A Great Math Prank (That Isn't By XKCD) A video
by Luke McKinney 11,193 112 12/16/2009 02:46 PM 6222 views
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in the history of Internet writing, we are asking you to watch a mathematics lecture instead of reading ZUG.
In proof that pranks appear in the unlikeliest of places, and are all the more awesome for it, a special effects stunt staggered the students in a Biola University mathematics lecture. And the prank wasn't on the professor -- it was by the professor.
Professor Matthew Weathers coordinated his presentation with a projector, to make it seem like he was inside the screen, and this pretty impressive effort was only the beginning.
He presented a (false) proof that one could equal two and, instead of exploding the universe, it created the incredible situation where even more math lecturers becomes a good thing. So maybe he did destroy the old universe, because this sort of thing never happened there.
In a sea of wannabe YouTube non-hilarity, this stands out as an excellent example of how to do it. It's practically a guidebook, a list of instructions every YouTube contributor should be forced to obey:
1) It's not an upwards shot of an unshaven face from a webcam;
2) It was "edited," an ancient skill whereby more material is cut down to less in order to enhance the viewer's experience;
3) The star had clearly prepared and practiced the routine, rather than the modern approach of "turn on camera, start thinking of what to say several seconds after that";
4) Most importantly, it wasn't made for YouTube. Instead it's something that was done on its own merits, and just happened to end up on the Internet.
It's the perfect example of the true prank time balance: if you're not prepared to put in the hours, you're not going to reach the heights. And it doesn't get much higher than "able to turn a math class into an Internet hit."
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