The Big Bang Theory

The Tangerine Factor - S1-E17

Corrected entry: When Penny and Leonard are talking to Sheldon about their date, Sheldon refers to Schrodinger's Cat, stating "The cat in the box is both alive and dead, until you open the box and find out." Yet the precise point of the Schrodinger's Cat example is that the cat cannot be both alive and dead. Schrodinger was arguing against physicists of the time who claimed that certain subatomic particles were special and could be in opposite states at the same time; his argument was that you can't make small systems special because a large and obvious system (e.g., the cat) could always be made to depend on the state of the smaller one, and for a large and obvious system to be in opposite states simultaneously is ridiculous. Now, this is pretty obscure and the misunderstanding of Schrodinger's Cat experiment is widespread, but this is Sheldon we're talking about.

Moose

Correction: This is not a factual error on Sheldon's part. He explicitly says that Schrodinger's experiment was an attempt to explain the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, which implies that the cat could be both dead and alive until the box is opened and observed. While he doesn't explain that the point of the experiment was to critique the prevailing thought of the time, his overall point to Penny fits within the context as given.

Correction: The signed napkin (from s02e11 "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis") was from Leonard Nimoy (who played Spock) whom Penny met at the Cheesecake Factory, not Stan Lee.

Bishop73

The Large Hadron Collision - S3-E15

Corrected entry: The "Hollermus" that Sheldon allegedly makes is not actually a Swiss breakfast dish. It is in fact simply a kind of jam made from elderberries which is quite common in most German-speaking countries. Also, judging by the ingredients on the table (eggs, milk, butter) and the food on the plate, the dish prepared by Sheldon seems most likely to be an omelette with a Vienna sausage, which is in no way traditionally Swiss.

Tanngrisnir

Correction: He actually says Cholermus which is a swish breakfast dish similar to a pancake, I had to find a script online when I first heard it to figure out what it was.

The Jiminy Conjecture - S3-E2

Corrected entry: Professor Crawley states he discovered a new species of dung beetle (named after him) in a rain forest in Borneo. That is impossible - dung beetles do not live in damp climates as the fecal matter upon which they live degrades too quickly when moist. You can find dung beetles in Savannah grassland, semi-arid desert, some lightly wooded areas, but a rain forest? Never.

Correction: Never is a big word. Deltochilum valgum and Oxysternon pteroderum are two examples of dung beetles that live in rainforests.

Guy

I'm from Borneo and yes we do have dung beetles here. My family is in the adventure business and we take coleopterists to do research on the dung beetles species found here.

The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation - S3-E1

Corrected entry: At the end of the episode, Sheldon runs off to Texas. That would be impossible in the short time frame the episode was set in. Especially since they live in Pasadena, California. California is 18 hours away by car from Texas. It has also been stated previously that Sheldon dislikes cars and airplanes a lot.

Correction: Just because he dislikes planes, doesn't mean that he will never go on one, as proven by him traveling by plane to Texas with Howard.

Greg Dwyer

Yes! Also on Young Sheldon, when he goes to Pasadena with his dad to visit CalTech, when he visits Amy in New Jersey, and when he goes with Howard to the Space Station in Houston. And lastly, Sweden.

Correction: The answer Leonard gives to Penny is actually a correct scientific statement, and it doesn't indicate that he's clueless. He says "kinda like carbon atoms for a benzene ring, proximity and valence electrons". This is a correct statement. Carbon atoms are small and have 4 valence electrons, i.e., they can form 4 bonds. Due to catenation, carbon atoms have a very strong tendency to bond with other carbon atoms. Similarly, Leonard's statement suggests that they worked at the same place (hence proximity) and they were all seeking friends (valence electrons). Hence they became friends.

Ashish_Agrawal

Thanks for the correction.

bcrd500

The Bakersfield Expedition - S6-E13

Corrected entry: At the end of the episode Sheldon's sat nav voice asks "Can you name the four state capitals that are not served by the interstate system?" In fact, there are five, according to the Interstate System's website. Juneau, Alaska; Dover, Delaware; Jefferson City, Missouri; Carson City, Nevada; and Pierre, South Dakota.

Captain Defenestrator

Correction: Although there used to be 5 state capitals not served by the interstate system, the completion of I-580 means that Carson City is now served, hence there are only four, and the sat nav was correct. 580 was completed in 2012, the episode in question aired in 2013.

Shua320

What about Hawaii?

Honolulu, HI has an Interstate Highway. Not all Interstate Highways physically go from one state to another, the name just indicates it receives federal funding as part of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways initially set up through the Federal Aid Highway Act.

Bishop73

Honolulu Hawaii is served by H1, H2 and H3, all part of the U.S. Interstate system.

The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary - S3-E5

Corrected entry: Wil Wheaton tells Sheldon that he missed the convention because his grandmother died. When Wheaton later refers to a living grandmother, Sheldon realizes he has been tricked. He shouldn't - presumably Wheaton, like everyone else, has two grandmothers (mother's and father's side) and thus Wheaton announcing he has a living grandmother in no way contradicts what he said before. This alone shouldn't tip Sheldon off that Wheaton was lying.

Moose

Correction: In context of how the scenes played out, it is directly implied (and very obvious) that Wheaton is talking about the same grandmother.

XIII

The Excelsior Acquisition - S3-E16

Corrected entry: Penny got a red light camera ticket while Sheldon was driving her car. She says she gave up Sheldon as the driver to the court because she didn't want to get any more points on her license. You don't get points on your license for a camera issued violation. The registered owner just gets a straight fine. A police officer has to issue a ticket at the scene to get license points.

terry s

Correction: Penny is not a legal expert. She might not be aware of this technicality and is still afraid of gaining points.

