pi-2
Explanation
This comic is a meditation on the mathematical constant pi and why it appears in so many formulas that seem to have nothing to do with circles. Two characters discuss how pi shows up in equations across physics, statistics, and other fields in seemingly unrelated contexts. One character explains that if you're studying natural phenomena and keep finding different constants that all seem to converge on a number "somewhere between 3 and 4," eventually mathematicians work out that these are all manifestations of the same fundamental constant.
The comic then addresses the deeper question of why this feels mysterious: "I think of constants as being about something pouring out of mathematics mysteriously, but actually they're just... hardware. It is what it is." The final panels offer two humorous theological takes: "God is lazy and just picked half a dozen irrationals to recycle over and over" and the suggestion that mathematics itself is simply the way reality is built, not some mystical force. The comic is a characteristically SMBC blend of genuine mathematical insight and irreverent humor, demystifying why pi appears everywhere while acknowledging the genuine wonder of mathematical universality.