Limericks for Mathematicians
Nine math limericks: a constant function, Russell and Gödel, a non-unit vector named u, twin primes, an obtuse angle, the Dirichlet function, a lemma, the converse error, and the median's code.
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Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2017-03-15-limericks-for-mathematicians/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] "There once was a function named g / with domain like a plain, wide and free. / But its range was so small / it had no width at all / because g of x equalled to c." [a constant function's graph]
[2] "There once was a fellow named Russell / whose mind was a glorious bustle. / But when his pal Gödel / set too great a hurdle / he sighed, 'I just haven't the muscle.'" Russell: "Sigh… you win, Kurt. I am truly incomplete."
[3] "There once was a vector named u / who just didn't know what to do: / by its name you'd assume it / had length of one unit / but its magnitude equaled to two." Vector: "I'm… not a unit vector? My whole life is a lie!"
[4] "'How lonely a number I've been!' / it said with a widening grin, / 'but I should have known / I'm not really alone: / I'm not just a prime, but a twin!'" [17 and 19]
[5] "The angle became a recluse. / It just couldn't take the abuse. / You'll understand why: / when it tried to say hi / its colleagues would call it obtuse." [a sad obtuse angle]
[6] "If you get a kick out of math, / this function is good for a laugh: / on the rationals, 1; / on irrationals, none. / Now think… and then draw me its graph." [f(x) = 1 if x rational, 0 if x irrational]
[7] "There once was a scholar named Emma / who faced a most pressing dilemma: / as an opening move / she needed to prove / not the theorem itself, but a lemma." "Hmm…"
[8] "There once was a man with a curse / that couldn't have been any worse: / when faced with a fact / even slightly abstract / he conflated it with its converse." "So… all mammals are dogs?"
[9] "The median lived by a code: / 'I mustn't grow cross or explode. / I feel kind of unseen / alongside the mean, / but hey, I'm at least not the mode.'"