2013-07-09
Explanation
In this comic, a man approaches a woman and asks "Can I give you my number?" She responds with "What? That's a bit presumptuous." The twist comes in the next panel, where the man says "Your number is 27, just 27" and the woman replies "Yeah, my Erdos number is 2" (or a similar mathematical number). In the final panel, they embrace happily.
The joke plays on the double meaning of "giving someone your number." In everyday social contexts, asking to give someone your number is a romantic advance -- offering your phone number. But in this comic, it turns out to be about mathematical numbering, such as Erdos numbers. An Erdos number measures collaborative distance from the prolific mathematician Paul Erdos: if you co-authored a paper with Erdos, your number is 1; if you co-authored with someone who co-authored with Erdos, your number is 2, and so on. The woman's initial reaction assumes a romantic advance, but she becomes delighted when she realizes it is actually about academic credentials.
The votey shows the couple in an intimate moment with one saying "O yes," suggesting that for these math-obsessed characters, exchanging Erdos numbers (or similar academic metrics) is far more romantic than exchanging phone numbers. The comic is a love letter to the nerd culture where intellectual achievements are more attractive than conventional romantic gestures.