geometry
Original: geometry on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1 (narration): Since the Babylonian days, mathematicians have wondered if it were possible to "square the circle" -- that is, using only a compass and straightedge, can you construct a square with the same area as a given circle?
Panel 2 (man): Mathematicians supposedly proved you couldn't back in 1882.
Panel 2 (man): They were wrong.
Panel 3 (man): Imagine your compass and straightedge.
Panel 4 (man): First, you put a pencil on one end of the compass and an eraser on the other.
Panel 4 (man): Second, you designate any number of tiny bends on your straightedge using the compass. You can draw or erase symbols on the straightedge.
Panel 5 (other man): And what's that called?
Panel 5 (man): A Turing machine.
Panel 6 (man): So now we can reprogram this problem using only a compass and straightedge. Can we configure a square with the same area as a given circle?
Panel 6 (man): Using the general method we can unlock all compass and straightedge problems!
Panel 7 (other man): Are you missing the point accidentally or strategically?
Panel 7 (man): I'm mostly trying to make the philosophy students sad.
Votey: (That slapping sound you hear is Scott Aaronson reading this and thrusting his palm against his face.)
Panel 2 (man): Mathematicians supposedly proved you couldn't back in 1882.
Panel 2 (man): They were wrong.
Panel 3 (man): Imagine your compass and straightedge.
Panel 4 (man): First, you put a pencil on one end of the compass and an eraser on the other.
Panel 4 (man): Second, you designate any number of tiny bends on your straightedge using the compass. You can draw or erase symbols on the straightedge.
Panel 5 (other man): And what's that called?
Panel 5 (man): A Turing machine.
Panel 6 (man): So now we can reprogram this problem using only a compass and straightedge. Can we configure a square with the same area as a given circle?
Panel 6 (man): Using the general method we can unlock all compass and straightedge problems!
Panel 7 (other man): Are you missing the point accidentally or strategically?
Panel 7 (man): I'm mostly trying to make the philosophy students sad.
Votey: (That slapping sound you hear is Scott Aaronson reading this and thrusting his palm against his face.)
Alt text
A seven-panel comic. A narrator explains that since Babylonian times mathematicians have wondered whether you can "square the circle" -- using only a compass and straightedge, construct a square with the same area as a given circle. A man says mathematicians supposedly proved you couldn't back in 1882, but "they were wrong." He tells the listener to imagine a compass and straightedge, then describes modifying them: put a pencil on one end of the compass and an eraser on the other, and use the compass to mark tiny bends on the straightedge where symbols can be drawn or erased. When asked what that's called, he answers "A Turing machine." He claims this lets you reprogram the problem and unlock all compass-and-straightedge problems. The other man asks if he's missing the point accidentally or strategically; he replies he's mostly trying to make the philosophy students sad. Votey aftercomic: a hand-lettered panel reading, "(That slapping sound you hear is Scott Aaronson reading this and thrusting his palm against his face.)"
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.