We've seen how the "Generate Line" feature at rap lyric writing tool RapPad can bring about unexpected poetry when paired with famous first lines from literature, but these serendipitous paths through form and meaning can be found in hard sciences as well. For the STEM crowd, here are 12 pairings of rap lyrics and postulates that drop science while dropping science.
1. GEOMETRY / TYLER, THE CREATOR
The shortest distance between two points is a straight lineIn a turtle neck, thermal jeans, spit purple wine(Geometry, "Cult Sh*t")
2. ARITHMETIC / WALE
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The whole is greater than the partAnd my bank account look just like a phone card(Arithmetic, "Globetrotter")
3. PHYSICS / WALE
Distance equals rate times timeI don't shop in the public, ain't finna wait in line(Physics, "White Linen (Coolin)")
4. GEOMETRY / GREG STREET
Every angle has a unique bisectorTrade in my white tee for a tie and a sweater(Geometry, "Dope Boys")
5. GEOMETRY / 2PAC
a^2 plus b^2 equals c^2I'm gettin blitzed and reminisce on all the times we shared(Geometry, "I Ain't Mad At Cha")
6. GEOMETRY / KID CUDI
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An isosceles triangle has two equal sidesBut the love from the boppers had him watchin' they rise(Geometry, "Is There Any Love")
7. PHYSICS / WALE
To every force, there is another with the same magnitude, acting in the opposite directionBut little to no interest after election(Physics, "Letter")
8. ASTROPHYSICS / YC
The speed of light in vacuum is a universal constantInked up on my hands and arms, got them jams in my pocket(Astrophysics, "Racks")
9. FLUID DYNAMICS / SIR MIX-A-LOT
The buoyant force exerted on an object immersed in a fluidIs equal to the weight of the fluid that object displacedWhen a girl walks in with a itty bitty waist(Fluid dynamics, "Baby Got Back")
10. PHYSICS / TALIB KWELI
As the mass of an object is increased,The acceleration of the object is decreased.More clearer than the crystal sky, blue as the beast(Physics, "The Nature")
11. FLUID DYNAMICS / J. COLE
Where the velocity of a fluid is high, the pressure is lowWhere the velocity is low, the pressure is high.You can pick apart my raps, I ain't told ya na' lie(Fluid dynamics, "Back to the Topic")
12. THERMODYNAMICS / TYLER, THE CREATOR
Natural processes tend to move towardA state of greater disorder or greater entropy'preme hat the color of a leprechaun with leprosy(Thermodynamics, "Sandwitches")
Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.
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