Math: Music’s Best Friend

1. Math: Music’s Best Friend Exploring the use of songs, raps, poems, etc. in Mathematics classroom October 14, 2005 NCCTM Anna Lee Turner turnera.SCHS@pitt.k12.nc.us

2. The Slope-y Pokey Tune: “The Hokey Pokey” y sub two minus y sub one now you’ve got your rise and it’s time to find your run x sub two minus x sub one slope equals rise over run Anna Lee Turner

3. What’s Your Slope Tune: “Row Your Boat” Slide, slide zero slope Getting no where fasty Fall, fall vertical Inderterminasty -Beverly Baxter, Jessica Potter, Robert Hunting

4. Dare To Be Square To the tune of “Born to Be Wild” Dare to be square… Dare to be square… It’s a number times itself Take your math book off the shelf Turn the pages, look inside Let’s take an exponential ride Dare to be square… Dare to be square… -Anna Lee Turner

5. Gimme The Base Tune: “Drift Away” Day after day I’m more confused When working with exponents what do I do? Those upper right-hand numbers give me the blues I would sure like to know Can you give me some clues? Gimme the base, boys, if they’re alike Add the exponents when you multiply And keep the base Gimme the base, girls, if they’re alike Subtract the exponents when you divide And keep the base Gimme the base but if they’re not alike There’s not much you can do even if you try So leave them alone Just leave them alone -Anna Lee Turner

6. Arc-y Doodle Dandy Tune: “Yankee Doodle Dandy” some arcs are major some are minor sometimes they entangle the arc subtended is twice extended than the inscribed angle Anna Lee Turner

7. Saved By The Bell Tune: “Saved By The Bell” theme song When my teacher passes the test I know I’m in a mess And I’d really like to keep my grade C GirlsBoys I’ll just give it a whirl I’ll do the best that I can I’ll be a happy girl I’ll be a happy man ‘Cause my teacher might distribute the grades NORMALLY It’s alright ‘cause I’m saved by the bell It’s alright ‘cause I’m saved by the bell -Anna Lee Turner

8. Saved By The Bell (continued) If I can do ‘bout the same As the rest of the class Then I know that I am probably going to pass What would be twice as nice Is if my teacher would decide To base “middle C” on just the UPPER HALF It’s alright ‘cause I’m saved by the bell (the modified bell) It’s alright ‘cause I’m saved by the bell (the modified bell) (Air Guitar Optional) -Anna Lee Turner

9. The Zero Song Tune: “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” Zero, that funny number, has a shape that looks like "O"And if you want to use it, there are things you need to know. Never divide by zero, if you do you will be sad,Getting a crazy answer, making your exam look bad. But treat zero as your friend, use it carefully.Safe to multiply or add, that's the rule for zero lads (and lasses). Zero, that funny number, wants to be a comrade true,But never divide by zero, or you'll be getting zero too! http://chci.wrdsb.edu.on.ca/math/songs.html

10. Oh Number PI Tune: “Oh Christmas Tree” Oh, number PiOh, number PiYour digits are unending, Oh, number PiOh, number PiNo pattern are you sending. You're three point one four one five nine,And even more if we had time,Oh, number PiOh, number PiFor circle lengths unbending. http://www.winternet.com/~mchristi/piday.html

11. The Quadratic Formula Song Tune: “Are You Sleeping” Negative b, negative b, Plus or minus the sq. root, Plus or minus the sq. root, b squared minus 4ac, b squared minus 4ac, All over 2a, all over 2a. -Unknown

12. Calculator Tune: “Rubber Duckie” Calculator, you’re the one! You make math time so lotsa fun. Calculator, I’m awfully fond of you (Oh, I won’t drop you, no!) Calculator, joy of joys, Now in math class I have poise. Calculator, you’re my very best friend it’s true. Oh, everyday when I carefully push your buttons, I find my friends and I have be-come mathematical gluttons. (We’re not know-nuttins!) Calculator, you can graph And you never pull a gaff. Calculator, I’m awfully fond of… Calculator, I think that I’m in love… Calculator, I’m awfully fond of YOU. -Dane R. Camp

13. Fractal Geometry Tune: “Yellow Submarine” In the world that we all live, There’s so much that we don’t understand But there’s a tool that we now have That will certainly lend us a hand Chorus: We love doing fractal geometry Fractal geometry, fractal geometry We love doing fractal geometry Fractal geometry, fractal geometry Technology helps us to find Lots of connections that were missed before A country’s coast and von Koch curve Can be shown to have the same structure All the trees out in the woods Aren’t Euclidean that’s plain to see And the fungus on your feet Have self-similar geometry -Dane R.Camp

14. The Shape That Doesn’t End (to the tune of “This Is The Song That Doesn’t End”) This is the shape that doesn’t end. It just goes on and on my friend. Once you start to iterate Not knowing what it was You’ll keep on iterating Forever just because This is the shape that doesn’t end… (Repeat over and over and over…)

15. I Love To Learn Mathematics (to the tune of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”) I love to learn math-e-ma-tics Like sol-ving e-qua-tions with x And all of the shapes in geometry Or graph-ing a func-tion with tech-no-lo-gy For it’s roots and pow-ers I live for Or log-rithms now and then And with sine, co-sine, and the tan-gent I’m in math Hea-ven!

16. You’ve Got To Come Prepared Each Day Tune: “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” Here I stand test in hand Blank as an hour ago My pencil’s gone, I can’t go on. I bet my grade will be low! Everywhere people stare Watching me as I pray I can see them laugh at me And I hear them say… Hey you’ve got to come prepared each day Hey you’ve got to come prepared each day Here I sit in my chair Contemplating the wall It’s a crime at homework time I have no book at all How can I multiply Decimals in my head I’m bereft, cause I left My calculator on my bed -Unknown