146: Math is easy, Love is hard

Nerd stuff!

Take the popular internet phrase

i <3 u

If we assume the “i” is the mathematical symbol i (√-1) , then it becomes a solvable puzzle.

There’s only one variable, so we can solve for “u”! And it looks good on a t-shirt:

I know a few nerds who would be happy to wear that shirt, if I ever get around to making some.

So, that’s pretty great, but is the original phrase really obfuscated enough? It’s good to keep it simple on a shirt, but I think we can do better.

Below is a card you can give your special math dweeb. I made some substitutions and threw in some symbols from Euler’s identity, because it looks cooler that way, but that’s about where my math skills start to get fuzzy. Maybe some of you nerds can take this idea to bold new heights.

And, if your little Pythagoras can’t reduce it on his/her own, there’s an answer on the inside:

If you want to print your own, I made this PDF. It’s about a quarter of a standard sheet when folded.

See you next week, and Happy New Year!

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