The Friendship Algorithm

The Big Bang Theory"The Friendship Algorithm"
Season 2
Number 13
Episode information
Directed by	Mark Cendrowski
Original air date	January 19, 2009
The Big Bang Theory Episodes
Previous	"The Killer Robot Instability"
Next	"The Financial Permeability"

"The Friendship Algorithm" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory. This episode first aired on Monday, January 19, 2009.

In this episode, Sheldon wants access to a university computer which Kripke controls, so Sheldon decides to become friends with his adversary and even invents an algorithm for making friends.

Plot

At the Caltech cafeteria, Sheldon is going on and on about how deadly tapioca pudding is. Howard interrupts him until Sheldon is about to explodes and they let him finish in a burst of unwanted factoids. Barry Kripke comes over to "congwatuwate Weonard" on anti-proton decay experiment, which had 20,000 data runs without any statistically significant results. Sheldon needs time on the open science grid computer, which Barry Kripke controls, and let his friends have plenty of time on it. Sheldon decides that he should become his friend.

Back at home, Leonard is working on Penny’s computer so that Howard's emails go right into the spam folder. Sheldon is calling Kripke to again try and be friends after many unanswered phone calls. Leonard is his friend because there was a flyer on the bulletin board at the university: "roommate wanted: whistlers need not apply." Leonard demonstrates with a short whistler, which is immediately met with a quick first warning from Sheldon.

Sheldon is undaunted by his quest for figuring out how to make friends so he passes out a questionaire to his friends, 211 questions and an essay. No one takes it seriously. Leonard answered the multiple-choice in a repeating pattern. Howard filled out his essay with a picture of a raccoon with an enlarged scrotum.

Next Sheldon decides to head to a bookstore to find literature on the subject. In the children's section he finds "Stu the Cockatoo is New at the Zoo." He tries to make friends with a little girl who also likes monkeys. He invites her to go with him sometime to see the monkeys, however, Leonard pulls him out before he gets arrested as a pedophile.

Sheldon going over the algorithm whilst on a phone call to Kripke.

Leonard, Raj, and Howard show up with dinner and Sheldon presents his "Friendship Algorithm" based on the Stu the Cockatoo book. Leonard dismisses it, however Howard thinks they should consider in since they might make a fortune selling it at Comic-Con. “Share a meal ----> get a hot beverage----> share time with an interest of Kripke's ----> share a different interest of Kripke's ----> share a different interest of Kripke's ----> share a different interest of Kripke's ----> share a different interest of Kripke's (uh-oh)” Sheldon calls Kripke, but gets stuck in his loop. By Howard adding a loop counter and a direct line to the "Least Objectionable Activity," Sheldon accepts rock climbing. Not bad for a man with only a masters in mechanical engineering.

Sheldon, after he passed out and left hanging like a giant bird.

Sheldon learns about rock climbing over the Internet and has no fear of climbing. He does have fear of falling. He freezes and can’t go up or down so he faints still hanging from his safety line like a giant salami.

Back at the apartment returning from their rock-climbing adventure, they offer Kripke some Chinese food. He needs some dental floss first. Since he can’t deal with any more friends, Sheldon cuts Raj loose even though Penny is not a scientist. Kripke notices that Penny is hot, but changes her name to Roxane. Howard whispers that he is starting to look good no, isn’t he? Sheldon pushes past to discuss getting time in the Open Science Grid Computer, however since as the official schedule is out of his control, Kripke can’t help him even if they are friends. Sheldon who is annoyed at this, allows Raj to be back in his friendship circle since he likes monkeys.

Leonard, Howard, and Raj comment about Sheldon's rock-climbing efforts before the camera reveals that he passed out again.

Trivia

• Title Reference: The algorithm created by Sheldon that he uses to make friends with Kripke.
• When Leonard drags Sheldon out of the bookstore, he still has a copy of "Stu the Cockatoo is New at the Zoo" in his hand. It is unknown whether he went back and paid for it or not.
• Sheldon innocently tries to make a friend; however, Leonard takes him out of the store before someone thinks he is stalking little children. Sheldon was also stopped on checking the Internet for "How do I get 12 years old girls excited" in "The Contractual Obligation Implementation". In "The Hook-up Reverberation" the guys have the idea to chip-in some money to help Stuart to re-open the Comic Book Store, later Raj has the idea to get a van and drive around the neighborhood picking up children.
• The "big-balled raccoon" Howard drew on his Sheldon trivia sheet is a Bake-Danuki.
• The aspect that Sheldon likes monkeys (and also trains) is strongly regarded in this episode as does his future girlfriend Amy though he doesn't complain that everything with her is "monkeys, monkeys, monkeys."
• When Kripke hits on Penny, Howard says to her "Suddenly I'm looking pretty good, huh?", referencing the previous episode, where Penny comments on Howard's interest in her.
• This is the first time that Leonard mentioned that Sheldon does not like whistling (and demonstrates it to show Sheldon's dislike).

