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Nerd Sniping

What Does Nerd Sniping Mean?

Nerd sniping is a slang term that describes a particularly interesting problem that is presented to a nerd, often a physicist, tech geek or mathematician. The nerd stops all activity to devote attention to solving the problem, often at his or her own peril.

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Techopedia Explains Nerd Sniping

The term was coined in the xkcd comic strip. In the comic, a complex physics problem is shown to a physicist crossing the road. He becomes so wrapped up in the problem that he is run over by a truck. Although the term jokes about killing nerds, and this aspect of the comic is how the term gets its name, nerd sniping is commonly used to refer to a problem designed to stump, rather than kill, a person.

xkcd comic about nerd sniping

Source: xkcd.com

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