Computational Complexity

Sunday, November 12, 2006

 
Math-Love Songs

Posted by Lance

Guest Post from Weblog VJ Bill Gasarch

These aren't songs about loving math, these are love songs that use math as a way to express love. There are three that I know of (if you know more let me know). I'm not counting THEORY GIRL which is more of a Comp Sci song.

1. The one that inspired this post:

   A finite simple group of order two by The Klein Four.

   Lyrics are great!
   Math is actually HARD!
   Singing quality–they shouldn't quit their day jobs.
   Video Quality–they just stand around singing.
   (Actually they are grad students so its not clear they have day jobs.)

2. The Mathematics of Love

   From SQUARE ONE TV, an old PBS show about math (in a low level) that had some nice satires and songs in it. I watched it when I was younger (when I was 30 actually)
   Lyrics are nice!
   Math is easy.
   Singing quality is pretty good.
   Video quality–very good for content and quality.
   I think this IS their day job.

3. 8 percent of my love

   Also from Square One.
   Lyrics are great!
   Math is easy.
   Singing quality is pretty good.
   Video quality–very good for content, but quality is fuzzy. (I've got a better quality video of this in my collection.)
   I think this IS their day job.

5:02 PM # 8 comments

1.  John Sidles says:  
   
   Don't forget about the singing cowboy trio Riders in the Sky with their cover of "One, Two, Three, said the Miner."
   
   Bonus question: how many members of this famous cowboy trio have graduate degrees in nuclear physics?
   

   7:29 PM, November 12, 2006

2.  Anonymous says:  
   
   There is the New Math by Tom Lehrer.
   

   9:51 PM, November 12, 2006

3.  Janus says:  
   
   Have you ever heard about Monzy's "So Much Drama in the PhD"?
   

   10:15 PM, November 12, 2006

4.  Anonymous says:  
   
   Holy Cow, I remember seeing "The Mathematics of Love" on TV when I was about 10. I even remembered that the main singer guy was Phoenician. I remember quite a few math songs from Square 1 TV including Weird Al's "Patterns"
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8szBpqlsn_o
   
   I also found these on YouTube (searching for Square 1 TV):
   
   "Ghost of a chance"
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOk4cMfwsIY
   
   and
   
   "Percents"
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KQTuvK67TA
   
   and
   
   "Nine, Nine, Nine"
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1uPLHrenKY
   
   I would have to say that I enjoyed them more when I was ten.
   
   Grant S
   

   2:58 AM, November 13, 2006

5.  Helger says:  
   
   "I'm a mathematician/let me count the ways/I run away from you/away from you"
   
   A bit sad but true, this song is.
   

   4:05 AM, November 13, 2006

6.  Anonymous says:  
   
   You are forget all about Tom Lehrer
   

   11:37 AM, November 18, 2006

7.  Anonymous says:  
   
   I much preferred the singing quality of the first video.
   
   On the general scientific side, there's Coldplay's Scientist:
   "I was just guessin' at numbers and figures,
   Pulling your puzzles apart.
   Questions of science, science and progress
   Do not speak as loud as my heart."
   

   5:56 PM, November 18, 2006

8.  Singing Lessons says:  
   
   My kids have learned a LOT from a teacher who used to get them to sing their math equations. It's an amazing learning tool :-)
   

   4:33 PM, April 21, 2010

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