Dumbing of Age Book Eleven

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Without
First Previous Random 169Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

September 18, 2023

Without

by David M Willis on January 24, 2013 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - If the Shoe Splits

└ Tags: jason, sal

Discussion (169) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. NCP19
    NCP19
    January 24, 2013 at 12:02 am | #

    Oh, it’s so on.

    Did you hear?

    It’s so on.

    • Sir Robin
      Sir Robin
      January 24, 2013 at 12:10 am | #

      The levels of on-ness are off the scales, that’s how on it is right now

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        January 24, 2013 at 12:18 am | #

        It’s so on that it hurts.

        • Resne
          Resne
          January 24, 2013 at 1:11 am | #

          It’s so on and it needs to get off.

          • wererat2000
            wererat2000
            January 24, 2013 at 1:50 am | #

            I think they’re already getting off…

        • schadetj
          schadetj
          January 24, 2013 at 4:21 am | #

          You can tell it’s the correct levels of On when it hurts just right.

          • Farmer_10
            Farmer_10
            January 24, 2013 at 4:31 am | #

            Well that just magnifies the level of on-ness that’s going on right now.

        • Tucker
          Tucker
          January 24, 2013 at 8:17 am | #

          It’s so on, it’s somewhat reminiscent of Donkey Kong.

        • Jenny Creed
          Jenny Creed
          July 26, 2013 at 6:02 pm | #

          It’s all the ons. There’s not even a little off left.

      • Jason
        Jason
        January 24, 2013 at 2:25 am | #

        It is on in a way that is very much like Donkey Kong.

      • Mally
        Mally
        July 23, 2015 at 2:35 am | #

        Your Rarity gravatar makes your post all the better.

    • Sir Robin
      Sir Robin
      January 24, 2013 at 12:11 am | #

      http://youtu.be/ImgHoGgCn8U

    • Gordon Blvd
      Gordon Blvd
      January 24, 2013 at 8:17 am | #

      oh please!!!!!!! please please please please PPPLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSZZZZZZZEEEEE!!!!!!

      do I have to beg?

      lol

  2. Kafloobop
    Kafloobop
    January 24, 2013 at 12:03 am | #

    Those are some mighty sharp teeth.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      January 24, 2013 at 12:06 am | #

      Tell me about it. Does she file them to look scary, or is she just turning into a werewolf?

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        January 24, 2013 at 12:10 am | #

        She has actually grit her teeth so hard that it became THAT.

      • Khrene Cleaver
        Khrene Cleaver
        January 24, 2013 at 11:27 am | #

        Didn’t you know? A sex starved woman is a werewolf.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:25 am | #

      Just when you thought it was safe to tutor English….

      • Aizat
        Aizat
        January 24, 2013 at 12:31 am | #

        I tutored English and the only thing I got was guys jealous at me and some of the girls hitting on me(but me being a thick 15 year old, I didn’t noticed it at the time)

        • Chris
          Chris
          January 24, 2013 at 2:47 pm | #

          I tutored english and got payed $15 an hour.

          • David
            David M Willis
            January 24, 2013 at 2:58 pm | #

            i tutered english and got payd eleventeen billyun an hour

            • KHNO
              KHNO
              January 24, 2013 at 3:22 pm | #

              I tutored bass, and got paid 15 beers an hour. I didn’t last two days, so I’m trying totutor english to get spayed a Billy then Eisenhower.

  3. ASmellyOgre
    ASmellyOgre
    January 24, 2013 at 12:03 am | #

    Now KISS!

  4. David Herbert
    David Herbert
    January 24, 2013 at 12:03 am | #

    She’s about to bone up on her English.

    • Wonder Wig
      Wonder Wig
      January 24, 2013 at 12:04 am | #

      I laughed so hard lol

    • Sensedog
      Sensedog
      January 24, 2013 at 12:05 am | #

      I imagine that she will get the thrust of his explanation.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:08 am | #

      If only she could wrap her head around his.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      January 24, 2013 at 12:10 am | #

      Their upper lips aren’t the only thing that’s stiff.

