| Date |
Title |
First Line of Text ... |
| 11/22/2009 |
The Psalm of the Trig Teacher |
He is my teacher; I shall not pass.
He maketh me go to t... |
| 11/15/2009 |
Test Time...Josh Is A Child Left Behind |
Today was test day in algebra class, and I hoped my student... |
| 11/8/2009 |
What Does Mean Mean? |
"What is meant by the mean temperature?" asked Mr... |
| 11/1/2009 |
The Truth Prevails... |
Teacher: "Jim, what three words are most used in arith... |
| 10/25/2009 |
Let Me RecycleThat One More Time? |
|
| 10/18/2009 |
Seating Chart vs. Cheating Chart |
Dad: "Son, how far were you from the right answer on t... |
| 10/11/2009 |
A New Consumer's Scan? |
Carefully read the first line under the headline: "D... |
| 10/4/2009 |
Equations Obfuscated...Just What We Need More of.... |
On e-bay recently, a power-seller known as New Retro Signwo... |
| 9/27/2009 |
Ichiro Math |
D.W. (Bellingham) sent me this bit of "sign" humo... |
| 9/20/2009 |
Special Daze |
Get ready....a bunch of special days will soon occur....
... |
| 9/13/2009 |
A Gift of Bumper Stickers |
Recently, I gave a presentation at the spring dinner for ... |
| 8/30/2009 |
Re-Warmed Humor |
To begin the school year, I am reprinting a "classic&quo... |
| 6/1/2009 |
Bear With Me On This One...I See the Humor |
Over a year ago, the MathNEXUS posed two problems relate... |
| 5/31/2009 |
Welcome to Teaching |
In a practicum, a young student teacher was anxious as she ... |
| 5/24/2009 |
But You Can't Take Logs of Negative Numbers! |
Theorem: ln(-1) = 0
Proof:
By first focusing on the log r... |
| 5/17/2009 |
And Another Inflationary Proof! |
Theorem: $1 = 1 cent
Proof:
First, by definition, $1 = 1... |
| 5/10/2009 |
Inflation Has Arrived |
Theorem: $1 = 10 cents
Proof: It is a fact that $1 = 100 c... |
| 5/3/2009 |
110% Proof |
Theorem: All natural numbers are equal.
Proof: It is suffi... |
| 4/26/2009 |
Calculators Don't Lie |
A mathematician, showing her teenage son how to use a new c... |
| 4/19/2009 |
A Look at the Future |
In the year 2050, society has advanced to the extent that b... |
| 4/12/2009 |
A Joke That Fills Me With Optimism! |
Question: Why is a mathematics text always upset?
Answer:... |
| 3/29/2009 |
Retelling an Old But Good Joke |
Polly Dent used to live at 600 Euclid Avenue.
Now she live... |
| 3/22/2009 |
Ugh! |
Question: What does a hungry mathematics teacher like to ea... |
| 3/15/2009 |
Check It Out |
|
| 3/8/2009 |
pi |
|
| 3/1/2009 |
Partial Credit? |
|
| 2/22/2009 |
Math ala The Movies |
|
| 2/15/2009 |
At Home With the Dent Family |
Polly Dent is watching the television news with her husband... |
| 2/8/2009 |
MathRoom Conversation |
|
| 2/1/2009 |
14 Misunderstandings In The History Of Mathematics |
In the interest of historical accuracy let it be known that... |
| 1/25/2009 |
What?....Read Carefully and Then Re-Think |
Sitting in a cafe, a mathematician, a physicist, and a biol... |
| 1/18/2009 |
Depends on Your Perspective |
After an enjoyable evening out with colleagues, a mathemati... |
| 1/11/2009 |
Last of the Mathroom Graffiti |
Love is like Mathematics
+ Love
- Hate
÷ Two (people)
... |
| 1/4/2009 |
Even More Outside the MathRoom Graffiti |
|
| 12/14/2008 |
Graphical Humor? |
GraphJam.com is an interesting web-site with potential. It ... |
| 12/7/2008 |
Calculator "Inverse" - Part II |
This is more of what was discussed earlier (11/9/2008), b... |
| 11/30/2008 |
Outside the MathRoom Graffiti |
|
| 11/23/2008 |
Mathroom Graffiti: Proof That 0 = 1! |
Note: with reference to this graffiti, M.J. (Bellingha... |
| 11/16/2008 |
Mathroom Graffiti |
Life is complex. It has real and imaginary components.
