@Knixon said:

I like that too, but Sheldon is basically incapable of learning from it. Any times it seems like he has, it's just long enough for some other (funny?) thing to happen, and right after that he's back to Season One behavior again.

That's the main reason I do not watch it live (although I did watch the season opener), Sheldon's behavior makes me angry, and I can't see watching a show that makes me angry. I watch the reruns on a local channel and mute it when Sheldon is the focus.

@Knixon said:

So his greatest achievement was a mistake, and not really an achievement since it wasn't true. How does that count? An accidental achievement would be an accident that actually succeeds in something, which his mistake did not. He had an accidental failure.

Wrong. The element was STILL discovered , and his research partially responsible. His mistake was using the wrong reaction rates because he used the wrong units in calculation.

How could the discovery of an element be a "failure" in any way shape or form? Did you actually watch the episode?

@Knixon said:

What was Sheldon's greatest scientific achievement by accident? All I can think of is the "new element" which turned out to be false, so not really an achievement.

I don't think you actually watched the episode which doesn't surprise me. Nothing turned out "false" , he simply used the wrong calculations and got lucky.

@Knixon said:

So his greatest achievement was a mistake, and not really an achievement since it wasn't true. How does that count? An accidental achievement would be an accident that actually succeeds in something, which his mistake did not. He had an accidental failure.

His mistake still led to an element being discovered. Hard to call that a failure.

The point of that episode wasn't that he screwed up, it's that he can't accept luck as a reason for success because he thinks luck is beneath him.

Amy even confirmed the Chinese team found the element, and unsuccessfully tried to console him since Biologists experience accidental discoveries all the time. Sheldon of course rebukes any comparisons to Biologists.

You guys all missed at least one episode. His "discovery" was disproven even by Leonard. The Chinese were faking it.

Season 7 Episode 10 – The Discovery Dissipation

I know how much it will pain you to admit it, but I am right.

Leonard: Hey, you’re in a good mood.

Sheldon: I’m in a great mood.

Leonard: Well, you’re about to be in an even better one. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure, but, I’ve been re-running the tests on your element in my lab and I disproved it. Your element does not exist.

Sheldon: Yeah, but what about the Chinese research team? They found it.

Leonard: Yeah, it turns out someone added simulated signals to the data files. They faked the results.

Sheldon: Really?

Leonard: Yes. Do you know what that means? That means all of this attention that you hate goes away.

I didn't see that episode. You got this one Knixon!

@ArcticFox12 said:

I didn't see that episode. You got this one Knixon!

Me either. I stand corrected!

@Lemons said:

A few ponderings. Feel free to answer any or all.

You're too kind.

I don't think Sheldons all that smart.

He admitted that Kripke is smarter.

He admitted that he couldn't figure out a solution to that military project.

He didn't know that soup could be delivered.

I'm sure there are others but I've been into the Romulan ale.

The thing is that Sheldon has an eidetic memory and a Texas sized ego. He gives the appearance of being smart. He has a high I.Q. but that only shows what you know and the eidetic memory covers that.

Personally, I would love to see Leonard get the prize, maybe with Kripke.

@Tim-Buktu said:

@Lemons said:

A few ponderings. Feel free to answer any or all.

You're too kind.

I don't think Sheldons all that smart.

He admitted that Kripke is smarter.

Kripke was making more progress in his area than Sheldon was in his own line of research, which Sheldon took personally but it's not really the same thing as being "smarter." That was before Sheldon decided that string theory was a dead end and switched to dark matter.

He admitted that he couldn't figure out a solution to that military project.

At first he said he couldn't, but he did solve the problem apparently in less than a year when they told Col Williams it would take 2 years - and even found a way to go farther - which is how the project first succeeded and then was taken over by the military.

He didn't know that soup could be delivered.

Probably true, although he blamed it on being feverishly ill.

I'm sure there are others but I've been into the Romulan ale.

The thing is that Sheldon has an eidetic memory and a Texas sized ego. He gives the appearance of being smart. He has a high I.Q. but that only shows what you know and the eidetic memory covers that.

Personally, I would love to see Leonard get the prize, maybe with Kripke.

Kripke would be good, but it would probably be more crushing to his ego if Amy got it. And then, unlike what Sheldon would do, DOESN'T lord it over him forever.

@Tim-Buktu said:

@Lemons said:

A few ponderings. Feel free to answer any or all.

You're too kind.

I don't think Sheldons all that smart.

He admitted that Kripke is smarter.

He admitted that he couldn't figure out a solution to that military project.

He didn't know that soup could be delivered.

I'm sure there are others but I've been into the Romulan ale.

The thing is that Sheldon has an eidetic memory and a Texas sized ego. He gives the appearance of being smart. He has a high I.Q. but that only shows what you know and the eidetic memory covers that.

Personally, I would love to see Leonard get the prize, maybe with Kripke.

But Tim! I wanted Sheldon to be very, very, VERY smart! That is the information which I was presented in the early seasons. That was one of the things that made him so unique. (Hands on hips, foot out at an angle in front of me, chin jutted out.) Oh well, I guess he's still kind of unique anyway. He's quirky, that's for sure. I guess I'll just have to relish in his quirkiness.

@Lemons said:

@Tim-Buktu said:

@Lemons said:

A few ponderings. Feel free to answer any or all.

You're too kind.

I don't think Sheldons all that smart.

He admitted that Kripke is smarter.

He admitted that he couldn't figure out a solution to that military project.

He didn't know that soup could be delivered.

I'm sure there are others but I've been into the Romulan ale.

The thing is that Sheldon has an eidetic memory and a Texas sized ego. He gives the appearance of being smart. He has a high I.Q. but that only shows what you know and the eidetic memory covers that.

Personally, I would love to see Leonard get the prize, maybe with Kripke.

But Tim! I wanted Sheldon to be very, very, VERY smart! That is the information which I was presented in the early seasons. That was one of the things that made him so unique. (Hands on hips, foot out at an angle in front of me, chin jutted out.) Oh well, I guess he's still kind of unique anyway. He's quirky, that's for sure. I guess I'll just have to relish in his quirkiness.

I will grant you that he is a unique quirk, but he is not all that smart. And stop standing like that......it causes unrest.

You mean, it's people like her what cause unrest?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnq96W9jtuw

`(Hands on hips, foot out at an angle in front of me, chin jutted out.) `

Standing like that? Heck Yes! And even in a Lempunzel outfit? Even more so.