Self-graphing equations
General Mathematics
2025-04-02 v1
Abstract
Can you find an xy-equation that, when graphed, writes itself on the plane? This idea became internet-famous when a Wikipedia article on Tupper's self-referential formula went viral in 2012. Under scrutiny, the question has two flaws: it is meaningless (it depends on typography) and it is trivial (for reasons we will explain). We fix these flaws by formalizing the problem, and we give a very general solution using techniques from computability theory.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2504.00006,
title = {Self-graphing equations},
author = {Samuel Allen Alexander},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.00006},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
7 pages, accepted for publication in the Proceedings of the ACMS