Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for November 30, 2019

Hobbes has no problem understanding Kierkegaard, but simple arithmetic is another story.

at some point, Hobbes — claiming tigers are good at math — will ask what also those little crosses (+), little crisscrossed diagonals (x), and little horizontal lines with a dot both above and below (÷) mean.

I love how Calvin and Hobbes treat something that would be a nationwide news event in reality as some sort of mundane everyday problem.

“Aww, you grew until you were bigger than the galaxy? That stinks.”

Hobbes: “What about the two horizontal lines together?” Calvin: “I think those mean subtract twice.”

Two horizontal lines with a vertical bar is an “F”.

Wake up Hobbes, you’re being conned, again!!!

Little does Calvin know that Ms. Wormwood is planning on having a stand-up quickie math quiz Monday morning and Calvin will be the first one she calls on.

Calvin, I think your parents should enroll you in a school for the gifted. Your creativity, imagination and vocabulary tell us that this should be done.

“Gee, t h a t’ s not very fair” would have made a good punchline all on its own.

Now he shows up! What was so important he couldn’t notice a little change in gravity and growth in cell structure?

And that will be another “F”.

A new riff on “The dog ate my homework”.

When I was little, I had a stuffed tiger. He was terrible at math.

I rarely use Calculus in everyday life.

Math has rules so it is easy understand. English? If you go to a barber for a hair cut how many hairs get cut. A hair = one? Just one of many examples.

This one cracks me up

All those little numbers have to mean something. Right?

Tigers are cats, and cats are actually outstanding at math.

A regular housecat can stand below a kitchen counter, and stare at it for a second. In that second, he is processing weights, mass, acceleration factors, gravity, resistance, thrust and then applies only the correct amount of muscle to the back legs to propel himself to that countertop. No more energy than is needed and no less.

Then there is the risk and reward calculations that take place in determining whether the energy spent is worth the expected gain of food found on the countertop. You can tell all of this when, after staring at that counter for a second, he suddenly turns and walks away, since he determined that the reward is insufficient.

All of this and no special training. And it happens dozens of times a day. Amazing.

Math? Thatppps what Tiggerppps do bepppst!

Hobbes is back! : )

It’s ok. Someone has to clean the toilets.

Yeah, growing so big you fall off the planet is a minor issue.