Mathematical Humour

Wade Clarke is a Sydney-based musician and 'jack of many trades.'

You will find his rather strange and varied collection of cartoons at his Ocular Trauma site. I think this is his only mathematical cartoon, but it spread virally throughout the world some years ago.

Well done, Wade, for your mischievous sense of humour!

This is one of my own, based on a rather bad pun that I encountered once.

If you know what a binomial product is (in algebra), you will probably have encountered the FOIL mnemonic.  I hope this 'nerdy' joke makes sense to you.

This is a terrible pun but, if you know how to integrate 1/x, you will appreciate the humour!

When I was at school, my teacher shared this pun and the previous one with my class.

Almost everyone groaned!

It appears that this limerick was originally written by Jon Saxon, the author of mathematics text books.

Not only does it read well (rhyme and rhythm), but it is written in mathematical symbols and is arithmetically correct!  What an achievement!

This amazing pun is quite well-known in mathematical circles.

It was created by Betsy Devine and Joel Cohen and first published in their 1992 book, Absolute Zero Gravity: Science Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes (Simon and Schuster).

One of the fundamental skills of algebra is being able to multiply larger expressions. Here, I explain one of the most common of these structures ... how to multiply two terms by two terms ... e.g. (2 + 4)(2x - 3).

Mathematically, we call this "multiplying a binomial by a binomial" or, simply, "a binomial product." Before you turn away in disgust, let me encourage you to watch the video ... whether you already know how to do this, or not!

If you are not good at algebra and do not understand the process (or do not care), you will learn why you have been using this thinking with great regularity all your life (it is very natural).

If you are already good at algebra and know how to calculate binomial products, you will be entertained with a mathematical pun. On second thoughts, maybe it will make you groan :-) ... but I think it will be worth a few minutes of your time.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the video!

This is a mathematical joke that I first encountered in school. It provides a good way to remember integrals that produce logarithms.

If you are learning calculus, you should appreciate and enjoy the contents of the video ... and, if you never understood or studied calculus, you can still enjoy the joke anyway (as I explain sufficient for you to understand the play on words).

Enjoy some of the light-hearted side of mathematics ...

This is a mathematical joke that I first encountered in school.

'Playing' with calculus is a good way to learn the rules and skills associated with the 'craft.' If you are learning calculus, you should appreciate and enjoy the contents of this video ... and, if you never understood or studied calculus, you can still enjoy the joke anyway (as I explain sufficient for you to understand the play on words).

Enjoy some of the light-hearted side of mathematics ...

There is a world of scientific and mathematical humour that is inhabited by limericks and other devices.

This limerick is comparatively tame, but is well-known and deservedly so. It doesn't simply sound good, it creates an equation that is actually true!

A dozen, a gross, and a score
Plus three times the square root of four
Divided by seven
Plus five times eleven
Equals nine times itself ... nothing more.

It appears to have been written by Jon Saxon, author of a number of mathematical text books.

Please watch and learn and enjoy ...

Beware ... this is another mathematical limerick!

It is quite well known in mathematical circles ... and deservedly so ... created by Betsy Devine and Joel Cohen and first published in their 1992 book, Absolute Zero Gravity: Science Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes (Simon and Schuster). If you wish to purchase a copy of their book, I believe it is out of print but you may obtain used copies of it via bookfinder.com.

The integral of z².dz
From one to the cube-root of three
Times the cosine
Of three-π on nine
Is the log of the cube root of 'e'

I hope you like it.