MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL
TUNE INTO CBS TONIGHT TO SAY
GOOD-BYE TO THE BIG BANG THEORY
THAT.
SHOW IS ABOUT A GROUP OF QUIRKY
SCIENTISTS AND IT HAS A HUGE
FOLLOWING.
BUT DO PEOPLE LIKE THE BIG
BANG CHARACTERS ACTUALLY EXIST
IN PITTSBURGH?
DAVID HIGHFIELD WENT TO FIND
OUT.
I'M SORRY DO,, DO YOU SPEAK
ENGLISH?
HE SPEAKS ENGLISH.
HE JUST CAN'T SPEAK TO WOMAN.
Reporter: AFTER 279
EPISODES AND 12 SEASONS, THE
BIG BANG IS COMING TO AN END
AIRING TONIGHT ON KDKA AT 8:00
AND PEOPLE HAVE COME TO LOVE
THE CHARACTERS, BUT WE WONDERED
IS THERE A REAL LIFE SHELDON
COOPER, MAYBE RIGHT HERE IN
PITTSBURGH?
WELL, OUR SEARCH BROUGHT US
HERE TO THE CARNEGIE MELLON
UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
HERE WE'RE TRYING TO PROVE
FACTORIZATION.
Reporter: MEET PROFESSOR
IRA ROTHSTEEN WHO MUCH LIKE THE
FICTIONAL SHELDON COOPER IS A
THEORETICAL PHYSICIST
RESEARCHING QUANTUM MECHANICS
AND STRING THEORY.
SO IS IRA LIKE SHELDON?
I'M HAPPILY MARRIED AND HAVE
FOUR CHILDREN.
I DON'T HAVE THE SOCIAL
PROBLEMS THAT HE HAS APPARENTLY
ON THE SHOW, BUT SCIENCEWISE I
WOULD SAY YEAH.
Reporter: BUT THE TRUTH IS
YOU ACTUALLY NEVER HAVE SEEN
THE SHOW?
I'VE SEEN CLIPS OF IT
BECAUSE PEOPLE ALWAYS SEND ME
CLIPS HEY, LOOK AT THIS OR DID
THEY GET THIS RIGHT?
Reporter: SCIENTIFICALLY HE
SAID THEY GET A LOT RIGHT ON
THE SHOW.
IN FACT, THEY EVEN PUT SOME OF
IRA'S WORK IN ONE EPISODE.
IN THE BACKGROUND IF YOU
BLOW IT UP, IT'S SOME FORMULAS
FROM A PAPER WE HAD PUBLISHED.
Reporter: SO IF HE'S
SHELDON, WHO ARE YOU?
LEONARD.
Reporter: MEET FELLOW
PROFESSOR STEVE GEROTH, A BIG
FAN OF BIG BANG AND AS FOR THE
LEONARD COMPARISON --
YOU SHOULD ASK MY WIFE.
I THINK I'M A LITTLE SCARILY
CLOSE TO LEONARD.
THIS SWEATER IS 15 YEARS OLD
AND I STILL WEAR IT EVERY DAY.
Reporter: THEY BOTH THINK
BIG BANG HELPED MAKE LOVING
SCIENCE MORE ACCEPTED AND FOR
THAT THEY'RE THANKFUL AND SAD
TO SEE IT GO.
I THINK IT BROUGHT IT INTO
THE MAINSTREAM.
I THINK IT'S GREAT.
ANYTHING THAT GETS THE PUBLIC
INTEREST IN SCIENCE I THINK IS
GREAT AND I THINK THIS SHOW
DEFINITELY DID IT.
Reporter: DAVID HIGHFIELD,
KDKA NEWS.
THE ONE HOUR SERIES FINALE