Gallery

Sheldon, after he fainted on rock climbing again.

v - e - d

Media The Big Bang Theory • Young Sheldon • Video Characters Main Characters: Leonard Hofstadter • Sheldon Cooper • Penny Hofstadter • Howard Wolowitz • Rajesh Koothrappali • Amy Farrah Fowler • Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz • Stuart Bloom • Emily Sweeney • Leslie Winkle Recurring Characters: Barry Kripke • Wil Wheaton • Althea • Kurt • Eric Gablehauser • Mary Cooper • Debbie Wolowitz • V.M. Koothrappali • Mrs. Koothrappali • Mike • Stephanie Barnett • Beverley Hofstadter • President Siebert • Zack Johnson • Priya Koothrappali • Wyatt • Mike Rostenkowski • Mrs. Rostenkowski • Alex Jensen • Janine Davis • Lucy • Professor Proton • David Gibbs • Claire • Stephen Hawking • Alfred Hofstadter • Colonel Richard Williams • Denise Minor Characters: Christy Vanderbel • Lalita Gupta • Toby Loobenfeld • Dennis Kim • Dimitri • Missy Cooper • Blain • Tom • Octavia • Maria • Lourdes • Ramona Nowitzki • Kathy O'Brian • David Underhill • Alicia • Mikayla • Captain Sweatpants • Lonely Larry • Dr. Crawley • Bethany • Sarah • Skeeter • Professor Laughlin • Abby • Martha • Officer Hackett • Sandy • Glen • Venkatesh Koothrappali • Sebastian • Louie/Louise • Joyce Kim • Mrs. Gunderson • Joy • Mrs. Fowler • Angela Page • Professor Glenn • Mrs. Latham • Todd Zarnecki • Susan • Randall • Colonel Richard Williams Episodes Season 1: Pilot • The Big Bran Hypothesis • The Fuzzy Boots Corollary • The Luminous Fish Effect • The Hamburger Postulate • The Middle-Earth Paradigm • The Dumpling Paradox • The Grasshopper Experiment • The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization • The Loobenfeld Decay • The Pancake Batter Anomaly • The Jerusalem Duality • The Bat Jar Conjecture • The Nerdvana Annihilation • The Porkchop Indeterminacy • The Peanut Reaction • The Tangerine Factor Season 2: The Bad Fish Paradigm • The Codpiece Topology • The Barbarian Sublimation • The Griffin Equivalency • The Euclid Alternative • The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem • The Panty Piñata Polarization • The Lizard-Spock Expansion • The White Asparagus Triangulation • The Vartabedian Conundrum • The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis • The Killer Robot Instability • The Friendship Algorithm • The Financial Permeability • The Maternal Capacitance • The Cushion Saturation • The Terminator Decoupling • The Work Song Nanocluster • The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition • The Hofstadter Isotope • The Vegas Renormalization • The Classified Materials Turbulence • The Monopolar Expedition Season 3: The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation • The Jiminy Conjecture • The Gothowitz Deviation • The Pirate Solution • The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary • The Cornhusker Vortex • The Guitarist Amplification • The Adhesive Duck Deficiency • The Vengeance Formulation • The Gorilla Experiment • The Maternal Congruence • The Psychic Vortex • The Bozeman Reaction • The Einstein Approximation • The Large Hadron Collision • The Excelsior Acquisition • The Precious Fragmentation • The Pants Alternative • The Wheaton Recurrence • The Spaghetti Catalyst • The Plimpton Stimulation • The Staircase Implementation • The Lunar Excitation Season 4: The Robotic Manipulation • The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification • The Zazzy Substitution • The Hot Troll Deviation • The Desperation Emanation • The Irish Pub Formulation • The Apology Insufficiency • The 21-Second Excitation • The Boyfriend Complexity • The Alien Parasite Hypothesis • The Justice League Recombination • The Bus Pants Utilization • The Love Car Displacement • The Thespian Catalyst • The Benefactor Factor • The Cohabitation Formulation • The Toast Derivation • The Prestidigitation Approximation • The Zarnecki Incursion • The Herb Garden Germination • The Agreement Dissection • The Wildebeest Implementation • The Engagement Reaction • The Roommate Transmogrification Season 5: The Skank Reflex Analysis • The Infestation Hypothesis • The Pulled Groin Extrapolation • The Wiggly Finger Catalyst • The Russian Rocket Reaction • The Rhinitis Revelation • The Good Guy Fluctuation • The Isolation Permutation • The Ornithophobia Diffusion • The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition • The Speckerman Recurrence • The Shiny Trinket Maneuver • The Recombination Hypothesis • The Beta Test Initiation • The Friendship Contraction • The Vacation Solution • The Rothman Disintegration • The Werewolf Transformation • The Weekend Vortex • The Transporter Malfunction • The Hawking Excitation • The Stag Convergence • The Launch Acceleration • The Countdown Reflection Season 6: The Date Night Variable • The Decoupling Fluctuation • The Higgs Boson Observation • The Re-Entry Minimization • The Holographic Excitation • The Extract Obliteration • The Habitation Configuration • The 43 Peculiarity • The Parking Lot Escalation • The Fish Guts