In this series, I’m compiling some of the quips and one-liners that I’ll use with my students to hopefully make my lessons more memorable for them.

Today’s entry is courtesy of Season 1 of The Simpsons. I’ll tell this joke just after introducing derivatives to my calculus students. Here is some dialogue from the episode “Bart The Genius”:

Teacher:  So y = r cubed over 3. And if you determine the rate of change in this curve correctly, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
[The class laughs except for Bart who appears confused.]
Teacher:  Don’t you get it, Bart? Derivative dy = 3 r squared dr over 3, or r squared dr, or r dr r. Har-de-har-har!  Get it?

For a more detailed listing of mathematical references, I highly recommend http://www.simpsonsmath.com (or http://mathsci2.appstate.edu/~sjg/simpsonsmath/), maintained by Dr. Sarah J. Greenwald of Appalachian State University and Dr. Andrew Nestler of Santa Monica College.