Nerds? or Nuts? Pop Culture Portrayals of Mathematicians

Wilson, Janelle L., Latterell, Carmen M., et Cetera

"When you meet a mathematician who fails to fit the stereotype as here presented, do you revise your image of mathematicians, or simply assume that the person is an exception to the rule?"

WHEN YOU THINK OF A MATHEMATICIAN, what image comes to mind? Come on, now, be honest! Do you picture a highly intelligent person? Do you picture a nerd? Do you envision a man, or do you see a woman? Popular culture presents some very specific images.

Math Humor

In reading popular comic strips, one often finds mathematics as a topic. More specifically, one often finds an anti-math theme in these comic strips, manifested in the humor generated from portraying those who are good …

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Publication information: Article title: Nerds? or Nuts? Pop Culture Portrayals of Mathematicians. Contributors: Wilson, Janelle L. - Author, Latterell, Carmen M. - Author. Journal title: et Cetera. Volume: 58. Issue: 2 Publication date: Summer 2001. Page number: 172+. © International Society for General Semantics-ARCHIVED Oct 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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