      • Plasma Mongoose
        Plasma Mongoose
        January 24, 2013 at 12:13 am | #

        I bet she will be spotting some dick very soon.

        • Doctor_Who
          Doctor_Who
          January 24, 2013 at 12:22 am | #

          “Keep Calm and Get it On.”

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      January 24, 2013 at 12:13 am | #

      I think she’s starting to come around.

      • Plasma Mongoose
        Plasma Mongoose
        January 24, 2013 at 12:22 am | #

        She will be needing that cigerette for what will happen very soon.

        • Yes Son, I Am Space
          Yes Son, I Am Space
          January 24, 2013 at 1:34 am | #

          Ten minutes from now, HE’S going to need a cigarette.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:33 am | #

      He’s gotta conjugate her verbs out.

      • LaurelRaven
        LaurelRaven
        January 24, 2013 at 9:06 am | #

        🙂

    • Blade dog and destroyer
      Blade dog and destroyer
      January 24, 2013 at 2:30 am | #

      I see what ya did thar

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      January 24, 2013 at 3:10 pm | #

      So to speak.

  5. Blob Marley
    Blob Marley
    January 24, 2013 at 12:05 am | #

    Oh, he looks so rugged!

    /swoon

  6. jrgolden42
    jrgolden42
    January 24, 2013 at 12:06 am | #

    All aboard the Jason train. Next stop – Bonertown

  7. ArkhamTexan
    ArkhamTexan
    January 24, 2013 at 12:06 am | #

    C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon, C’MOOOOOOOON! I’m just waitin’ for it… get to the doing the sex part! Send all the shippers (me included) crazy! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA!

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      January 24, 2013 at 12:14 am | #

      Don’t raise your hopes! Willis only wants to send you crashing down!

      • Aizat
        Aizat
        January 24, 2013 at 12:25 am | #

        Just like real life.

        • AckAckAck
          AckAckAck
          January 24, 2013 at 12:55 am | #

          Willis is our school guidance counselor?

        • EclipseMouse
          EclipseMouse
          January 24, 2013 at 8:39 am | #

          Willis disappointed me in bed once…

        • ArkhamTexan
          ArkhamTexan
          January 24, 2013 at 9:45 am | #

          Maybe this time he’ll play it straight and actually play into our expectations? The swerve could be that there IS NO swerve! It’s like M. Night Shama-whatever, except with a guy that does WAY better storytelling!

          Yep. Nothin’ to look forward to but safe, hot, not-subverting-expectations sex. Nothing can possib-lie go wrong this time…

  8. Count Dracula
    Count Dracula
    January 24, 2013 at 12:06 am | #

    Did Jacob just take OFF his BOWTIE?

    This alternate universe sucks. I demand another.

    • Wack'd
      Wack'd
      January 24, 2013 at 12:10 am | #

      Jason. Jacob hasn’t shown up in Dumbing of Age yet.

      • Count Dracula
        Count Dracula
        January 24, 2013 at 12:13 am | #

        I acknowledge my failure to type on this one.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:10 am | #

      bow-ties are like socks, you best be taking those off before you get some action.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        January 24, 2013 at 12:15 am | #

        Some people like to do it with their socks ON.

        • Blob Marley
          Blob Marley
          January 24, 2013 at 12:20 am | #

          Apparently, women are more likely to climax with socks on. I read it on them internets.

          • Count Dracula
            Count Dracula
            January 24, 2013 at 12:21 am | #

            Well, they’re more likely to perform well if they don’t get…cold feet.

            • Humson
              Humson
              January 24, 2013 at 12:31 am | #

              *gunshot* You deserved that. Getting shot is you PUNishment.

              • Yotomoe
                Yotomoe
                January 24, 2013 at 12:35 am | #

                *shoots* and you deserve that. Getting shot is your GUNishment.

