Greatest Hits of Mathematics


After my talk, I was asked to put a list of songs on-line.  This is a first stab . . merely converting the slides to html.  I'll add more and make it look pretty . . . someday.

Course:  Calculus

Topic:  Opening Day
the study of change, at a time of students’ changes, taught in a way that is a change
“Changes”
David Bowie
Hunky Dory
RCA
1971

Topic:  Limits
 “Close but not Touching”
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Works  Volume 2
Atlantic
1977

Topic:  Applied Rates of Change
 “Speed of Life”
David Bowie
Low
RCA
1977

Topic:  Graphing
Played for several days as we explore the topic
 “Pictures at an Exhibition”
Modeste Mussourgsky
(orch. Ravel)
1879

Topic:  Limits to Infinity
“Infinite Dreams”
Iron Maiden
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
EMI
1988

Topic:  Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
 “The Fundamental Source”
Thomas Dolby
Music from the film Gothic
Virgin
1987

Topic:  Exponential Functions
“Bring Me to the Power”
yes
Keys to Ascension 2
Purple Pyramid
1997

Topic:  Logarithmic Functions
 “Big Log”
Robert Plant
The Principle of Moments
Atlantic
1983

Topic: Indeterminant Forms
 “Two Divided by Zero” (not really indeterminant)
Pet Shop Boys
Please
EMI
1986

Topic:  Series
“Seven Steps to the Wall”
Jane Siberry
The Speckless Sky
Duke Street
1985

Topic:  Series Comparison Test
 “Bus Stop”
Tin Machine
<untitled>
EMI
1989

Topic:  Alternating Series
 “Up and Down”
The Cars
Panorama
Elektra
1980

Topic:  Harmonic Series
 “Holy Lamb (Song for Harmonic Convergence)” (although series diverges)
yes
Big Generator
Atlantic
1987

Topic:  Parametric Graphs
 “Oh! You Pretty Things”
David Bowie
Hunky Dory
RCA
1971

Topic:  Parametric Calculus
 “The Pretty Things are Going to Hell”
David Bowie
‘hours … ’
Virgin
1999

Course:  Introduction to Proof

(Second-year transition to advanced mathematics
• proof techniques
• basic set theory
• functions)

Topic:  Proof
 “Proof”
Paul Simon
The Rhythm of the Saints
Warner Bros.
1990

Topic:  Vacuous Truth
 “If Six was Nine”
Jimi Hendrix
Axis:  Bold as Love
Polydor
1967

Topic:  Power Sets
 “I Seek Power”
Savatage
Poets and Madmen
Steamhammer
2001

Topic:  Relations
 “I’d Rather Be Your Lover”
Madonna
Bedtime Stories
Maverick
1994

Topic:  Partitions
 “Subdivisions”
Rush
Signals
Mercury
1982

Topic:  Proof by Contradiction
 “Paradox”
Kansas
Point of Know Return
CBS
1977

Topic:  Induction
 “The Ladder”
Prince and the Revolution
Around the World in a Day
Paisley Park
1985

Topic:  Permutations
 “All Mixed Up”
The Cars
The Cars
Elektra
1978

Course:  Elementary Education

Topic:  Opening Discussion:  Why does society feel this way? What will you do about it?
 “Math Sux”
Jimmy Buffett
Beach House on the Moon
Margaritaville
1999

Topic:  Historical Number Systems
 “American Babylon”
House of Lords
Sahara
Simmons
1990

Topic:  Prime Numbers
 “Prime Time”
Alan Parsons Project
Ammonia Avenue
Arista
1984

Topic:  Integers
 “Positive”
Spearhead
Home
Capitol
1994

Topic:  Representing Fractions
 “The One”
Backstreet Boys
Millennium
Jive
1999

Topic:  Mean, Median, Mode
 “Middletown Dreams”
Rush
Power Windows
Mercury
1985

Topic:  Fair Games and Expected Value
 “Fair Game”
Crosby, Stills and Nash
CSN
Atlantic
1977

Topic:  Definitions
 “The Meaning”
Supertramp
Crisis? What Crisis?
A&M
1975

Topic:  Classifying Polygons
 “Shapes of Things”
The Yardbirds
Having a Rave Up
Epic
1965

Topic:  Symmetry
 “Symmetry
(The Way Things Have to Be)”
Jane Siberry
No Borders Here
Duke Street
1984

Topic:  Tessellations
 “Out on the Tiles”
Led Zeppelin
III
Atlantic
1970

 Course:  Non-Euclidean Geometry and others

Topic:  Unusual Topics
 “Can You Imagine”
yes
Magnification
Beyond
2001

 Course:  Liberal Arts

Topic:  Higher Dimensions
 “The Seventh Dimension”
Rick Wakeman
2000 AD Into the Future
Ambient
1991

Topic:  Golden Ratio
 “Gold”
XTC
Great Fire
Virgin
1983

Topic:  Philosophy of Mathematics
 “Law (Earthlings on Fire”
David Bowie
EART HL I NG
Virgin
1997

 Course:  Topology

Topic:  Homotopy Equivalence
 “Rubber Universe”
Alan Parsons
The Time Machine
Miramar
1999

Topic:  Knot Theory
 “Serenade for Strings”
Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
1880

Course:  Vector Analysis

Topic:  Stokes’ Theorem
 “Gassed and Stoked”
Lou Reed
Magic and Loss
Sire
1992

Topic:  Maxwell’s Equations
 “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”
The Beatles
Abbey Road
Capitol
1969

Course:  Any

Topic:  Review
 “You Better Ask”
Styx
II
Wooden Nickel
1972

Topic:  Review
 “Is There Something I Should Know?”
Duran Duran
<untitled>
EMI
1981

Topic:  Exams
 “Know How”
Nik Kershaw
The Riddle
MCA
1984

Topic:  Exams
 “Don’t Wait for Heroes”
Dennis DeYoung
Desert Moon
A&M
1984

Topic:  Returning Exams
 “Procession Towards Learning Land”
XTC
Great Fire
Virgin
1983

Topic:  Returning Exams
 “Right and Wrong”
Joe Jackson
Big World
A&M
1986

Topic:  The End
 “The End”
Shaw / Blades
Hallucination
Warner Bros.
1995