Lobachevsky (song)

"Lobachevsky" is a humorous song by Tom Lehrer, referring to the mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky. In the introduction, Lehrer describes the song as an adaptation of a routine that Danny Kaye did to honor the Russian actor Constantin Stanislavski. Lehrer sings the song from the point of a view of a preeminent Russian mathematician who learns, from Lobachevsky, that plagiarism is the secret of success in mathematics. The narrator later uses this strategy to get a paper published ahead of a rival, then to write a book and earn a fortune selling the movie rights. Lehrer wrote that he did not know Russian. In the song he quotes two book reviews in Russian, the actual text of which bears no relation: the first phrase quotes Mussorgsky's Song of the Flea: "Once there was a king who had a pet flea." The second references a Russian joke: "Now I must go where even the Tsar goes on foot" [the bathroom].

The song was first performed as part of The Physical Revue, a 1951–1952 musical revue by Lehrer and a few other professors. It is track 6 on Songs by Tom Lehrer, which was re-released as part of Songs & More Songs by Tom Lehrer and The Remains of Tom Lehrer; in that version Ingrid Bergman is cited as the hypotenuse of The Eternal Triangle. It was recorded again for Revisited (Tom Lehrer album), with Brigitte Bardot as the hypotenuse. A third recording is included in Tom Lehrer Discovers Australia (And Vice Versa), a live album recorded in Australia, featuring Marilyn Monroe as the hypotenuse. A fourth recording was made in 1966 when Songs by Tom Lehrer was reissued in stereo, featuring Doris Day as the hypotenuse.

Nikolai Lobachevsky

Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky (Russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Лобаче́вский; IPA: [nʲikɐˈlaj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ləbɐˈtɕɛfskʲɪj]; 1 December [O.S. 20 November] 1792 – 24 February [O.S. 12 February] 1856) was a Russian mathematician and geometer, known primarily for his work on hyperbolic geometry, otherwise known as Lobachevskian geometry.

William Kingdon Clifford called Lobachevsky the "Copernicus of Geometry" due to the revolutionary character of his work.

Life

Nikolai Lobachevsky was born either in or near the city of Nizhny Novgorod in the Russian Empire (now in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia) in 1792 to parents of Polish origin – Ivan Maksimovich Lobachevsky and Praskovia Alexandrovna Lobachevskaya. He was one of three children. His father, a clerk in a land surveying office, died when he was seven, and his mother moved to Kazan. Lobachevsky attended Kazan Gymnasium from 1802, graduating in 1807 and then received a scholarship to Kazan University, which was founded just three years earlier in 1804.

Lobachevsky (disambiguation)

Lobachevsky was the Russian mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky (1792–1856).

Lobachevsky, Lobachevskiy, Lobachevskij, or Lobachevsk also may refer to:

See also

Lobachevskiy

Lobachevskiy is a lunar impact crater that is located on the far side of the Moon, beyond the eastern limb. This crater lies to the southeast of the larger crater Fleming. Less than a crater diameter to the east-northeast lies Guyot.

This is a well-formed crater with features that have not been significantly eroded since Lobachevskiy was first formed. The rim and inner wall are nearly free of significant overlapping impacts, although the satellite crater Lobachevskiy M is attached to the southern outer rim. The inner walls display terrace features, along with some slumping along the upper edge.

Near the midpoint of the interior floor is a pair of central peaks, with one to the southeast and the other to the northwest of the middle. To the east of these peaks is a relatively bright, high-albedo patch that is most likely the result of a recent small impact.

Two dark ribbons of material apparently emanate from the base of a small crater in the western wall of Lobachevskiy, and this was observed on the Apollo 16 mission.

Song

A song is a single (and often standalone) work of music intended to be sung by the human voice with distinct and fixed pitches and patterns using sound and silence and a variety of forms that often include the repetition of sections. Written words created specifically for music or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs in a simple style that are learned informally are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical composers for concert performances. Songs are performed live and recorded. Songs may also appear in plays, musical theatre, stage shows of any form, and within operas.

& (disambiguation)

&, or ampersand, is a typographic symbol.

& may also refer to:

Song (airline)

Song, LLC was a low-cost air service within an airline brand owned and operated by Delta Air Lines from 2003 to 2006.

Song's main focus was on leisure traffic between the northeastern United States and Florida, a market where it competed with JetBlue Airways. It also operated flights between Florida and the West Coast, and from the Northeast to the west coast.

Song's aircraft were fitted with leather seats and free personal entertainment systems at every seat, with audio MP3 programmable selections, trivia games that could be played against other passengers, a flight tracker, and satellite television (provided by the DISH Network). Song offered free beverages, but charged for meals and liquor. Both brand-name snack boxes and healthy organic meals were offered. The flight safety instructions were sung or otherwise artistically interpreted, depending on the cabin crew. In addition to crew uniforms designed by Kate Spade, customized cocktails created by nightlife impresario Rande Gerber and an in-flight exercise program designed by New York City fitness guru David Barton, the airline created its own distinct mark in the industry. The Song brand was placed on more than 200 flights a day which carried over ten million passengers.