                • Aristophanes
                  Aristophanes
                  January 24, 2013 at 12:46 am | #

                  There’s a lot of violence developing here. I guess this is what happens when a Pun Is Meant

      • ArkhamTexan
        ArkhamTexan
        January 24, 2013 at 9:47 am | #

        I have actively ignored the sock gap just to prove that’s not true. However, the downside is that EVERY TIME I have sex now, I think about Jeff. I am doomed to an eternity of picturing that curly-haired bag of neurosis every time I’m makin’ it with a woman. That’s… goddammit…

    • dunder
      dunder
      January 24, 2013 at 1:15 am | #

      No, you idiot! He put his bowtie into seduction mode. Bowties make you look like a dweeb until they’ve been untied. And then you look like a badass. True fact.

    • VersasoVantare
      VersasoVantare
      January 24, 2013 at 4:20 am | #

      He may have further bowties hidden about his person. You never know.

      • Josh
        Josh
        January 24, 2013 at 7:17 am | #

        He has bowties stashed all over town, in case of bowtie emergancys.

        • EclipseMouse
          EclipseMouse
          January 24, 2013 at 8:40 am | #

          I’m sensing the need for a side-comic, one about Jason and his Myriad of Stealthily-concealed ties.

  9. Wonder Wig
    Wonder Wig
    January 24, 2013 at 12:06 am | #

    The clock says it’s nearly a quarter past something.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      January 24, 2013 at 10:45 am | #

      Probably seven, unless they’ve moved the numbers around again.

      • Wonder Wig
        Wonder Wig
        January 24, 2013 at 5:26 pm | #

        I think that’s what happens during daylight savings time.

  10. Ter
    Ter
    January 24, 2013 at 12:07 am | #

    Let’s get daaaaaangerous~

  11. Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
    Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
    January 24, 2013 at 12:07 am | #

    I like Algebra, maybe I can give it the right-brained approach so Sal can better understand this

  12. Kafloobop
    Kafloobop
    January 24, 2013 at 12:07 am | #

    ……Sal’s mouth in the 4th panel looks like a tiny boomerang. I will never unsee that.

  13. Dirigible
    Dirigible
    January 24, 2013 at 12:08 am | #

    I think I’d like to change my bet from Mike/Your Mom to Sal/Jason

    • BranTheQuixotic
      BranTheQuixotic
      January 24, 2013 at 1:01 am | #

      Agreed!

    • Josh
      Josh
      January 24, 2013 at 7:19 am | #

      Don’t worry, Mike/Your Mum are going at it right now.

  14. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    January 24, 2013 at 12:09 am | #

    So the BOWTIE was holding back all of his sexiness. He wears it as a PRECAUTION.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:12 am | #

      The bowtie is like a sexual=charisma dampener.

      • Aizat
        Aizat
        January 24, 2013 at 12:23 am | #

        Not for the Doctor.

        • Plasma Mongoose
          Plasma Mongoose
          January 24, 2013 at 12:36 am | #

          The Doctor’s bowtie works as a heatsink to prevent his hotness from cooking himself.

          • Makkabee
            Makkabee
            January 24, 2013 at 1:05 pm | #

            So THAT’S why he wears things that are cool!

    • Aizat
      Aizat
      January 24, 2013 at 12:17 am | #

      So, Jason’s bowtie is a sexiness inhibitor or a restraint?

      • Raiser
        Raiser
        January 24, 2013 at 9:37 am | #

        Think of it like Piccolo and Gohan’s weighted shoulderpads. He’s been “fighting” this whole time with a handicap.

        He’s finally gotten to the point where he feels it necessary to dramatically toss the weighted duds aside with a mighty thud, prior to spending the next three minutes showing her what he’s capable of when he’s “done warming up”.

        (If you couldn’t guess, I’m implying that he’s going to break into a Gilbert and Sullivan patter routine.)

        • Roborat
          Roborat
          January 24, 2013 at 3:20 pm | #

          Two potential answers, can’t decide what to use:

          1) Yea, but it would take him the rest of the term to finish “warming up”.

          2) Gilbert and Sullivan? That would be so many kinds of awesome.

    • Vabolo
      Vabolo
      January 24, 2013 at 12:19 am | #

      A bowtie is to Jason as a Power-save belt is to a Machoke.