P... |
| 11/9/2008 |
Calculator "Inverse" |
When you invert a calculator readout, you hopefully can m... |
| 11/2/2008 |
1869 MIT Entrance Exam: Geometry |
Note: This is not really mathematics humor, but it beco... |
| 10/26/2008 |
1869 MIT Entrance Exam: Algebra |
Note: This is not really mathematics humor, but it beco... |
| 10/19/2008 |
1869 MIT Entrance Exam: Arithmetic |
Find the sum, then the difference, and then the product ... |
| 10/12/2008 |
Visual Interpretation of No Child Left Behind! |
Note: A repeat from the Archive. |
| 10/5/2008 |
Ah...the Power of Negative Thinking |
|
| 9/28/2008 |
Read Between the Li(n)es |
The following is a letter of reference supposedly written a... |
| 9/21/2008 |
Some Daffynitions |
Algorithms: A band that features a former Vice President
... |
| 9/14/2008 |
A Play On Words...Or Is It? |
TEACHER: "If you subtract fourteen from a hundred sixt... |
| 9/7/2008 |
The Sins They Are A-Changing! |
One of my students (JD) sent me this bit of humor:
|
| 8/31/2008 |
Chicken Inmoebiusized |
Question: Why did the chicken cross the moebius strip?
... |
| 6/15/2008 |
Powers of One |
If this comic does not make sense (i.e. make you smile, rev... |
| 6/8/2008 |
Pi's Hidden Secret |
Courtesy of Randall Munroe, author of XKCD: A webcomic ... |
| 6/1/2008 |
Things to Do When Passing Time |
Courtesy of Randall Munroe, author of XLCD: A webcomic ... |
| 5/11/2008 |
A Grammatical Dilemma |
Which is correct?
"Nine and five is fifteen"
... |
| 5/4/2008 |
Warning...Math Ahead |
A final sign with many implications....
Mathematics incl... |
| 4/27/2008 |
More Signs of the Times |
More "obvious" mathematical humor in the first sign... |
| 4/20/2008 |
Signs of the Times |
I know there is some mathematical humor in these four signs..... |
| 4/13/2008 |
An Overheard Conversation...Unfortunately |
Teen-Ager: "Is Paris in England?"
Friend: "... |
| 4/6/2008 |
A Shape of Many Names |
His girlfriend talked so much about getting engaged that ... |
| 3/30/2008 |
And the Bottom Rung....But Requested by Some! |
Question: What did the acorn say when it grew up?
Answer: ... |
| 3/23/2008 |
Some Even Lower-Level Humor...How Far Down Can This Go! |
Question: What sort of computer did Isaac Newton use?
Answ... |
| 3/16/2008 |
Some Low-Level Humor |
Question: What did they say to Archimedes before he had a b... |
| 3/9/2008 |
Some Upper-Level Humor |
Question: What is a kittegory?
Answer: A small category.
... |
| 3/2/2008 |
Some Mathematical Graffiti--Part 2 |
Old mathematicians never die, they just become symbol minde... |
| 2/24/2008 |
Some Mathematical Graffiti--Part 1 |
Statistics means never having to say you are sorry.
Smokin... |
| 2/17/2008 |
Kleine Klein Humor |
Question: What does it say on the label on a Klein bottle?
... |
| 2/10/2008 |
Howlers Out of the Mouths of Actual Math Students--Part IV |
I's sorry I do not know the formula for the volume of a rec... |
| 2/3/2008 |
Howlers Out of the Mouths of Actual Math Students--Part III |
A cyclical quadrilateral is an animal that has been taught ... |
| 1/27/2008 |
Howlers Out of the Mouths of Actual Math Students--Part II |
A curve is the longest distance between two points.
An ang... |
| 1/20/2008 |
Howlers Out of the Mouths of Actual Math Students--Part I |
90o is the boiling point of a right-angled triangle
Infini... |
| 1/13/2008 |
Seek and You Shall Find..... |
Teacher (to class): Can you find the cube root of 1000?
