's second int. I suppose?

Aah yes it is. Thanks anyway.

Balarka Sen

5:24 AM

I don't know the terminology but probably. It's $\int_0^\infty e^{-x} x^{a - 1} dx$.

Swapnil Das

Yes, the first is Beta function.

@BalarkaSen Just guessing, are you an ISI student?

Balarka Sen

Nope.

Swapnil Das

Oh. ok.

Balarka Sen

I have been in ISI multiple times though.

neat place

Swapnil Das

Hmm. You wanna be a mathematician?

Balarka Sen

5:25 AM

sure why not

Swapnil Das

Great, topologist perhaps? :P

/ number theorist, I shouldn't say.

Balarka Sen

of some flavor, yes. topology is nearer and dearer to my heart.

Pissed off layman

Have you seen terminator?

Swapnil Das

@Pissedofflayman Who?

Pissed off layman

Balarka

Balarka Sen

5:28 AM

Yep. Good movie.

Back

Yo.

yup

Howdy

Anyone good with the FLRW metric?

I'll take that silence as a no...

Oh howdy @JohnRennie

John Rennie

Morning. FLRW metric?

Sir Cumference

5:31 AM

Well actually I was gonna ask about the Friedmann equations but then realized google had the answers...

Brb

user228700

5:46 AM

@JohnRennie: Morning :-)

John Rennie

Morning :-)

Nice breakfast :-)

koolman

Morning

Balarka Sen

@JohnR Nice hat.

user228700

@JohnRennie Yeah! A bit too oily it was. I just ingested a mixture of ground ginger and honey to rid myself of the strange, uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, that was presumably caused by all the oil. It was terrible :-(

John Rennie

Ah, OK, not such a nice breakfast then

user228700

5:49 AM

Yes :-( But it was tasty at the time :-P

John Rennie

Ground ginger and honey sounds good though :-)

user228700

Are you or are you not joking?

John Rennie

I love the flavour of ginger, and with honey to sweeten it that sounds really tasty

Although just honey and ginger is going to be a bit intense ...

user228700

> "It was terrible :-("

user228700

I was speaking about the mixture, not the vadas!

user228700

5:51 AM

It was very spicy and almost made me choke and no, it was not tasty. Bleh!

John Rennie

Right, I'm going to try using ginger and honey on a dessert to test it. Though not this week while I'm staying at my Mum's.

user228700

I would advise you against it but it's your life :-P (And tears >.<)

John Rennie

As you get older your sense of taste fades a bit. These days I like spicy food because I can still taste it.

Balarka Sen

Ginger and honey does not just taste spicy though. It just tastes... weird.

user228700

@JohnRennie I see.

user228700

5:54 AM

@BalarkaSen It tastes like hell, it really does.

John Rennie

@Kaumudi.H it tastes of sulphur? :-)

Balarka Sen

I have tasted worse than that.

user228700

@JohnRennie Ooh, nope, I haven't been unfortunate enough to taste that yet.

Balarka Sen

Although I have never really used ginger/honey for acid reflux. It works well for throat infections, on the other hand.

Sir Cumference

6:15 AM

@Pissedofflayman Wait so what's your gravatar supposed to be?

Wait, are you ocelo?

Balarka Sen

'course not

Sir Cumference

He obe?

Balarka Sen

skullpatrol would be a better guess

Sir Cumference

Maybe he's Chris White

Pissed off layman

who?

Sir Cumference

6:18 AM

@Pissedofflayman Who are you?

Pissed off layman

dunno any of them, sorry

Sir Cumference

He knows ocelo

Pissed off layman

I'm just a pissed off layman

:-)

user228700

@JohnR: Out of curiosity, what is ur house at Hogwarts? What about your patronous?

Pissed off layman

Very nice avatar @Kaumudi.H you have definitely put an end to our mistaken gender discussion :P

user228700

6:26 AM

@Pissedofflayman Lol, thanks :-)

Pissed off layman

:-)

John Rennie

@Kaumudi.H I'd probably be in Slytherin, though a good Slytherin of course.

Sir Cumference

Huh, thought you'd say Ravenclaw

user228700

@JohnRennie Oof, that sounds...ominous. Your patronus?

user228700

@SirCumference Hi :-) What about you? Which house?

John Rennie

6:31 AM

Patronus - that's a tough question. Nothing springs immediately to mind.

Probably a tiger

user228700

Ah, I see. Have u seen this:

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H uh, I dunno how to choose. I'm a bit biased towards Gryffindor since that's where the main character comes from.

user228700

my.pottermore.com/patronus

user228700

^ That is the official patronus test.

John Rennie

I feel disinclined to have to register on yet another web site just to find out what someone else thinks my patronus would be ...

Anyway, I always fancied being a Dark Lord

More Tolkien than Rowling

user228700

6:34 AM

No, not someone, it is the official test. Well, that was the motivation for me, anyway. Besides, JKR publishes new writing on it.

user228700

The first time around, mine was a weasel but I didn't take the test properly so I tried it two more times-basset hound and hedgehog.