  15. Aizat
    Aizat
    January 24, 2013 at 12:11 am | #

    Well, it could be a beginning of a beautiful friendship or something else entirely.

    • AckAckAck
      AckAckAck
      January 24, 2013 at 12:57 am | #

      It’s the beginning of a beautiful bonership.

  16. Kernanator
    Kernanator
    January 24, 2013 at 12:11 am | #

    I can honestly not think of a time, in either universe, that I have seen Jason so disheveled.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      January 24, 2013 at 12:16 am | #

      Which is saying something since he fought on the front lines of many battles in an intergalactic war.

  17. AnonyMouse
    AnonyMouse
    January 24, 2013 at 12:15 am | #

    PANEL FIVE!! PANEL FIVE!! I CHANGE MY ANSWER IN THE SITE POLL!!

    • Questionor
      Questionor
      January 24, 2013 at 2:24 am | #

      Are you sure Mike hasn’t already boned your Mom?

      • Buckybone
        Buckybone
        January 24, 2013 at 5:32 pm | #

        Another reason why he’s changing it.

  18. John
    John
    January 24, 2013 at 12:22 am | #

    C’mon, Jason, it’s been twenty years since Calculus for me, and I could still give a less circular explanation of dx than that. You’re deliberately tormenting Sal by keeping her here with lousy tutoring until she succumbs to nicotine withdrawal and sexual frustration, aren’t you?

    (I just realized that I took Calc before DoA Sal was born. Holy Cheese, I’m old.)

    • Jacob
      Jacob
      January 24, 2013 at 9:17 pm | #

      I’d be interested in seeing a less circular definition. MY problem with whatever definition he was going to give was that it seems like its not right. dx is not a derivative. Its a differential. dx is really just another variable.
      d(y(x)) = y'(x)*dx. So dy is a function of two variables: x and dx. (Note that if y = x we have d(x) = 1 * dx = dx . Also, dy/dx = (y'(x) * dx)/dx = y'(x) )

      For more info:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differential_of_a_function

      Anyway, my point was that using a derivative in the definition isn’t circular its just wrong.

  19. Aizat
    Aizat
    January 24, 2013 at 12:27 am | #

    Quick question, what course is Sal taking?

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 12:31 am | #

      A course of penicillin. 😀

      • AckAckAck
        AckAckAck
        January 24, 2013 at 12:59 am | #

        It thin the blood, so it will circulate well to several “important” areas.

  20. Phillip Wilde
    Phillip Wilde
    January 24, 2013 at 12:27 am | #

    I hate to be that person, but that’s not how you untie a bowtie. You tug on both ends to undo the bow part and then undo the original simple knot.

    Meanwhile, they are going to bone so good. I love it when a ship sails itself.

    • Sporky
      Sporky
      January 24, 2013 at 12:34 am | #

      Maybe that’s what he did in panel four while the panel was on Sal.

  21. Bob
    Bob
    January 24, 2013 at 12:35 am | #

    I know that’s Sal’s left elbow in panel one, but when you look at it from another perspective…

    • David
      David M Willis
      January 24, 2013 at 12:46 am | #

      Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

      • Yes Son, I Am Space
        Yes Son, I Am Space
        January 24, 2013 at 1:38 am | #

        Well, we DID already get a dose of Walky-wang…

  22. Uniqueantique
    Uniqueantique
    January 24, 2013 at 12:46 am | #

    and the next panel will be empty chairs…

  23. wynne
    wynne
    January 24, 2013 at 12:51 am | #

    Slope! Just talk about how it’s the sideways part of the slope!

  24. Ayer
    Ayer
    January 24, 2013 at 12:51 am | #

    If I didn’t know better I’d say Jason’s about to offer her a more lung-healthy alternative to suck and blow on…

    • Aydr
      Aydr
      January 24, 2013 at 12:53 am | #

      …I don’t know if my avatar is disapproving of my impropriety, or that I misspelled my own username. Damn iPhone.

  25. AckAckAck
    AckAckAck
    January 24, 2013 at 12:53 am | #

    It’s rare to see that face expression of her. She blushed too!

