Math Haiku
There are many reasons I personally love to write, and as a math teacher, I love getting my students writing about math.
One easy way to do this is to have students write math-themed haiku. It’s a simple exercise, it gets students thinking about math in a different way, and the elegance and efficiency of the style is reminiscent of mathematics itself!
So enjoy some math-themed haiku from my Calculus students.
| Solving math problems
Getting lost along the way. You’re on the right track. |
Mathematicians
Must always seek out patterns To make connections. |
| Limit of a curve.
Tangent at infinity. Straight line asymptote. |
Triangles are shapes
They have sharp, pointy edges Don’t let them poke you. |
Got a good math haiku? Let’s hear it!
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14 Comments
Tao Wang (@MathLaoshi) · October 20, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Once Euler looked out
at seven bridges to cross.
“Can’t be done,” he said.
Anonymous Student · October 22, 2011 at 8:06 pm
See math everywhere
Welcome to Room 5N6
Home to Math Majors
Write five seven five
Hopefully you have noticed
Each of these is prime
I liked the haiku about Euler and the seven bridges problem, very original.
Cheri Smexi · October 25, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Math is easy now
calculators do the work
sit back and relax.
Timothy Ree · December 3, 2011 at 1:06 pm
A good haiku hides
the math in the imagery . . .
waves toward the shore
for example, two,
three gulls hovering above . . .
you, floating below.
UMD Math · January 17, 2012 at 7:29 pm
math applied creates
today’s society
but PhD calls
Mike Lawler · April 15, 2013 at 12:06 pm
Take as a given
That the statement in the haiku below
is false.
Please also accept
That the statement in the haiku above
is true.
Bill · April 22, 2019 at 6:22 pm
It’s a paradox. Goes on forever
Amy W. · July 26, 2013 at 4:16 am
I am a math professor at University of Alaska, and I am also working on an MFA in creative writing. For one of my MFA projects, I am working on editing and self-publishing a book of math haikus. Would it be alright if I included “Triangles are shapes / They have sharp, pointy edges / Don’t let them poke you.” from above? If so, what name should I credit?
Mao Ru · August 27, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Algebra is cool
Precalculus is awesome
Geometry sucks
Amy W · August 28, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Mao Ru: May I include your haiku in my book?
Mao Ru · August 28, 2013 at 9:59 pm
@Amy Y Yes
Amy W. · September 3, 2013 at 6:07 pm
thank you!
JMD · May 9, 2020 at 11:08 am
Math always sneaks in.
Consider proper Haiku:
It’s five, seven, five.
Amy · February 9, 2020 at 10:23 pm
Three point one four one
five nine two six five three five
eight nine and so on . . .