Captain Defenestrator

Correction: It's not a stupidity. It's entirely within the personalities of the two friends that Sheldon wouldn't accept change and give up something that is rightly his and for Howard to gloat over that he's a bigger deal than Sheldon now and refuse to give up something given for his new celebrity.

LorgSkyegon

Correction: Sheldon didn't even have a car. Heck, he didn't even have a license. Well, except for a later episode where he secretly had a license that he never used.

terry s

This point is made several times in the episode. The fact that Sheldon does not have a car but still agues forcibly for his right to the parking space serves to reinforce the recurring theme of the show, that Sheldon is unbearably eccentric and opinionated but still manages to engage with his social group.

Correction: When bringing her to lunch with the other guys, Sheldon specifically says "You may remember Dr. Nowitski" and they reply. They obviously do remember meeting her.

LorgSkyegon

Correction: As the other correction states he introduces her by saying you may remember. Sheldon is also very literal and skeptical of Penny's memory, having had to explain most things for a decade.

Ssiscool

Correction: No, he's right - 2cm x 2cm (for example) would be 4 sq cm. 2m x 2m (200cm x 200cm) would be 40,000 sq cm - off by a factor of 10,000.

Correction: Sheldon actually says "I suppose she will have to have access to our progeny".

THGhost

Correction: The chain isn't what's important. It's the ring. The chain is not part of the prop.

Knever

The Friendship Algorithm - S2-E13

Corrected entry: When Sheldon and Barry are rock climbing, Sheldon looks down and shouts in fear. When Barry asks "You all right there Cooper?", Sheldon answers "I feel somewhat like an inverse tangent function approaching an asymptote." An inverse tangent function approaches its asymptote in the horizontal axis, not the vertical. (00:15:55)

Correction: The vanity card at the end explains the joke. "A linear asymptote is essentially a straight line to which a graphed curve moves closer and closer but does not reach. In other words, given a function y=fn (x) with asymptote A, A represents a number that, no matter how big (or, given the function, small) you make x, y will never make it to A. The particular example Sheldon quotes is the inverse Tangent function, or Arctangent, which has two asymptotes. If you graph it, it sort of looks like a horizontal S. No matter how big you make x (that is, how far you move to the right [that is horizontally]), the function is never going to hit that top line (π/2), and no matter how small x gets (moving to the left), y is never going to be smaller than - π/2" Sheldon is saying he will never reach the top.

Bishop73

Correction: That's Raj wearing a blue jacket getting condiments.

Greg Dwyer

The Pork Chop Indeterminacy - S1-E15

Corrected entry: Sheldon asks Missy why she doesn't tell her friends that he is a toll taker on The Golden Gate Bridge. There are no toll takers on the Golden Gate Bridge. Tolls are paid by credit or debit card, a prepaid account or by invoice to the registered car owner's address. There is no way Sheldon would not know this.

Correction: S1-E15 aired in May, 2008, but the Golden Gate Bridge didn't switch to all-electronic toll collection until March 2013, and the decision to convert to electronic toll collection wasn't made until January, 2011.

Correction: Sheldon was just suggesting that being a toll taker or something of that profession is as ridiculous as her telling everyone he was a "rocket scientist." Even if the statement was indeed true it doesn't affect my point.

Correction: Howard tells Sheldon to have a nice walk and Sheldon replies "I shall", not "Bye Shel".

THGhost

Show generally

Corrected entry: Bernadette says the thing she loves most about Howard is his chest hair to which the other girls say "he has a hairy chest?" and she replies "Nope, just one" but a few episodes later they are in bed and Howard has a full chest of hair.

The_Iceman

Correction: She's just making a joke.

THGhost

The Misinterpretation Agitation - S8-E7

Corrected entry: When the guys are locked in the basement, the door hinges are on their side. You would think a theoretical physicist, experimental physicist, astrophysicist, and NASA engineer could together figure out to simply take the pins out of the hinges.

Correction: It's not that they couldn't do it. It's that they're in a room full of stuff they find awesome. They're having too much fun to try that hard. They don't care if they get out.

Greg Dwyer

The Countdown Reflection - S5-E24

Factual error: There is not a snowball's chance of Howard becoming an astronaut. He suffers from cardiac arrhythmia, something about which he is completely open. "Transient" or not this is easily detectable by a simple electrocardiogram, which is a fundamental part of the many medical examinations a potential astronaut will have to pass. He wouldn't even be allowed to start basic training. Note also that during his basic training he shows signs of severe stress and trauma which would inevitably trigger a cardiac episode. Even if it didn't the fact that he was falling apart at the seams would have him removed from the programme for his own good.

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The Extract Obliteration - S6-E6

Stephen Hawking: Do you like brain teasers?
Sheldon Cooper: Oh, I love brain teasers.
Stephen Hawking: What do Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common? They both suck. Neener, neener.

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The Euclid Alternative - S2-E5

Question: Though it comes up in other episodes as well, this one is focused on Sheldon needing a ride everywhere he goes because he can't drive, not to mention his not being welcome on the bus. Of course, this story element would be nonexistent if there was a simple answer, but it does beg the question: Does Pasadena not have taxicabs?

MFWills

Chosen answer: It does. The variable cleanliness of the cab and the habit of taxi drivers to engage customers in small talk would be too much for Sheldon to handle, and not an option for him.

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: Sheldon DID finally use a taxi when going to the airport to see and propose to Amy in New Jersey.

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