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 4:14 pm | #

      She wants to taste the lime.

  26. Audiophillie
    Audiophillie
    January 24, 2013 at 12:56 am | #

    Ahm I the only one who thinks Sal looks adorable in Panel 4?

  27. silverbelle
    silverbelle
    January 24, 2013 at 1:03 am | #

    To hell with Sal. I’ll take Jason. With a twist of lime.

  28. mrlshade
    mrlshade
    January 24, 2013 at 1:20 am | #

    Yes, it’s D-Agony and dx/dt….Coming Soon to a serialized parrallel multi-universal-many-arced-web-comic near you!

  29. scabbert
    scabbert
    January 24, 2013 at 1:44 am | #

    I so called this.

  30. Phil
    Phil
    January 24, 2013 at 1:51 am | #

    Am I the only one that has Sal as Applejack as the headcanon voice?

    • pizza2004
      pizza2004
      January 24, 2013 at 2:19 am | #

      Grah! Now I’m gonna have to find a way to distract myself so that doesn’t commit to memory! 😀

    • Krylani
      Krylani
      January 24, 2013 at 3:17 am | #

      Nope. /)

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      January 24, 2013 at 4:15 pm | #

      Only if I can imagine Jason with Stephen Fry’s voice.

  31. Valdrax
    Valdrax
    January 24, 2013 at 1:52 am | #

    So, who thinks that Jason is fully aware of the sexual tension and just doesn’t give a flip about it?

  32. Zababcd
    Zababcd
    January 24, 2013 at 2:03 am | #

    It suddenly occurs to me that if only these tutoring sessions were shown in more detail, then this could be part of a secret plot to improve mathematical literacy in webcomic readers.

    By the way, it appears that my poor Billie/Sal ship is now under fire from both sides. Port and starboard sides. Port being an alcoholic beverage, and consequently Billie. I have no humorous explanation for why Sal is the starboard side.

  33. Seawee
    Seawee
    January 24, 2013 at 3:04 am | #

    Nooo, she aint going to….naaaaah

  34. Shobo
    Shobo
    January 24, 2013 at 4:31 am | #

    I had a gigglegasm when I realized what was going on. 😀

  35. Farmer_10
    Farmer_10
    January 24, 2013 at 4:41 am | #

    She isn’t really asking the right question either or Jason isn’t explaining it right. With Math it’s not about what this is, it’s about what it does and how it works. You can explain theory all day but without any practical examples you’re not gonna get anywhere. At least that’s how it was with me. Practice it a few times and THEN the theory started making sense.

    • clodia
      clodia
      January 24, 2013 at 9:54 am | #

      But I’d say that her stated problem is that she doesn’t know how to ask the right question. Being able to ask the right question gets you half the way to understanding the answer.

      He ought to be trying to explain it in different ways, rather than simply how it primarily makes sense to him. Or he ought to recommend another tutor.

  36. tahrey
    tahrey
    January 24, 2013 at 4:47 am | #

    No, no, it’s not on YET… Sal’s still got her bike gloves on. They might be good for one type of riding, but not all of them.

    Also, screw calculus. Figuratively and literally. I knew what dx was for all of about six months, ie from about the time we started covering it in class to the time of the exam. Nowadays? No chance.

  37. thyx
    thyx
    January 24, 2013 at 6:29 am | #

    Curve discussion … (eh, sketching isn’t quite the same)
    Anyway, reading It’s Walky a 2nd time, I’d bet it takes them 5 years (real-life). Well, easy to falsify, so it‘s Science(tm).

  38. T Campbell
    T Campbell
    January 24, 2013 at 6:33 am | #

    Can I change my poll answer?

  39. Pinja
    Pinja
    January 24, 2013 at 6:42 am | #

    Bow chika bow wow

    • Farmer_10
      Farmer_10
      January 24, 2013 at 6:47 am | #

      That’s what my baby says.

  40. Jackson
    Jackson
    January 24, 2013 at 6:43 am | #

    No, you guys! Don’t do each other! It is a bad decision that you will regret! Remember that smart people always do the right thing!