... |
| 12/30/2007 |
A Parody or the Sad Truth? |
A rope overhangs a pulley with a weight on one end and a m... |
| 12/16/2007 |
Sad Day |
Have you heard about the statistician
who drowned in a ... |
| 12/9/2007 |
Mathematics in the Real World |
Three students were being given a test to decide who sho... |
| 12/2/2007 |
And the World Wonders Why? |
An international competition recently was held to determ... |
| 11/25/2007 |
No Remedy |
Teacher: "Johnny, why are you scratching your head ... |
| 11/18/2007 |
Go Forth and Multiply! |
When God created all of the animals, she told them to go f... |
| 11/11/2007 |
Harmonious Raffle! |
Some clever mathematics teachers (redundant!) organzied a ... |
| 11/4/2007 |
How Many Verses? |
A mathematician, about to be executed by a firing squad, w... |
| 10/28/2007 |
Announcing a New Best Seller.... |
Book of a Million Random Numbers
(Listed in increasing or... |
| 10/21/2007 |
To Every Math Student's Rescue.... |
The most useful invention in mathematics is Skinner's vari... |
| 10/14/2007 |
The Final Examination of Life |
[1.] (GROUP THEORY) Either (a) give in detail the proof of ... |
| 10/7/2007 |
Fair Share in TupperWear |
The teacher asked, "Tell me, Susie, if I had n... |
| 9/30/2007 |
Higher Mathematics |
"All right, Elroy," the teacher said to the six... |
| 9/23/2007 |
Ready, Aim, Sin! |
Moving to a small rural area, a father took his son to sc... |
| 9/16/2007 |
humor links |
This week's first attempt at humor is a comic, which cast... |
| 9/9/2007 |
Blame Erich, Not Me... |
On his "bountiful" web site, Erich Friedman, math... |
| 9/2/2007 |
Mottos To Live By |
Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.... |
| 8/26/2007 |
Mathematical Equations and the Real World |
Engineers think that equations approximate the real world. ... |
| 6/17/2007 |
Thinks-of-the-Week |
Things to think about...and then think about again:
I'd k... |
| 6/10/2007 |
Two Groans = One Smile |
TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication o... |
| 6/3/2007 |
Laws of the Natural Universe |
Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated wi... |
| 5/27/2007 |
Double the Pun |
An anagram of Banach Tarski is Banach Tarski Banach Tarski... |
| 5/20/2007 |
Rules For Teachers in the 1880s |
Teachers had rules 120 years ago they had to follow if they... |
| 5/18/2007 |
Some Daffynitions |
Algorithms: A band that features a former Vice President
Asy... |
| 5/13/2007 |
Not Really Humor....But This Is True (i.e. read all the way to the end!).... |
The following listing was taken from a listing on myspace.c... |
| 5/6/2007 |
Unfortunately, This Is True...And It Hurts! |
Dispatcher: Nine-one-one, what's the nature of your ca... |
| 4/29/2007 |
Here's 2 U! |
A Mathematician's Toast:
Addition and multiplication to yo... |
| 4/27/2007 |
More Signs of the Times |
More "obvious" mathematical humor in the first sign... |
| 4/22/2007 |
Hungry for Pizza |
In one sense, this is a repeat of some previous humor, but in... |
| 4/15/2007 |
Baaaaa-d Joke |
What type of mathematics does a sheep do?
