{"id":28670,"date":"2023-06-15T18:34:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T16:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=145851"},"modified":"2023-06-15T18:38:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-15T16:38:28","slug":"heres-the-worlds-ultimate-swearword-according-to-maths","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/heres-the-worlds-ultimate-swearword-according-to-maths\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s the world\u2019s ultimate swearword, according to maths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reaching for a new swearword to use in frustrating situations? This mathematician\u2019s code may hold the answer. <\/p>

By Noa Leach\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 15 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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In a real watershed moment for mathematics, one researcher has developed a formula she claims has created the world\u2019s best swear word.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

MSc student Sophie Maclean<\/a>, who is due to begin her PhD in number theory later this year at King\u2019s College London, wrote a code which can read an existing list of swearwords and analyse their qualities to create a new one.<\/p>\n

So what curse did the code spit out? According to maths, the ultimate swearword is \u2018banger\u2019 \u2013 or \u2018ber\u2019 for short.<\/p>\n

The answer may be a little disappointing for those expecting something courser. \u201cI think neither is as satisfying as a \u2018f*ck\u2019 when you\u2019ve stubbed your toe, or a \u2018sh*t\u2019 when you realise you\u2019ve forgotten your parent\u2019s birthday. But both feel like they could be quite good insults for people,\u201d said Maclean.<\/p>\n

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To determine the swears, Maclean used a Markov chain: a mathematical model that predicts the probability of a sequence based on previous inputs. In this case, the Markov chain assessed the likelihood of each letter following the one before it \u2013 a bit like predictive texting.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Markov chain was given a sanitised list of swearwords pulled from Ofcom\u2019s guide to using offensive language on TV and radio<\/a>, which is based on surveys of public attitudes to certain words and phrases. Maclean cleaned up the list to remove what she deemed to be highly offensive swearwords, using only 45 of the 186 English words listed in the guide.<\/p>\n

In the guide, these words are ranked by several offence levels:<\/p>\n