John Rennie

OK, OK, I'm registering now ...

Sir Cumference

My patronous would probably be either a giraffe or okapi

user228700

@JohnRennie :-P I didn't mean to force you into doing it. I was only curious. Besides, there are some more tests as well-the sorting test, the "Let the wand choose you" test.

user228700

@SirCumference I see :-)

Pissed off layman

6:37 AM

A true gentleman can never say "no" to a lady @JohnRennie :-)

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you'd be Ravenclaw?

user228700

Two years ago, I was sorted into Ravenclaw. Upon retaking it, Ravenclaw again. And then a year ago, I was sorted into Slytherin and remained in Slytherin even tho I retook the quiz!

user228700

And now, I've been sorted into Gryffindor like, 3 times in a row.

John Rennie

Ah. apparently my patronus is a thestral.

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H What quiz?

user228700

6:39 AM

@JohnRennie OMG WHAT?! That. Is. So. Cool.

2

John Rennie

A thestral

That's something to do with death isn't it?

Sir Cumference

Ugh, I'll take the patronus test

user228700

Yes, they're the invisible creatures that pull the wagons leading from the station to the school...

John Rennie

Great, a demon horse that can only be seen by someone who has faced death.

user228700

EXACTLY!

John Rennie

6:41 AM

And that's the creature that protects and comforts me?

Pissed off layman

7 mins ago, by John Rennie

Anyway, I always fancied being a Dark Lord

user228700

^^^

user228700

@JohnRennie Do patronuses protect and comfort?

user228700

@SirCumference :-P

user228700

@SirCumference The sorting quiz on Pottermore.

John Rennie

6:43 AM

I'd quite like my patronus to be able to rend my enemies limb from limb. Can I have a thestral tiger hybrid? A semi reptilian demon tiger sounds ideal :-)

user228700

Apparently, @JohnR: It is extremely rare to get a magical creature as a patronus. Wow. Some people have gotten the occamy but I haven't heard of thestrals yet, wow.

John Rennie

I suppose I should do the sorting test now ...

user228700

Lol, of course :-P

user228700

For everybody curious, BTW, thestrals:

user228700

Sir Cumference

6:45 AM

It won't let me click "I have verified my email"

Can't re-sign up

Oh well

user228700

You have to delete your account to take the tests again.

user228700

Have you taken them once already?

Sir Cumference

Uh, it ain't sending me an email

John Rennie

Ravenclaw

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H Why don't you just ask me the questions and put my answers in?

John Rennie

6:47 AM

Apparently they let Dark Lords into Ravenclaw these days :-)

user228700

@JohnRennie :-D Nice. I'm sorry tho, weren't you hoping for Slytherin? :-P

John Rennie

@Kaumudi.H fine by me. I get to nurture my Dark Lord skills whilst pretending to be a harmless academic.

user228700

@JohnRennie Hmm, why does a proper "English gentleman" like you fancy becoming a Dark Lord?

John Rennie

In every story the character who makes the story interesting is the bad guy.

user228700

@SirCumference -_- Nope. There must be a typo in the e-mail address that you submitted.

John Rennie

6:49 AM

The Lord of the Rings is only interesting because of Sauron. HP is only interesting because of Voldemort.

user228700

@JohnRennie That is almost true. So you have the selfless desire to improve the story, that's all?

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H Ugh

Hold on

Balarka Sen

@JohnRennie High fives.

Harry Potter didn't matter much after LOTR.

John Rennie

The world needs Dark Lords to make it an interesting place.

Swapnil Das

Hi all.

user228700

6:51 AM

@JohnRennie I'm not sure I agree but I'm also not sure if I completely deny this claim of yours.

John Rennie

I mean, how many good guys have reptilian, skeletal demon horses as their patronus? :-)

Balarka Sen

I don't think Thestral is a dark creature per se.

John Rennie

@BalarkaSen they're not exactly cuddly though ...

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H What are these questions it's asking me?

Blood or bone?

Balarka Sen

Neither is a Giant. IIRC that can appear as a Patronus.

John Rennie

6:53 AM

Goody two shoes Potter has a stag. A stag? I eat stags! (well I eat venison)

user228700

@JohnRennie Wokay, I know who I'm going to avoid in the great hall if I ever see them there :-P ( Sigh. The damn owlery has got all the letters mixed up. When will I get mine? :-/)

Balarka Sen

harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Andros_the_Invincible

user228700

@SirCumference Yeah :-P Enjoy.

John Rennie

Actually I really like venison.

user228700

@JohnRennie WHO ARE YOU?!

John Rennie

6:54 AM

Venison is one of the tastiest meats I've eaten.

Robin Hood eats venison, and he's a good guy ...

Sir Cumference

Uh, it froze just as I completed it

Not even kidding

user228700

:-( That sucks.

Sir Cumference

Oh nvm

I'm dolphin

Cool?