    • KHNO
      KHNO
      January 24, 2013 at 3:33 pm | #

      It’s better than to regret good decisions. That’s always the same with me: I’m starting to get that I can be proven wrong, but still can’t assure myself to be proven right…

  41. sandbridgekid
    sandbridgekid
    January 24, 2013 at 7:14 am | #

    Hankius Pankae Superbus!…beautiful music commence…eine kleine bang bang

  42. gameaddictwn
    gameaddictwn
    January 24, 2013 at 7:30 am | #

    Next time on Dumbing of Age:
    Sal and Jason are about to kiss and we are left with a cliff hanger for the weekend.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      January 24, 2013 at 10:53 am | #

      You mean for the month.

  43. Jmacq1
    Jmacq1
    January 24, 2013 at 7:47 am | #

    Can’t help but think he’s going to shoot her down. But he really should know better, undoing the tie and unleashing the sexy like that. I don’t think he even knows he’s taunting her.

    Or maybe they’ll just get it over with and bone.

  44. The1exile
    The1exile
    January 24, 2013 at 8:17 am | #

    Hours? Chin up Jason. It’s been like 35 minutes at most according to that clock.

    • David
      David M Willis
      January 24, 2013 at 9:06 am | #

      This is the only comic in the archives in which you can see a hand on the clock through the dialog balloons: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/01-if-the-shoes-split/crackin/

      And it’s the hour hand.

      • The1exile
        The1exile
        January 24, 2013 at 1:35 pm | #

        Ahhh. That makes sense then. I thought he was just really lazy 😀

  45. Tenn
    Tenn
    January 24, 2013 at 8:46 am | #

    This looks like a job for George Takei.

  46. Joe
    Joe
    January 24, 2013 at 9:09 am | #

    Sensors indicate a high probability of Hatefucking before the end of the storyline.

  47. Charles RB
    Charles RB
    January 24, 2013 at 9:19 am | #

    THIS.

    Will not end will

    • Kemp
      Kemp
      January 24, 2013 at 4:14 pm | #

      It will not end, Will.

      It will never end.

  48. james
    james
    January 24, 2013 at 9:21 am | #

    So Sal’s cotter is emerging to see it’s shadow?

  49. Das BookPimp (@The_BookPimp)
    Das BookPimp (@The_BookPimp)
    January 24, 2013 at 9:40 am | #

    i knew if i read long enough this strip would turn into a 70’s porn movie.

  50. Anonymous
    Anonymous
    January 24, 2013 at 9:41 am | #

    Great amusement at her reaction to {his transition from panel one to panel five}, as well as at the transition itself.

    —

    (*mostly to self*) dx is an infinitesimal change in x, df(x) likewise for f(x), and df(x)/dx is effectively the slope of f(x). That much I remember. What I don’t remember, disturbingly, is why you subtract one from an x’s exponent and multiply its coefficient by its former exponent. C and x, yes, but x^2 or higher… hrm.

    I now want to search that down and learn it intuitively again. By contrast, I remember enough about integration to recall that carrying it out usually involved a torturous toolbox of tricks for rearranging expressions into something that could be integrated. So that field I won’t be revisiting until I find a way to artificially augment my cognitive abilities substantially.

    The derivative of x^2 is 2x, and that checks out with the negatives of the parabola, but /why/…

    Oh gods. When trying to relearn this, inadvertently slammed into references to the product rule and the chain rule. Skin crawling to a startling degree, given how much I enjoyed maths in theory. Going and doing something completely utterly unrelated now. Curiosity being the problem.

    df(x)/dx = f'(x), then there’s df'(x)/dx = f”(x), the slope of f'(x)… no problem there, but why… why is 2x the slope of x^2…!? I was actually taught that, yes? I wasn’t just taught what to do with the numbers without being told why!?

    ….no, no, no….

    http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1914

    ?

    • drs
      drs
      January 24, 2013 at 9:57 am | #

      Newton’s quotient. f'(x) = the limit of [f(x+h) – f(x)]/h as h -> 0. h can be delta-x, or dx, if you prefer. For finite h the formula is the slope of a secant line connecting two points of the curve; as h goes to 0 it becomes the tangent line, the slope at a single point.

