The Logic of Love
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a classic love song. While us mathematicians may not be famously successful when it comes to romance, we've still managed to compose some of the greatest love ballads ever written, all with an algebraic twist of course. Here are four tunes to share with the special scientist in your life this 14th February!
- Finite Simple Group (Of Order Two) by Klein Four - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BipvGD-LCjU
Romance and group theory: a beautiful mix found in what is widely considered the best maths love song ever written. Performed and posted to YouTube by a group of students in the US, ‘Finite Simple Group (Of Order Two)’ has stood the test of time and will be sung by mathematicians across the country for the 17th Valentine’s Day in a row! Why not share with your ‘axiom of choice’ and not spend another year ‘living in the kernel of a rank-one map’...?
- Love Triangle by Tom Rocks Maths Intern Siddiq Islam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFxqCnefqG0
Using mathematics to solve real life problems - why shouldn’t that apply to love too! Sidiq finds himself trapped in a polygon of romance, and so does what all mathematicians would do in this situation: he changes the dimensions of his Euclidean space! What’s not to love about this classic love story in the form of a beautiful ballad with a side of linear algebra?
- I Integrate By Parts by Jimmy & Eric - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-reFBJ4R9iA
With its geometric terminology, it’s no surprise Bonnie Tyler’s ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is a firm favourite among many a mathematician. However, not even Bonnie is safe from teenage maths enthusiasts who have done a little bit too much calculus... This classic parody is a must watch for anyone who would rather spend their Valentine's Day integrating by parts… (and spot the cool maths t-shirt!)
And finally, for those who are suffering a mathematical heartbreak at this time of year… You will derive!