New Math - Tom Lehrer: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts

New Math

3,156

Comedy

New Math was released on January 1, 1965 by Needlejuice Records as a part of the album That Was the Year That Was

Song Details

AlbumThat Was the Year That Was

Release DateJanuary 1, 1965

LabelNeedlejuice Records

Melodicness

Acousticness

Valence

Danceability

Energy

BPM140

OVERVIEW

LYRICS

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS

Tom Lehrer

Piano

COMPOSITION & LYRICS

Tom Lehrer

Songwriter

PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING

Don Geis

Engineer

Jimmy Hilliard

Producer

Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Some of you who have small children

May have perhaps been put

In the embarrassing position

Of being unable to do you child's arithmetic homework

Because of the current revolution in mathematics teaching

Known as the New Math

So, as a public service here tonight

I thought I would offer a brief lesson in the New Math

Tonight, we're gonna cover subtraction

This is the first room I've worked for a while

That didn't have a blackboard

So we will have to make do

With more primitive visual aids

As they say in the ed. biz

Consider the following subtraction problem

Which I will put up here

342 minus 173

Now, remember how we used to do that

Three from two is nine

Carry the one

And if you're under under thirty-five

Or went o a private school

You say seven from three is six

But if you're over thirty-five

And went to a public school

You say eight from four is six

And

Carry the one, so we have 169

But in the new approach, as you know

The important thing is to understand what you're doing

Rather than to get the right answer

Here's how they do it now

[Verse 2]

You can't take three from two

Two is less than three

So you look at the four in the ten's place

Now that's really four tens

So you make it three tens

Regroup, and you change a ten to ten ones

And you add 'em to the two and get twelve

And you take away three, that's nine

Is that clear?

Now, instead of four in the ten's place you've got three

'Cause you added one

That is to say ten to-the-two

But you can't take seven from three

So you look in the hundred's place

From the three you then use one to make ten ones

And you know four plus minus-one plus ten is fourteen minus one?

'Cause addition is computative, right

And so you got thirteen tens and you take away seven

And that leaves five

Well, six, actually

But

The idea is the important thing

Now go back to the hundred's place

You're left with two and you take away one-from-two

And that leaves

Everybody get one?

Not bad for the first day

[Verse 3]

Hooray for New Math!

New Math

It won't do you a bit of good to review math

It's so simple

So very simple

That only a child can do it

[Verse 4]

Now, that actually is not the answer that I had in mind

Because the book that i got this problem out of

Wants you to do it in base eight

But don't panic

Base eight is just like base ten, really

If you're missing two fingers

Shall we have a go at it?

Hang on

You can't take three from two

Two is less than three

So you look at the four in the eight's place

Now that's really four eights

So you make it three eights

Regroup, and you change an eight to eight ones

And you add 'em to the two and get one-two-base-eight

Which is ten-base-ten

And you take away three, that's seven

Okay?

Now, instead of four in the eight's place you've got three

'Cause you added one

That is to say eight-to-the-two

But you can't take seven from three

So you look at the sixty-fours

[Verse 5]

64

"How did 64 get into it?" I hear you cry

Well, 64 is eight squared, don't you see?

Well, you ask a silly question, you get a silly answer

[Verse 6]

From the three, you then use one

To make eight ones you add those ones to the three

And you get one three-base eight

Or in other words, in base-ten you have eleven

And you take away seven

And seven from eleven is four

Now go back to the sixty-fours

You're left with two and you take away one-from-two

And that leaves

[Verse 7]

Now, let's not always see the same hands

One, that's right

Whoever got one can stay after the show and clean the erasers

[Verse 8]

Hooray for New Math!

New Math

It won't do you a bit of good to review math

It's so simple

So very simple

That only a child can do it

[Verse 9]

Come back tomorrow night

We're gonna do fractions

Now, I've often thought I'd like to write

A mathematics textbook some day

Because I have a title that I know will sell a million copies

I'm gonna call it Tropic of Calculus

Written by: Tom Lehrer

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