2005-04-08
Original: 2005-04-08 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
A blond man stands with his back to the viewer, writing on a green chalkboard.
Chalkboard: 2 + 2 = [4] (the 4 is boxed)
Man (speech bubble): I'M A GENIUS!
Caption below the comic:
The truth is, 2 + 2 = 5. It's just that every time someone tries to solve the problem, they make the same mistake.
Watch:
2 + 2 = 4. Dammit!
Votey:
A hand-written "proof" on a square of paper:
2 + 2 = 4
∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + ∞
∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + (∞ + 1)
∞ − ∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + 1
2 + 2 = 5
A blond man stands with his back to the viewer, writing on a green chalkboard.
Chalkboard: 2 + 2 = [4] (the 4 is boxed)
Man (speech bubble): I'M A GENIUS!
Caption below the comic:
The truth is, 2 + 2 = 5. It's just that every time someone tries to solve the problem, they make the same mistake.
Watch:
2 + 2 = 4. Dammit!
Votey:
A hand-written "proof" on a square of paper:
2 + 2 = 4
∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + ∞
∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + (∞ + 1)
∞ − ∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + 1
2 + 2 = 5
Alt text
Main comic (single panel): A blond man, seen from behind, writes on a green chalkboard. He has written "2 + 2 = 4" with the 4 boxed, and a speech bubble proclaims "I'M A GENIUS!" The caption below reads: "The truth is, 2 + 2 = 5. It's just that every time someone tries to solve the problem, they make the same mistake. Watch: 2 + 2 = 4. Dammit!" — the narrator immediately falls into the very same error.
Votey (aftercomic): A hand-scrawled mathematical "proof" that 2 + 2 = 5, using the classic bogus trick of adding infinity to both sides and then subtracting infinity from itself: "2 + 2 = 4", then "∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + ∞", then "∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + (∞ + 1)", then "∞ − ∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + 1", concluding "2 + 2 = 5". The joke is that the manipulation of infinity is mathematically invalid, mirroring the comic's gag about everyone making the same mistake.
Votey (aftercomic): A hand-scrawled mathematical "proof" that 2 + 2 = 5, using the classic bogus trick of adding infinity to both sides and then subtracting infinity from itself: "2 + 2 = 4", then "∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + ∞", then "∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + (∞ + 1)", then "∞ − ∞ + 2 + 2 = 4 + 1", concluding "2 + 2 = 5". The joke is that the manipulation of infinity is mathematically invalid, mirroring the comic's gag about everyone making the same mistake.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.