5 Times Big Bang Theory Was Scientifically Accurate & 5 Times It Made Scientists Cringe

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the ways this show was spot on in its scientific accuracy—and the ways it missed the mark entirely. Spoilers to come!

#5: Accurate: Archimedes’ Eureka Moment

At least Sheldon has his science history down pat. In this Season 4 episode, he invites new friends to the apartment, regaling them with the tale of Archimedes and the golden wreath. According to legend, the king of Syracuse wanted to know if the golden wreath he had commissioned was made of pure gold and not cheaper metals, turning to Archimedes for advice. Archimedes, realizing the water in his bathtub rose the more he sank down, weighed the wreath with both gold and silver, thus proving the wreath was mixed with silver. This is in fact an existing legend, and Sheldon’s recounting of it is spot on. Too bad his friends failed to appreciate it.

#5: Cringe: Sheldon & the Mystery of the Glass

But of course, Sheldon makes mistakes as well, even small ones. In this Season 6 episode, Sheldon calls everyone to attention by striking a glass, remarking that the bell-like sound is a B-flat. It’s actually a B. Of course, the actual note the glass can produce varies based on the liquid, the material, and the position of the strike. Sheldon loves to correct people and spout science trivia, so it’s satisfying to see that even he gets little things wrong. A person can be a genius in many fields, but not in all of them.

#4: Accurate: Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Snubbing of Pluto

Remember when Pluto was a planet…and when it wasn’t a planet? The controversy over Pluto’s classification is still undergoing, especially since the IAU demoted it to dwarf planet status in 2006. Sheldon, it turns out, is pro-planet-Pluto, and when he meets guest star Neil DeGrasse Tyson, he makes his position perfectly clear. What makes this hilarious is the fact that Tyson, as director of the Hayden Planetarium, did go against referring to Pluto as the ninth planet. Pluto lovers everywhere were in arms, with Tyson even getting hate mail. And Sheldon, it seems, was another disappointed fan.

#4: Cringe: Howard Becoming an Astronaut

In Season 5, Howard Wolowitz realizes his dream of becoming an astronaut. Howard is an engineer who designs components for satellites and space probes, including space toilets and telescopes. In installing a deep space telescope, Howard is invited by the NASA Johnson Space Center to become an astronaut. Is this a plausible turn of events? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Howard is not only allergic to peanuts, almonds, and nuts, but has asthma and idiopathic arrhythmia. These health conditions would have prevented him from being able to go to space. Sorry, Howard.

#3: Accurate: Schrödinger’s Cat

We can thank “Big Bang Theory” for this nifty, pop culture-friendly explanation of this famous thought experiment. While giving Penny and Leonard some relationship advice, Sheldon brings up physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s critique on the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. In his conundrum, the cat is placed in a sealed box with a vial of poison that may or may not be broken. Unless someone opens the box to know for sure, the cat can be said to be both alive and dead. Sheldon’s explanation is completely accurate, and his use of it as a metaphor for Penny and Leonard’s up-in-the-air relationship is surprisingly insightful.

#3: Cringe: Barry Kripke’s Helium Prank

When Sheldon appears on a radio show, his rival Kripke strikes when he pumps helium into the room as a prank. This makes Sheldon’s already high tenor positively squeaky. So far, so factual. The problem is that the amount of helium required for that effect to happen would have killed off Sheldon for good. Helium is a simple asphyxiant and thus would have displaced the amount of oxygen in the room. This would lead to Sheldon suffocating and Kripke getting arrested. Fortunately, death by helium is rare, making this prank largely harmless to show on TV.

#2: Accurate: Galileo & the Pope’s “Little Misunderstanding”

This show knows its science history. In this Season 1 episode, Sheldon and Leonard are fighting. When Penny tries to pry, Sheldon retorts with this zinger. This is a reference to astronomer Galileo Galilei’s assertion that the Earth revolves around the sun, to the displeasure of the Catholic Church at the time. Accused of heresy, Galileo was placed under house arrest in 1633, passing away in 1642. The only difference was Pope Urban VIII had been Galileo’s patron before turning against him. This, however, makes Sheldon’s reference even more apropos, considering he and Leonard’s friendship.

#2: Cringe: The Theory of Super Asymmetry

Let’s talk about Sheldon’s and Amy’s theory of Super Asymmetry. There is, in fact, no such thing. There is only supersymmetry, which is part of the current theory of subatomic matter. There are actually 10,000 scientific papers on the theory. So even if the supersymmetry project does come to fruition, it would probably nominate more than two scientists. It’s an understandable fictionalization, though, that is indeed close to the actual theory. Also, if the writer’s team came up with a plausible and even viable scientific theory for the show, they would probably deserve a Nobel Prize all to itself.

#1: Accurate: Those Whiteboard Equations

You would think that a TV sitcom would just show any mumbo-jumbo scientific equation on a whiteboard. But “Big Bang Theory” took it a step further, consulting with Dr. David Saltzberg, a physics professor at UCLA. Not only did he come up with new equations for every episode, but he also looked over the show’s scripts. The writers would leave brackets in the scripts for Saltzberg to include scientific references where most fitting. As a result, you get genuine math and scientific equations on the show. It was Saltzberg, in fact, who contributed the Galileo and the Pope joke. The merging of science with comedy has never been so harmonious.

#1: Cringe: The Nobel Prize Process

Of course, the show takes liberties with the reality of science as well. In Season 12, Sheldon and Amy are in the running to win none other than the Nobel Prize for their work on their theory of Super Asymmetry. The problem is that Sheldon and Amy’s paper is too recent to be considered for the prize; it would have to be reviewed first, which takes time. And of course, hundreds of scientists would realistically be working on proving the theory, not just two guys from Fermilab. Also, the Swedish Academy of Sciences, distinguished professors, and previous Nobel laureates are usually the ones to nominate candidates for the prize. While a Fermilab director may be on the list, the President of Caltech is less likely.

What other ‘Big Bang Theory” science tidbit was spot-on—or just made you cringe? Let us know in the comments down below!