Q: How can you spot an extrovert mathematician?

[Wilber_Stool]

A: He looks at your shoes when he talks to you.

Marcus du Sautoy, professor of maths at Oxford University and author of Music of the Primes

Gave me a chuckle.

Another:

A man is walking in the country and comes across a shepherd with his flock. He says to him: "I am a scientist and if I can at a glance tell you exactly how many sheep you have can I have one?" The shepherd agrees and the scientist says: "423." "You are right," says the shepherd, "take one."

As he is leaving, the shepherd calls out: "If I tell you what sort of a scientist you are can I have my animal back?" "Of course,' says the scientist. "You are a theoretical biologist." "You are right. How could you know?" "You have taken my dog."

Lewis Wolpert is professor of biology as applied to medicine at University College London, popular science author and broadcaster.

[wtmusic]

1. Another chestnut

"A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems" -- P. Erdos

[etherealtruth]

2. Maybe not a chuckle ...

... but a smile :-)

[Angry Girl]

3. He doesn't look like a simple pole?

Since you must....

[nickinSTL]

4. heh, I know a mathematician...

an expert on time-space boundaries, who always used to stand REALLY close when talking to you...once he stood so close to me, that he had to look over my shoulder while we talked!

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. How many mathematicians does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: One, but all he will do is hand the matter over to six Californians, thereby reducing the problem to one that had been solved previously. The proof is left as an exercise for the reader.

[SteppingRazor]

7. Hmmm. What's the original joke there, out of curiosity?

Why does it take six Californians to screw in a light bulb?

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. How many Californians does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: Six. One to do it and five to hold an encounter session about the experience.

The answer to "How many Californians does it take to screw in a lightbulb" is, of course, none, as Californians screw in hot tubs.

Then there is the all-purpose version of the joke:

Q: How many members of a given group of people does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: X. One to hold the lightbulb and x-1 to behave in a fashion generally associated with a negative stereotype of that group.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. Now, that's brilliant.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Engineer joke

Optimists look at a glass as half full
Pessimists look as a glass as half empty
Engineers think the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

[HawkerHurricane]

10. Professor's joke

The dean was angry with the dean of Physics...
"A linear accelerator? Do you have any idea how much that costs? Why can't you be like the Math Department? All they ask for is pencils, paper and erasers. And the Philosophy department is even better, they don't need erasers."