Displacement • The Santa Simulation • The Egg Salad Equivalency • The Bakersfield Expedition • The Cooper/Kripke Inversion • The Spoiler Alert Segmentation • The Tangible Affection Proof • The Monster Isolation • The Contractual Obligation Implementation • The Closet Reconfiguration • The Tenure Turbulence • The Closure Alternative • The Proton Resurgence • The Love Spell Potential • The Bon Voyage Reaction Season 7: The Hofstadter Insufficiency • The Deception Verification • The Scavenger Vortex • The Raiders Minimization • The Workplace Proximity • The Romance Resonance • The Proton Displacement • The Itchy Brain Simulation • The Thanksgiving Decoupling • The Discovery Dissipation • The Cooper Extraction • The Hesitation Ramification • The Occupation Recalibration • The Convention Conundrum • The Locomotive Manipulation • The Table Polarization • The Friendship Turbulence • The Mommy Observation • The Indecision Amalgamation • The Relationship Diremption • The Anything Can Happen Recurrence • The Proton Transmogrification • The Gorilla Dissolution • The Status Quo Combustion Season 8: The Locomotion Interruption • The Junior Professor Solution • The First Pitch Insufficiency • The Hook-up Reverberation • The Focus Attenuation • The Expedition Approximation • The Misinterpretation Agitation • The Prom Equivalency • The Septum Deviation • The Champagne Reflection • The Clean Room Infiltration • The Space Probe Disintegration • The Anxiety Optimization • The Troll Manifestation • The Comic Book Store Regeneration • The Intimacy Acceleration • The Colonization Application • The Leftover Thermalization • The Skywalker Incursion • The Fortification Implementation • The Communication Deterioration • The Graduation Transmission • The Maternal Combustion • The Commitment Determination Season 9: The Matrimonial Momentum • The Separation Oscillation • The Bachelor Party Corrosion • The 2003 Approximation • The Perspiration Implementation • The Helium Insufficiency • The Spock Resonance • The Mystery Date Observation • The Platonic Permutation • The Earworm Reverberation • The Opening Night Excitation • The Sales Call Sublimation • The Empathy Optimization • The Meemaw Materialization • The Valentino Submergence • The Positive Negative Reaction • The Celebration Experimentation • The Application Deterioration • The Solder Excursion Diversion • The Big Bear Precipitation • The Viewing Party Combustion • The Fermentation Bifurcation • The Line Substitution Solution • The Convergence-Convergence Season 10: The Conjugal Conjecture • The Military Miniaturization • The Dependence Transcendence • The Cohabitation Experimentation • The Hot Tub Contamination • The Fetal Kick Catalyst • The Veracity Elasticity • The Brain Bowl Incubation • The Geology Elevation • The Property Division Collision • The Birthday Synchronicity • The Holiday Summation • The Romance Recalibration • The Emotion Detection Automation • The Locomotion Reverberation • The Allowance Evaporation • The Comic-Con Conundrum • The Escape Hatch Identification • The Collaboration Fluctuation • The Recollection Dissipation • The Separation Agitation • The Cognition Regeneration • The Gyroscopic Collapse • The Long Distance Dissonance Season 11: The Proposal Proposal • The Retraction Reaction • The Relaxation Integration • The Explosion Implosion • The Collaboration Contamination • The Proton Regeneration • The Geology Methodology • The Tesla Recoil • The Bitcoin Entanglement • The Confidence Erosion • The Celebration Reverberation • The Matrimonial Metric • The Solo Oscillation • The Separation Triangulation • The Novelization Correlation • The Neonatal Nomenclature • The Athenaeum Allocation • The Gates Excitation • The Tenant Disassociation • The Reclusive Potential • The Comet Polarization • The Monetary Insufficiency • The Sibling Realignment • The Bow Tie Asymmetry Season 12: The Conjugal Configuration • The Wedding Gift Wormhole • The Procreation Calculation • The Tam Turbulence • The Planetarium Collision • The Imitation Perturbation • The Grant Allocation Derivation • The Consummation Deviation • The Citation Negation • The VCR Illumination • The Paintball Scattering • The Propagation Proposition • The Confirmation Polarization • The Meteorite Manifestation • The Donation Oscillation • The D & D Vortex • The Conference Valuation • The Laureate Accumulation • The Inspiration Deprivation • The Decision Reverberation • The Plagiarism Schism • The Maternal Conclusion • The Change Constant • The Stockholm Syndrome Locations The Apartment Building • Apartment 4A • Apartment 4B • The Elevator • California Institute of Technology • Wolowitz House • The Comic Center of Pasadena • Pasadena • The Cheesecake Factory • Raj's Apartment • Amy's Apartment • Howard and Bernadette's Apartment • The Stairs • Sheldon's Old Office • Raj's Old Office • Sheldon's New Office • Howard's Lab • The University Cafeteria • Kripke's Plasma Lab • International Space Station • The Kinetics Lab Songs Transportations See Also Unaired Pilot