Futurama proves that geeks can be smart and funny...who would of thought!!

Having a profound interest in Mathematics, especially group, set and game theory I found this little piece of trivia most apt. Ken Keeler one of the writers of the hit show Futurama ended up writing and proving an entirely new theorem. He has though n his arsenal a PHD in Mathematic but this is still impressive work seeming he did this for an actual episode of Futurama. Here is the story:

We all knew the writing staff of Futurama was brainy, but this is something else. To work out the ridiculous brain switching plot line from last night’s hilarious episode, writer Ken Keeler (who also just happens to have a PhD in mathematics) ended up writing and proving an entirely new theorem. This is probably the most impressive bit of side work from a TV writer since a writer of Desperate Housewives discovered a new species or the staff of Full House developed a vaccine for a specific strain of syphilis. In the episode “The Prisoner of Benda,” the Professor and Amy use a new invention to switch bodies. Unfortunately, they discover that the same two brains can’t switch twice and have to come up with some equation to prove that, with enough people switching, eventually everyone will end up in their rightful form. This, of course, leads to much hijinks as well as the grossest sex scene the show has ever done (take that, Prof. Farnsworth and Mom!).
Of course, Keeler decided to go the hard route and come up with a suitable equation himself. It was first teased in an interview that head writer and executive producer David X. Cohen gave to the American Physical Society:

“In an APS News exclusive, Cohen reveals for the first time that in the 10th episode of the upcoming season, tentatively entitled “The Prisoner of Benda,” a theorem based on group theory was specifically written (and proven!) by staffer/PhD mathematician Ken Keeler to explain a plot twist. Cohen can’t help but chuckle at the irony: his television-writing rule is that entertainment trumps science, but in this special case, a mathematical theorem was penned for the sake of entertainment.”

Now that the episode has aired, we can check out the theorem in full. Well, I won’t. I suck at math. But the people over at the Futurama wiki The Infosphere have. If there’s anyone as smart as Futurama writers, it’s Futurama fans.

Source

I am not sure what year that episode came out....but I do believe Scooby Doo (the one with human and animation combined) had the same scenario around the same year. Just guessing on the time frame but it has to be close to each other.

reply to post by MrRed


Math is one of my worst subjects

Ever since I heard physics could not use numbers, letters, or symbols to reach their objectives and destination in their field that threw my mind for a loop da loop. That and when they started throwing the alphabet into the math .... summer school sucks.

Math is not one of my favorite subjects. But science fiction, cartoons, and humor are

Thanks for the find, and sharing the pic and article

Star & Flag MrRed,
ET

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


Ahh..we are opposites. I am more at home with the numbers than words.

I do love a mixture of light humor with math involved.

reply to post by MrRed


Futurama is a good show, glad they brought it back. I know shows have phenomenal writers, and I have recorded and watched a couple futurama shows more than once to get what they were saying. Science Fiction, even the cartoons, does seem to encorporate/reflect some level of truth in it.

Thanks for sharing this

reply to post by MrRed


that is impressive. i know nothing about math, but the minute i heard the cunundrum on that episode it became apparent that separating the brain by a second person would be the solution. its not that deep or profound of a solution and really doesn't require math. although hellz yea its awesome that that guy was smart enough to make it into a formula. always good to see smart people in media.

reply to post by snusfanatic


Sometime these cartoons are just too clever for their own good. The amount of stories they have to come up with and still make it interesting and relevant. Priceless. Add in a bit of Group theory or social dynamics and we are away.