Unlike Sheldon, Leonard, and Amy, Penny’s intelligence in The Big Bang Theory often gets overlooked following her lack of formal education in physics and mathematics. While Jim Parsons’ Sheldon is more academically well-versed and has a higher IQ than that of Kaley Cuoco’s Penny, this isn’t to say the latter can’t outsmart the former.
Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco | Credit: The Big Bang Theory (via CBS)
Although Penny might not be book smart like Sheldon, who ends up nabbing the Novel prize, there have been a more than few cases in which the former outplayed the scientist, thanks to her problem-solving abilities.
Kaley Cuoco’s Penny Has Proven To Be More Street-smart Than Sheldon
Even though Sheldon is arguably the smartest among the bunch when it comes to theoretical knowledge, he isn’t exactly street-smart. On the flip side, despite just having a modest education, on several occasions, Penny has showcased impressive problem-solving skills, one example being her chess win against Leonard.
Episode 13 of season 11, The Solo Oscillation, once again puts Penny’s out-of-the-box thinking to the forefront, as before Sheldon could come up with a solution, the former figures out that strings must be able to make knots. In The Prestidigitation Approximation, while Sheldon struggles to figure out the secret behind Howard’s card trick and keeps on asking “How’d you do it?”, it doesn’t take Cuoco’s character to see right through it.
The Prestidigitation Approximation | Credit: The Big Bang Theory (via CBS)
While there are several more examples of Penny outsmarting Sheldon streetwise, The Prestidigitation Approximation perfectly demonstrates the duo’s approaches to problems. Unlike Penny, Sheldon often limited himself to his book knowledge, while the former’s creative thinking gives her the edge over the Nobel prize winner in practical situations.
Jim Parsons Doesn’t Come Close to the Genius of Sheldon
Jim Parsons in The Big Bang Theory | Credit: The Big Bang Theory (via CBS)
Like Kaley Cuoco‘s Penny, Jim Parsons himself isn’t much book smart as the actor’s TBBT counterpart. Although the Home star clarified that he isn’t stupid, he doesn’t come close to the geniuses of Sheldon Cooper.
Although some fans speculated that the actor would’ve learned a thing or two after playing Sheldon for so long, per Cuoco, this wasn’t the case, as she clarified none of them acquired any knowledge of science.
No… I would like to pretend I could, and the guys on the show like to say they’ve learned things… they haven’t learned anything. It is all bs. I mean we have real people there who have actual real brains who write all of that stuff. We, not so much. We just say what’s on the page and do the best we can to get through.
On top of that, Parsons also doesn’t share Sheldon’s passion for pop culture, as he confessed to having not watched Star Trek and Doctor Who, two IPs that his TBBT counterpart absolutely adores.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
