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Tom Lehrer - New Math (Animated)

Jared Khan · comedy · Watch on YouTube

Satire & parodyMusic performance & songsEducation & learning

What it is

An amateur animation of Tom Lehrer's satirical song New Math, which pokes fun at 1960s math teaching and subtraction in base 8. The animation illustrates the old and new subtraction methods.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN brings it up whenever curriculum fads or Common Core complaints appear, as a funny precedent from the 1960s.

  • 4 people recommended it
  • 3 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2013, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “My favorite Tom Lehrer song is probably New Math.”

    Clever, rapid-fire satire that still sounds fresh

    MrMember, 2018-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Tom Lehrer at 90: a life of scientific satire”

  2. “Worth a listen.”

    Tom Lehrer's song on 1960s New Math and base 8

    mturmon, 2013-11 · Recommendation · in “A ridiculous Common Core test for first graders”

  3. “Here's a good animated version of the song that shows the different methods.”

    Animated version showing the different subtraction methods in the song

    123894893, 2024-05 · Recommendation · in “Why did Tom Lehrer swap fame for obscurity?”

  4. “I think the song is very funny and charming”

    Shows the old and new subtraction methods side by side

    OskarS, 2024-05 · Recommendation · in “Why did Tom Lehrer swap fame for obscurity?”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: tom lehrer, new math, satire, math education, base 8

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