John Rennie

@SirCumference no, Dolphins are warm blooded

user228700

Oh, cool! :-) Mine's a stupid hedgehog :-(

John Rennie

6:57 AM

@Kaumudi.H you might be taking this a bit more seriously than it really warrants :-)

user228700

@JohnRennie I have it under control :-P

John Rennie

That's what all addicts say :-)

user228700

Damn, a thestral is just so cool tho, to have as a patronus. I envy you.

Balarka Sen

@JohnRennie The only difference is that the titular character in the first is the villan, Sauron, whereas the titular character in the latter is the hero.

The former is one of the reasons I think it's cooler.

Sir Cumference

Fduck that

Hufflepuff

The most boring

mochacat

6:59 AM

my patronus is a black screen apparently

Sir Cumference

This is ridiculous

user228700

Eddie Redmayne on his hardcore Hufflepuff Pride

►

John Rennie

@BalarkaSen The Lord of the sets equipped with two binary operations that generalize the arithmetic operations of addition and multiplication.

Sir Cumference

No, screw that

I'd at least hope to be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw

John Rennie

I sense a worrying tendency for members of this chat room to confuse reality with entertaining fictions. Much like some of our more vocal PSE members :-)

Sir Cumference

7:02 AM

@JohnRennie Perhaps

user228700

@SirCumference Dude, Hufflepuff is so cool.

user228700

> "Students belonging to this house are known to be hard-working, friendly, loyal, honest and rather impartial. It may be that due to their values, Hufflepuffs are not as competitive as the other houses, and are more modest about their accomplishments. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its students."

user228700

Honestly, I'd love to be in Huffelpuff and it's the one house I haven't gotten yet.

Sir Cumference

Pffh

Ok, what brought up this harry potter stuff?

user228700

Seriously, it's very weird that all the other houses (except Slytherin maybe) value just one thing.

user228700

7:04 AM

@SirCumference I suggest you to rephrase your question. Not "what?" but "who?". It was I :-D

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H Well yeah, but why?

user228700

Oh, just randomly. HP is always on my mind <3 (:-P)

John Rennie

@SirCumference apparently a mixture of ginger and honey is a potent psychedelic drug :-)

2

user228700

@JohnRennie x-(

John Rennie

:-)

user228700

7:05 AM

Wokay fine, I'll quit it. There is so much Math to be done!

John Rennie

Dark Lords like maths. Do a lot of maths revision and your soul could be at risk.

user228700

@JohnRennie Define "Dark Lords". What kinda Dark Lord has spent hours perfecting their Math skills?

Sir Cumference

Hey @rob

John Rennie

Apparently Sauron was an expert on algebraic geometry

Sir Cumference

@JohnRennie Who's Sauron?

mochacat

7:08 AM

the bad guy from lord of the rings

unless we're talking about two different saurons

John Rennie

@SirCumference :: John faints away in shock ::

3

WHAT! YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF ME ... err, Sauron I mean

Sir Cumference

user228700

@JohnRennie I see. Well, I can't help it. Math won't do itself. Toodles! (Altho I'll be back with questions, of course :-P)

Sir Cumference

@SirCumference This is my life

rob

@SirCumference Good evening, insomniacs, and good day, Eastern hemispherers

user228700

7:09 AM

@SirCumference x'D

mochacat

i liked the ugh edit. very classy

user228700

@JohnRennie chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/34387950#34387950 Look who's talking :-P

mochacat

im not sure if i should be concerned about the possibility of @JohnRennie being sauron

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H XD

John Rennie

@Kaumudi.H phew, she thinks I was joking about being Sauron

It cost me a fortune to bribe Tolkien into saying I got killed off at the end

user228700

7:13 AM

@JohnR: -_- You spoiled it. Why, just, why?! I was waiting till June.

Sir Cumference

I dunno who these people are ._.

user228700

@SirCumference Dude, Tolkien is the author of the series and Sauron is some type of wizard who's the bad guy.

Sir Cumference

@Kaumudi.H ok

John Rennie

@Kaumudi.H the bad guy always dies at the end. You can hardly accuse me of spoiling the plot by giving that away :-)

Balarka Sen

I guess Morgoth might be a bigger deal than Sauron but I have yet to read Silmarillion.

John Rennie

7:16 AM

Anyway, I have to go make my mother a coffee (just don't tell the other Dark Lords)

Swapnil Das

7:33 AM

“Physics is that subset of human experience which can be reduced to coupled
harmonic oscillators”. What's the meaning?

John Rennie

It's a joke. The theory of the simple harmonic oscillator is so widely used in physics that the joke is all of physics is just the study of simple harmonic oscillators.

Swapnil Das

oh. lol.

@JohnRennie I got this is in some DAMTP notes.

John Rennie

@SwapnilDas it sounds like Cambridge humour :-)

user223506

Hey @JohnRennie took the plunge and joined - reading the many experimental physics q&a's - some absolutely brilliant ones!

user223506

7:48 AM

a few that I might link to (share) on my Twitter etc