Imagine this!

Several years ago, I attended a presentation by Nathalie Sinclair, who commented on seeing a professional violinist performing in the subway.
Nathalie wondered, what might it be like to perform mathematics in the subway?
So I wrote this song. Get the mp3 for your next math party 🙂

Music by Nisha Bedi, Maurice Charland & Bryan Williston. Illustration & animation by Jenn Skerratt.

The last time I saw Molly
She was rocking on the subway
Strumming and singing her new math song
As the passengers sang along

The last time I saw Timothy
He was mixing at a dinner party
Telling a story of complex numbers
And circle wrapping functions

The next time that I see you
Help me laugh and sing and tell a story
Help flex my mind to a new height
See mathematics in a fresh new light

La la la-la-la-la, la la la-la-la-la
La la la-la-la-la, la la la-la-la-la

The last time I saw Alex
He was flexing his imagination
Picturing the sums of odd numbers
Seeing them as square tile patterns

The last time I saw Janette
She was designing a pen for her pet
Maximizing the area it bounded
Minimizing the perimeter all around it

The next time that I see you
I’ll laugh and sing and tell a story
Help flex your mind to a new height
See mathematics in a fresh new light

La la la-la-la-la, la la la-la-la-la
La la la-la-la-la, la la la-la-la-la