      Plug in a polynomial like f(x)=x^2 and you should get 2x, if your algebra hasn’t atrophied. Trig derivatives are trickier, it’s easy to set up but you have to do some clever geometry to see that the limit of sin(h)/h is cos(h).

  51. Anonymous
    Anonymous
    January 24, 2013 at 9:46 am | #

    Belatedly noticed: dy/dx is the derivative of y with respect to x. ‘dx’ alone is not in fact a derivative of anything. If Jason is in fact trying to explain dx as as though it’s a derivative of something in itself (rather than a limit delta), this may somewhat explain why someone he’s teaching directly is having so much trouble.

    • Pie
      Pie
      January 24, 2013 at 7:58 pm | #

      Precisely this. I am putting all the blame here on Jason, who is clearly unable or unwilling to explain the underlying concepts.

  52. Alexx
    Alexx
    January 24, 2013 at 10:05 am | #

    Hoo boy, I feel that pain. I’ve been in Sal’s position of trying to force my brain around a concept that it refuses to understand and fully realizes it has no use for. My brain likes to put up blocks when it catches on that it’ll never see or use this information again outside the class.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      January 24, 2013 at 10:58 am | #

      And then your mind immediately leapt to sex, I presume, because that’s how it works?

      • Zap Rowsdower
        Zap Rowsdower
        January 24, 2013 at 1:07 pm | #

        There is nothing sexier than derivatives. NOTHING.

        • Jacob
          Jacob
          January 24, 2013 at 11:58 pm | #

          Quaternions?

          • Ross
            Ross
            February 21, 2013 at 9:13 am | #

            LIKE!

  53. Eri
    Eri
    January 24, 2013 at 10:39 am | #

    I very much like where this seems to be going

  54. Dagrabbit
    Dagrabbit
    January 24, 2013 at 11:19 am | #

    Um… and how about that Sohcahtoa, amiright?

    *sighs and goes back to the kiddie table*

  55. I teach math for a living
    I teach math for a living
    January 24, 2013 at 12:51 pm | #

    dx is not a derivative, it’s a differential (an infinitesimally small increment of the variable x). A derivative would be dy/dx (the derivative of y with respect to x) or, in a different notation, Dy. No wonder Sal doesn’t understand.

    • I also teach math for a living.
      I also teach math for a living.
      January 24, 2013 at 4:06 pm | #

      If the course is on differential forms, it may still be a derivative. Granted, x isn’t the most common letter for a form… and differential forms aren’t usually taught to freshmen.

    • Zababcd
      Zababcd
      January 24, 2013 at 4:20 pm | #

      If only Sal could read the comments section.

    • m__
      m__
      January 24, 2013 at 8:46 pm | #

      Actually, in a differential form usually dx (as in ω=a(x,y)dx + b(x,y)dy) is used as one of the base vectors of the dual of the space over which ω is defined. Not that this would help Sal much.

  56. Makkabee
    Makkabee
    January 24, 2013 at 1:21 pm | #

    Jason undid his bowtie. Meanwhile in another comic Clark has taken off his glasses.

    Shit just got real.

  57. Tarkada
    Tarkada
    January 24, 2013 at 1:43 pm | #

    without the bow-tie Jason is pretty kickin it.

  58. Doug Dean
    Doug Dean
    January 24, 2013 at 2:50 pm | #

    Never ask a TA a question like that. Pretty consistently they are clueless about the abstract concepts behind the subject and are only good for rote learning or working over specific problems. the place to go for a question like that is the actual professor in his office hours or hire a tutor who actually understands the comcepts and can explain them to a newbie.

    • I also teach math for a living.
      I also teach math for a living.
      January 24, 2013 at 4:11 pm | #

      Eh, generally math TAs should have a solid grap on elementary calculus and quite a lot more, otherwise they wouldn’t be awarded the position. It is true however, that young TAs often aren’t that good at teaching students, since often they were at the very top of their college class.

