Chinese university canteen forces students to solve maths puzzle to use the Wi-fi ‘because we’re all geeks, right?’
Student canteen says it wanted to share a mathematical in-joke with its aeronautics students by testing their calculus skills
An elite Chinese aeronautical university is forcing students who want to use the Wi-fi in the canteen to solve a fiendishly difficult maths equation first, according to the local broadcaster.
Students dining at the Xinyuan Ethnic Restaurant in Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics had to solve a complex calculus equation and use the answer as the password.
The university confirmed in an official Weibo post on Thursday that it had put up the sign in its canteen and shared one social media user’s calculation of the solution – which turned out to be the first digits of Pi.
The post continued: “Don’t ask us why we did it when we can fly.”
The university, nicknamed “Nanhang” in Chinese, mainly offers courses in science and engineering. It specialises in aeronautics, space flight and civil aviation.
Another poster in the school’s catering services centre reminded students: “All of us at Nanhang ought to be geeks, right? If you can’t solve a calculus equation then go and study, don’t use our Wi-fi.”