Brainiacs Club: Most Obscure Futurama References Explained

In anticipation of Bender's Big Score (aka new Futurama) making
its television debut this weekend (Sunday 8pm/7c) isn't it time you brush up on
the hardest of the hard-core math references from the series?

Sure, it's common knowledge that head writer David X. Cohen holds
a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University and a master's degree in
computer science from UC Berkeley. But did you know that staff writer Ken
Keeler has a PhD in applied math, also from Harvard? You did? Nerd.

If you're not one of the legions of Futurama enthusiasts
with dual degrees in physics and engineering, you owe it to yourself to check
out Dr. Sarah J. Greenwald's Futurama Math page, which collects and explains
every math reference in academic detail.

 For example, ever wonder why Bender's serial number is 1729?
Here's the quick and dirty:

 "The number 1729 is sometimes referred to as the
"Ramanujan-Hardy" number. One day (Godfrey Harold) Hardy took a cab
to visit (Srinivāsa) Ramanujan
and commented that his taxicab number, 1729, was dull. Ramanujan quickly
replied that 1729 was in fact a very interesting number since it is the
smallest number that can be written as the sum of two cubes in two different
ways, as 9^3 + 10^3 and 1^3 + 12^3."

Hey, to some of us, that reference is HILARIOUS. Bite my
shiny metal, meatbag.