Who is the smartest Scientific character? Sam, McKay, or Jonas?

[Nolamom]

I miss Felger :-)

And Coombs...don't forget Coombs!

Truly, Sam seems to be the "smartest" in the various ways it has been defined. The "alternate time-line" Rodney bothered me very much - arrogant without the endearing qualities. Jonas is very smart as well, but basically is it just a case of photographic memory with lots of film? I don't know - to me, "smart" particularly in a scientific sense, means the ability to use knowledge to solve problems and create new things.

[Osiris-RA]

I'd have to pick either Sam or Daniel.

Sam: Sam is able to think out of the box and though sometimes unfortunately grounded by her roots in science, she is able to work at something, and she won't give up until whatever problem is solved. I'd put her a bit in the same category as Scully except she is way more open minded.

Daneil: Daniel has a lot of a religious soul in him. He's enigamatically focused on whatever he's currently focused on, he makes sacrifices, even at the sake of losing something that could prove to be the next breakthrough (like with that ancient map doohickey that he went nuts over with all the DNA) I like him because he's more religious than most scientists that you see on TV, and he tries. Also he did open the StarGate.

[lord-anubis]

i think makay is right now but only beacsue he is in atlantis and leraning things about ancient tech but once sam goes to atlantis her and macky well be equal again.

[greytop]

I would have to say it is a toss up between Sam and McKay. Sam has the knowledge and expireince of the stargate. McKay mostly has the book learning but he is now finding out what Sam has been through in expirence, IMO.

[Osiris-RA]

IMO, Mckay is too impulsive. Impulsivness (and arrogance) isn't really a shining example of a scientist - but he probably is the best example of actual scientists in the real world.

[Spimman]

Jonas would have the highest IQ by far and potential, with more experience and if he would have stayed on in a society with higher technology hewould be the smartest...by far. He understands science(like Sam) and History/Language(like Daniel).

McCay may have a higher IQ than Sam, but she is smarter than he is.

[Osiris-RA]

Mckay has a higher IQ than Sam? What alternate reality did his IQ takers come from? Definite, Sam's smarter. *spoke the biased one *

[DavidNetk]

Sam. No questions.
Not debatable.

[Freyrs]

If we go by how many times they've saved the world with ideas. Sam definetly.

[Ancient 1]

McKay: Book-smart, analytical thinker; lacks imagination
Jonas: Much like McKay, but with more porential from being around Sam
Sam: Smart enough to know when to throw out the book; great theorist.

[Cymro]

From the list, I'd vote for McKay, since he hasn't had the time to develop his smarts in the situations Carter has, and Jonas just had photographic memory, and the advantage of not being familiar with what's going on, for instance, in Redemption, Jonas's lack of knowledge about the base gave Carter an idea she wouldn't have had otherwise.

EDIT: Also, I'd like to nominate Shepperd for the list, since he's supposedly a walking calculator, and his strong anctient-ness must count for something other than being able to fly a ship without touching it.

[Tracker]

Ooohh...tough one.

1. Sam and Rodney are a definate toss up. Sure, Sam has saved the world a bunch of times more than Rodney, but he's been stuck in either Area 51 or Russia. Since he's been at Atlantis, his idea's are working more and more.

2. Daniel Jackson. Okay, not only does this guy speak 23 (or is it 32?) languages, he knows his mythology, AND he's learned military procedures, AND some science stuff that is normally Sam's area. Not even O'Neill has done that.

3. Jonas. Grant you the guy picks up information faster than kids do germs, but his character still seemed to be placed second to Sam.

[Easter Lily]

You're asking about the who the best dressed scientist is?!

*Raps self on the knuckles for naughtiness*

How does one measure intelligence though?
I think time is a huge factor in all this comparison... Carter's been at this for several years now... her ability to think outside the square does put in her a good position. However, although I think that Carter is highly intelligent, she doesn't have the streetsmarts that Jack has. My biggest problem with Carter is that even though she is very capable in her field of expertise but for some reason, when it comes to relationships, people and aliens she seems to be constantly out at sea...

That Rodney is intelligent, I have no doubt... what he needs is more experience. Well, Jonas... what else can we say... the biggest travesty in Stargate history... just as we were about to find out more about what he was capable of... the axe fell hard.
As scientists, I find Rodney and Jonas much more interesting, charming... refreshing... one is arrogant and the other enthusiastic... when they spout off technical jargon I don't understand, I want to hear more... when Carter spouts off gobbledegook, I feel like Jack... "Give us the bottom line!"

[Madeleine]

Carter and Rodney and Daniel and jonas all have very different types of intelligence. Carter and daniel are both quite imaginative as well as knowledgeable. Both have the capacity to understand stuf at the edges of their respective fields and then push the boundaries further themselves. Ascension and Jolinar have enhanced their minds further. Astrophysics and linguistics & anthropology are pretty different though so I'd never think in terms of comparing the two of them. They compliment each other pretty well because they can come at a problem from different angles: like in The One Where The Asteroid Doesn't Hit Paris it was Daniel who thought of using hyperspace and Sam who understood how to put it into action. Good stuff.

Jonas has a fantastic memory, which is handy. I'm not sure I ever got a handle on what sort of inteligence he had, he wasn't around long enough.

McKay probably does have a higher IQ than all the rest, because he has the sort of intelligence that IQ tests measure. That doesn't make him more intelligent than Sam though, it just means that he has a very ordered logical mind, almost too ordered to come up with the sort of inspirational flight of fancy that Sam can, although he probably has a more extensive grounding in the theoreticals. Since these two are the only ones in the same field they're the only ones who can be compared; but when I try to compare them all I can come up with is "they're different"

[smurf]

If we we're talking about straight IQ, I think it'd have to McKay everytime. But for being actually smart it's probably Sam, she has that intelligence and that little something extra.

Jonas is interesting because he's much cleverer than people seem to give credit for, he just doesn't always seem to push it unless he thinks it's necessary, he tends to hide it. Two parts of Redemption spring to mind:
When he "gives" Sam the idea, that look he had when he said "I knew you'd figure it out" told you he had already figured it out but it wasn't his place to push it forward.
But when he knew the hyperspace generator wouldn't work, he was very forward about it. Maybe because there wasn't anyone around to pass it on. (Interesting that he prefaced his comment with "I'm no scientist, but...")
I suppose if he had been born and grew up on Earth he would be far and away the smartest, but he's always going to be chasing the other two in terms of modern knowledge/intellegence.