Answer: Int... |
| 4/8/2007 |
Relative Understanding |
A mathematician and an engineer attend a lecture by a phy... |
| 4/1/2007 |
Getting in the Rythmn |
Stu Dent kept pestering his classmate Ima Purfact as he w... |
| 3/25/2007 |
SPF 15 |
Did you hear about the geometer who went to the beach t... |
| 3/18/2007 |
Warning.... π Leftovers |
Some people (never myself) reach real lows when trying to p... |
| 3/16/2007 |
Q & A jokes |
Question: What did they say to Archimedes before he had a b... |
| 3/11/2007 |
Piece of π Humor ??? |
One never knows (or understands) the humor of marketing man... |
| 3/4/2007 |
Two Types of Mathematicians |
Research has shown that there is a difference between an in... |
| 2/25/2007 |
The Power of Problem Solving Heuristics! |
One day a mathematician, deciding that he is sick of math... |
| 2/18/2007 |
A Dose of Mathematical Medicine |
Mathematics humor can be found everywhere. For example, loc... |
| 2/11/2007 |
Warning: Groan Ahead |
Question: What did the natural log of the 16th primitive ro... |
| 2/4/2007 |
When It Pays to Know Some Calculus |
A slightly deranged mathematician (possibly redundant) ge... |
| 1/28/2007 |
Transitive Property Ala Carte |
Question: Faced with the choice between a ham sandwich an... |
| 1/21/2007 |
Some Limericks |
A graduate student at Trinity
Computed the square of infinit... |
| 1/20/2007 |
Actual Student Statements in a Math Class |
90o is the boiling point of a right-angled triangle
Infini... |
| 1/14/2007 |
Press Release |
Physicists Discover World's Heaviest Element---Nearly E... |
| 1/7/2007 |
Our Future |
Old mathematicians never die; they just lose some of thei... |
| 12/31/2006 |
Comparing Professions |
An engineer thinks that his equations are an approximation ... |
| 12/17/2006 |
Top Ten Excuses for Not Doing Math Homework |
1. I accidentally divided by zero and my paper burst in... |
| 12/10/2006 |
Fourier series |
Question: What is the following?
ea,ea,ea,ea, ...
ea,ea... |
| 12/3/2006 |
Theorem: 1 = 1/2 [For "Series"-ous Minded Students] |
Proof:
Start with the infinite series 1/(1*3) + 1/(3*5) + 1/... |
| 11/26/2006 |
Thanksgiving Mathematics |
Question: What do you get when you take the circumference... |
| 11/19/2006 |
lottery tax |
I've heard that the government wants to put a tax on the ... |
| 11/12/2006 |
A Literal Interpretation That Says It All! |
|
| 11/5/2006 |
|
Three people are in a hot-air balloon. Soon, they find ... |
| 10/29/2006 |
Theorem: log(-1) = 0 |
Proof:
First, by log properties, we know log[(-1)2] = 2 * ... |
| 10/22/2006 |
Theorem: 4 = 3 |
Proof:
Suppose: a + b = c
This can also be written as:
(... |
| 10/15/2006 |
63% Chance of a Groan |
Question: Did you hear about the statistician who took a Da... |
| 10/8/2006 |
Daffy-Nition |
Zenophobia: The irrational fear of convergent sequences.
... |
| 10/1/2006 |
Two Plus Two Is Five |
"First and above all he was a logician. At least thirt... |
| 9/24/2006 |
A Question Only Bertrand Russell Could Answer |
Prove or give a counter-example to the following....(Extr... |
| 9/17/2006 |
Ask a Silly Question.... |
Teacher: If I had 50 apples in my right hand and 30 apple... |
| 9/10/2006 |
Math Teachers' "Believe It or Not" Gallery |
|
| 9/3/2006 |
Mark Parisi works |
Not sure if this will work. Through some Internet browsing,... |
| 8/27/2006 |
Meaning-"less" |
Teacher: If you subtract 14 from 116, what's the differen... |
| 6/25/2006 |
Fun Things For Professors to Do on the First Day of Class |
The 2005-2006 school year is in the books...and now (afte... |
| 6/18/2006 |
calclulus tangent |
Question: Why is it that derivatives can never finish tel... |
| 6/11/2006 |
The Evolution of Teaching Math |
Teaching Math in 1900
Chop down that tree and cut it int... |
| 6/4/2006 |
An Average Shot |
Three statisticians go duck hunting early one Saturday.
... |
| 5/28/2006 |
Piece'a Pizza Please |
While sitting quiety eating pizza in a small Pizza Parlor, I ... |
| 5/21/2006 |
Fraction Soup |
In the local resturant, the head cook hands her apprentic... |
| 5/14/2006 |
The Job Interview |
A large corporation was looking to hire a new Vice-Presid... |
| 5/7/2006 |
Tom Swifties |
"Six is a special number," Tom said perfectly.
