# Calculus – It’s What’s For Dinner

Yesterday, while out having dinner with my friends Sean and Bang, the conversation turned nerdy. Specifically, the conversation turned to mathematics. More specifically – Calculus.

Don’t misunderstand – we weren’t sitting at the dinner table taking derivatives or calculating integrals – although that would have been perfectly fine in my book. Instead, we were chatting about Calculus and limericks.

At this point I feel that I should inform you that I have never, in all of my years of studying mathematics and statistics, heard of Calculus limericks. At least, none like the limerick I’m about to present to you. I have heard of certain math based rhymes such as the math cheer:

Sine! Sine! Cosine! Sine!

Three point one four one five nine!

Derivative to the left!

Derivative to the right!

Integrate!

Integrate!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

But limericks? No.

After learning of this particular limerick (shown below) – which I might add is mathematically valid – I felt compelled to share it here. If you know of any others, please, please, please let me know. These are too much fun not to share; especially to my undergraduate classes.

Without further ado, here is the Calculus limerick that I learned last night. Thanks to Sean for bringing this gem to me.

$\left(\displaystyle{\int_{1}^{\sqrt[3]{3}}}t^{2}dt\right)\times\cos{\left(\frac{3\pi}{9}\right)} = \log{\left(\sqrt[3]{e}\right)}$

The integral of t squared dt
From one to the cube root of three
Times the cosine of three pi over nine
Equals log1 of the cube root of e.

1 Here we assume that log is the natural logarithm.