The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory: Season 3

Air Date

September 21, 2009

Episodes

23 episodes

The Big Bang Theory

Season 3

Overview

Worlds collide in Season 3! A love affair with Penny has opened a big, wide, wonderful world of romance for Leonard. But Sheldon likes the world just the way it was, thank you. All of which makes for a zany comic triangle with brainy, clueless Sheldon and practical, grounded Penny hilariously vying for the role of hypotenuse.

Episodes

The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation

1. The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation

7.7
September 21, 2009
22 min

When Sheldon learns the guys tampered with his expedition data he got from the arctic, he leaves to Texas in disgrace. This results in the guys following him, which threatens Leonard's hope for some romantic time with Penny and the guys' friendship with Sheldon.

The Jiminy Conjecture

2. The Jiminy Conjecture

7.4
September 28, 2009
21 min

Leonard and Penny struggle to recover from an awkward first hookup while Sheldon and Howard stake their best comic books on a bet to determine the species of a cricket.

The Gothowitz Deviation

3. The Gothowitz Deviation

7.5
October 5, 2009
20 min

Howard and Raj visit a Goth nightclub to pick up women while Sheldon attempts to build a better Penny using chocolate-based behavior modification.

The Pirate Solution

4. The Pirate Solution

7.4
October 12, 2009
21 min

Raj must find a new job or be sent back to India, but Sheldon has a solution, which leaves Leonard and Penny dealing with Howard as a third wheel.

The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary

5. The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary

7.6
October 19, 2009
21 min

After overhearing that Wil Wheaton is entering a trading-card competition, Sheldon decides to enter it himself. Meanwhile, Penny sets up one of her friends on a date with Wolowitz.

The Cornhusker Vortex

6. The Cornhusker Vortex

7.0
November 2, 2009
20 min

Sheldon becomes Leonard's teacher in order to understand football, while an incident with flying a kite threatens Howard and Raj's friendship.

The Guitarist Amplification

7. The Guitarist Amplification

7.3
November 9, 2009
19 min

A squabble between Leonard and Penny sees Sheldon playing mediator, though out of his own incovenience from the sitiation rather than altruism.

The Adhesive Duck Deficiency

8. The Adhesive Duck Deficiency

8.3
November 16, 2009
21 min

With Leonard, Howard and Raj away camping in the desert, an injured Penny has only Sheldon to rely on.

The Vengeance Formulation

9. The Vengeance Formulation

7.7
November 23, 2009
19 min

After he's humiliated on National Public Radio, Sheldon vows to destroy Kripke, while Wolowitz tries not to destroy his new relationship with Bernadette.

The Gorilla Experiment

10. The Gorilla Experiment

7.8
December 7, 2009
21 min

Penny gets help from Sheldon in order to understand what Leonard's work is, while Wolowitz develops a jealousy when Leonard starts hanging out with his new girlfriend.

The Maternal Congruence

11. The Maternal Congruence

7.6
December 14, 2009
20 min

A Christmas visit from his mother has Leonard discovering she's kept a lot of news from him that she shares with Sheldon and worrying if she'll approve of his romance with Penny.

The Psychic Vortex

12. The Psychic Vortex

7.7
January 11, 2010
19 min

Leonard is aghast to find out a secret of Penny's: she believes in psychics. Meanwhile, Sheldon tries to assist Koothrappali in picking up a girl at a university mixer.

The Bozeman Reaction

13. The Bozeman Reaction

7.6
January 18, 2010
20 min

When their apartment is robbed, Leonard and Sheldon turn to their friends to create a state-of-the-art security system.

The Einstein Approximation

14. The Einstein Approximation

7.9
February 1, 2010
19 min

Sheldon's search for the answer to a physics problem leads him to work at the Cheesecake Factory with Penny.

The Large Hadron Collision

15. The Large Hadron Collision

7.7
February 8, 2010
21 min

Leonard can only bring one guest on a trip to see CERN's Large Hadron Collider (the world's largest and highest energy particle accelerator) in Switzerland on Valentine's Day.

The Excelsior Acquisition

16. The Excelsior Acquisition

7.8
March 1, 2010
21 min

Sheldon winds up in traffic court when he gets a ticket because of Penny.

The Precious Fragmentation

17. The Precious Fragmentation

7.9
March 8, 2010
20 min

When the guys find a ring from "The Lord of the Rings" at a garage sale, it threatens to tear them apart.

The Pants Alternative

18. The Pants Alternative

7.9
March 22, 2010
21 min

Sheldon's friends come to his aid when his fear of public speaking stands between him and a coveted award.

The Wheaton Recurrence

19. The Wheaton Recurrence

7.2
April 12, 2010
21 min

A fight between Leonard and Penny threatens their relationship, while Sheldon battles Wil Wheaton in bowling.

The Spaghetti Catalyst

20. The Spaghetti Catalyst

7.7
May 3, 2010
20 min

When Leonard and Penny aren't speaking, Sheldon goes to extremes to keep them both happy.

The Plimpton Stimulation

21. The Plimpton Stimulation

7.4
May 10, 2010
21 min

Leonard and Sheldon compete for the attention of a famous female physicist.

The Staircase Implementation

22. The Staircase Implementation

8.3
May 17, 2010
20 min

Leonard tells Penny about how he met Sheldon for the first time...and what happened to the elevator.

The Lunar Excitation

23. The Lunar Excitation

7.6
May 24, 2010
20 min

While Penny worries that dating Leonard has ruined her for normal guys, Wolowitz and Koothrappali search for Sheldon's perfect match online.