In the Short Story above, we asked Josh what he would be if he weren't a mathematician and Josh says he'd have liked to have been a musician. In Tom Lehrer's case it really was true and mathematics became part of his musical routine. This song is about plagiarism in maths. Many of you might know it. And even if you don't, you might recognise it.

Lehrer gave up music in the early 70s to concentrate on teaching maths. He died earlier this year at the age of 97.

Here are the lyrics. Thanks to Gillian Grindstaff for the suggestion.

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Posted on 25 Sep 2025, 3:23pm. Please contact us with feedback and comments about this page.