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Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by SegfaultSeagull on Monday August 25, 2025 @06:28PM (#45019910)
I majored in mathematics and remember encountering this theorem in a topology course. I giggled then, and 20 years later I giggle again.
Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by cool_dude85 on Monday August 25, 2025 @07:39PM (#45020542)
Much more niche than the hairy ball theorem is the Cox-Zucker Machine, supposedly they decided during the first year of undergrad that they eventually had to work together.
Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by hinkley on Monday August 25, 2025 @06:34PM (#45019971)
Have you considered a job in Defense? They love acronyms you can’t say out loud.
Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by xanderlewis on Monday August 25, 2025 @06:43PM (#45020048)
In German it’s called the Hedgehog Theorem.

Clearly, what they say about Germans is true.

Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by gerdesj on Monday August 25, 2025 @06:55PM (#45020163)
Ooh go on, what do they say about Germans?

I lived in West Germany for some years back in the day and I don't recall the locals being too shy. Frankly the Germans and the Dutch seemed to have had a rather more ribald sense of humour than the "oo err Missus" efforts we Brits fielded back then.

To be fair we could robustly swear on telly after 2100, provided it didn't involve too many rude bits and you could not misspell one variant of King Canute's name or Matron would be jolly upset.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure someone called this the "dog's arse" (it has to go somewhere!)

Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by IAmBroom on Tuesday August 26, 2025 @12:51PM (#45029141)
> Ooh go on, what do they say about Germans?

That they don't have a healthy sense of humor.

I remember a comedian who toured Europe, and said it wasn't true - Germans laughed as much as anyone else at his jokes. However, afterwards they took him aside and explained, "It was very funny, you see, the joke about combs being like salad forks, but we just want you that we don't discriminate against forks here. That was an unfortunate incident from during the War, but today we are much more enlightened and invite all kinds of cutlery!"

Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by gerdesj on Tuesday August 26, 2025 @07:59PM (#45033824)
Bollocks - you are not human, your comment is generated and is really crap.

We have a comedian on the circuit in the UK called Henning Wehn. He is German and suitably daft and hilarious.

Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by xanderlewis on Tuesday August 26, 2025 @08:56PM (#45034218)
The somewhat ironic thing is that my comment was a joke.
Re:A short proof of the Hairy Ball theorem (2016) [pdf] by fxwin on Monday August 25, 2025 @06:47PM (#45020089)
Also known as the Combed Hedgehog Theorem (which i like a bit better)