... |
| 4/30/2006 |
Measurementitis |
Two engineers, Rayella and Ray, were standing at the base o... |
| 4/23/2006 |
For Those Who Speak Vectorese |
Question: What do you get when you cross a chicken with a t... |
| 4/16/2006 |
I Give In to All the Requests |
New York. At Kennedy airport today, an individual--later ... |
| 4/9/2006 |
Since Everyone Else is Sharing This........ |
|
| 4/2/2006 |
fraction fever |
4 out of 3 people have trouble with fractions. |
| 3/26/2006 |
Best If Read Aloud..... |
Two local farmers were walking down the hiking path together.... |
| 3/19/2006 |
It All Adds Up |
The teacher asks her students, "If you had one dollar ... |
| 3/12/2006 |
An Attempt at Some PI Humor |
Ala David Letterman, the Top Ten List of reasons why e is i... |
| 3/5/2006 |
All's Well That Ends QED |
We have all done proofs...and ended them with the acronym QED... |
| 2/26/2006 |
Multiplying Cows |
A local news reporter was interviewing a local rancher for a ... |
| 2/19/2006 |
The Sum of Positive Numbers Is Negative |
Let n = 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + .....
Rewrite it as n = 1 + 2[1 + 2 ... |
| 2/9/2006 |
Student-Constructed Valentines |
To celebrate Valentine's Day, a local middle school teacher (... |
| 2/4/2006 |
Ode for Consistent Terminology |
If we have a fraction with a radical in its denominator w... |
| 1/29/2006 |
A Proof One Can Swallow |
Theorem: A BLT sandwich is better than eternal happiness.... |
| 1/22/2006 |
Matthematical Graphitti |
Can you figure these out?
EZ
IIII
DICE
DICE
ECNALG
ME!.... |
| 1/15/2006 |
The Psalm of the Trig Teacher |
He is my teacher; I shall not pass.
He maketh me go to the... |
| 1/8/2006 |
A Student's Guide to Problem Solving |
(Supposedly By: Joe Dodson, Winston-Salem, NC)
Rule 1: If at... |
| 1/1/2006 |
Mathematics as a Religion |
Calvin: You know, I don't think math is a science, I thin... |
| 12/16/2005 |
A Holiday Card From Us to You |
Given: ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Prove: Happy Holidays... |
| 12/11/2005 |
clever decimal |
Question: How many mathematicians does it take to screw in ... |
| 12/5/2005 |
A Calculus Carol |
By Denis Gannon (1940-1991)
(Sung to the tune of Oh, Christ... |
| 11/27/2005 |
Revisionist Adage |
As for pushy metric proponents, give them 2.54 cm and they'll... |
| 11/20/2005 |
Math-Ethics |
Ralph: Dad, will you do my math for me tonight?
Dad: N... |
| 11/13/2005 |
The Competition |
As part of a student competition at a local university, a mat... |
| 11/6/2005 |
What Was That? |
There are three kinds of mathematicians, those who can co... |
| 10/30/2005 |
Holiday Confusion |
Question: Why do Computer Scientists and Mathematicians con... |
| 10/23/2005 |
Names for Large Numbers |
Stu Dent was sitting in a plane terminal next to a stranger w... |
| 10/16/2005 |
Neighborhood Watch |
A statistician, a biologist, and a mathematician are all reti... |
| 10/9/2005 |
New Units of Measure |
1 millionth of a mouthwash: 1 microscope
Time it takes to ... |
| 10/2/2005 |
The Geometry of Politics |
Question: What political statement is made by the angles of ... |
| 9/25/2005 |
An Oldie |
Question: Why is six afraid of seven?
Answer: Because....cou... |
| 9/18/2005 |
The "Groan" Elephant |
Question: Why does an elephant wear tennies?
Answer: Becau... |
| 9/11/2005 |
A Knight to Remember |
Question: Why did the landlord hire Lancelot of King Arthur... |
| 9/4/2005 |
A Sign It Will Be A Long Year |
It is a new school year, and the teacher is trying to g... |
| 8/28/2005 |
Moebius Chicken |
Question: Why did the chicken cross the Moebius Strip? ... |
| 8/21/2005 |
The Harmonic Lottery |
To raise funds for a scholarship, a mathematician organizes... |
| 8/14/2005 |
Math Lecture Terms |
Definitions of Terms Commonly Used in Mathematics Lectu... |
| 8/7/2005 |
Interesting Numbers |
Theorem: All positive integers are interesting.
Pr... |
| 7/31/2005 |
Complex Number |
The number you have dialed is imaginary. Please rotate... |
| 7/24/2005 |
Numbers In Use |
Polly Dent used to live at 600 Euclid Avenue.
Now she live... |