      • Doug Dean
        Doug Dean
        January 24, 2013 at 5:27 pm | #

        *Snork*! Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You just described the ideal. The reality is that a large portion of TAs are just recent grad students trying to get through their Master’s with a minimum of distraction. There are also a lot of people who do Calculus very well without really understanding it completely. Those people, who make up a major part of the TA community, are great for questions about specific problems and algorithms, but when you ask them something like “what is dx, really”, they can’t go beyond their “talking points” and just spit out the same thing over and over because they can’t afford to admit that they don’t really know. It’s not entirely their fault; the acid test of really understanding a concept is the be able to explain it to people who is starting from scratch. I don’t mean that they don’t have a basic background in Trig or Algebra, but newbies from a Calculus perspective. Concepts like dy and dx are very abstract and hard to pin down (actually Newton was pretty disdainful of them and preferred the simple “f'(x)” notation) and very frustrating when the person explaining them to you tends to take you on a circular primrose path.

        Of course, the college also has a lot to do with it. One could probably more reasonably expect a TA from MIT to be up to the task than one from IU.

      • Doug Dean
        Doug Dean
        January 24, 2013 at 5:36 pm | #

        Example:
        “What’s dx supposed to be?”
        “A derivative.”
        “What’s a derivative?”
        “It’s what you get when you figure out dy/dx.”

  59. ridtom
    ridtom
    January 24, 2013 at 3:47 pm | #

    Dat Derivative……

  60. someguywithakatana
    someguywithakatana
    January 24, 2013 at 4:27 pm | #

    I guess it’s time for Sal’s….

    (puts on glasses)

    Cumming of Age…

    • JA
      JA
      January 24, 2013 at 6:18 pm | #

      Unleash your anger, Sal. Give in to the desire for angry sex.

    • Blade dog and destroyer
      Blade dog and destroyer
      January 24, 2013 at 7:16 pm | #

      YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  61. L_86
    L_86
    January 24, 2013 at 5:26 pm | #

    …I’ve read a lot about the innuendo but honestly panel 2 seems like it’s ripped out of the Doom comic.

    RIP AND TEAR! RIP AND TEAR YOUR GUTS!

  62. swk3000
    swk3000
    January 24, 2013 at 8:47 pm | #

    I keep hearing about other comics that are apparently related to DoA, but there’s no links page, so I have no idea how to find them. Help?

    • Notebooked
      Notebooked
      January 25, 2013 at 7:48 pm | #

      Shortpacked, Roomies!, It’s Walky and Joyce & Walky?
      http://www.shortpacked.com and http://www.itswalky.com (that site has both Roomies! and It’s Walky!. Willis is working on uploading Roomies! in chronological order, too, at http://www.bringbackroomies.com.)

      Is that what you were looking for?

  63. GrrArg42
    GrrArg42
    January 24, 2013 at 10:10 pm | #

    If she is not getting derivatives, try integrals… maybe a nice exponential… study the area under some curves… you know… have fun with it. Math is fun. ; )

  64. Richard
    Richard
    January 25, 2013 at 1:30 pm | #

    Ho. Ly. Crap. I just realized what an abysmally terrible tutor Jason really is.

    She’s having trouble understanding *what* dx is. And he doesn’t say, “It’s how x changes”

    I mean, no, it’s not a perfect explanation, but it’s way better than just repeated “the derivative” over and over. Jason sucks.

  65. Ross
    Ross
    February 21, 2013 at 9:10 am | #

    dx isn’t a derivative, it’s a differential.

  66. newllend
    newllend
    August 15, 2013 at 3:35 am | #

    I think I might know one of the inportant ones you need, and I think I can help you with it

Pings & Trackbacks ¬

    • Webcomics Top 6 | The Electronic Window
      June 11, 2013 at 4:51 pm | #
    • Dumbing of Age - Bisexual
      April 30, 2015 at 1:01 am | #

Who's that guy over there?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


probably not anywhere for a while 'cuz the world is covered in death

Tweets by @damnyouwillis

©2010-2023 Dumbing of Age | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Privacy Policy | Back to Top ↑