Harold & Kumar, The Square Root of Three

I saw “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” tonight. Pretty funny, but not as good as “Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle” in my opinion. The end is terribly anticlimactic. NPH does a good job, though. Mmm, unicorns.

Kumar does recite a poem by David Feinberg, “The Square Root of Three,” which I thought bears more attention since it’s my kind of dorky. Props to FilmChat for having a copy.

I fear that I will always be
A lonely number like root three

The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality

When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three

Has quietly come waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands

Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

:-)

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Just saw the clip on YouTube again – some slight modifications based on Kumar’s recitation:

    Line 1: instead of “I’m sure that I will always be”, it’s “I fear that I will always be”

    Line 13: instead of “As quietly co-waltzing by”, it’s “Has quietly come waltzing by”

    Thanks!

  • i love this!:)

    • this is a good poem from the movie that i love the best and i really think that its a good thing to say to someone that you love.

  • Edits are made, thanks for the corrections!

  • Awsm ;)

  • damn i liked that part of da movie, cuz it totally make sense, who ever thought that math and love could ever meet :P

    its gr8

  • I love it!
    thanks for posting..

  • I love this!!!!!!!!!!

  • This is cute :)
    I lovve it!

  • this is such a great poem, and it reminds me of my taylor
    iloveyoubabe<33

  • so very sweet, and the turn of each rhymes just takes the poem into different layers every few utterance

  • The poem is really great. I love the rhythm and the lyrics.How great mathematician yon are.

  • this is feakin sick. i wish i maid this up.

  • RHOMBUS!

  • aw. i love this poem.
    the movie was really fun and i was like enjoying myself, but then when i watched the part when kumar recited this poem, i was really amazed.
    im also fond of writing poems and i never thought that math concepts could also produce a lovely poem. aw. this poem is so great, that both intellect and emotions made a good harmony.

  • last line… instead of Your love.. it’s And love for me…

  • Jus LUv It

  • a bit reminiscent of math acapella group Klein 4…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTby_e4-Rhg

  • Awesome poem!!!!
    I love it :-)
    The way Kumar recites the poem is very nice.
    You need to feel this poem rather than just understanding it.

  • Hate math. Loved the poem.

  • a good poem that I like . Often mathematetians need these literary descriptions;

  • A good poem that I like .Often mathematitians need these literary descriptions.

  • I really really love this poem. it makes me crazy when i heard it!!!

  • i like the poem!!!

  • can someone please explain how root 3 relates to love … like i love this but don’t really get it

    • Im not sure if you’re just trolling, but whatever. The square root of three is an irrational number, which is being compared to someone who may be “odd”, or their relationships with normal people are differing from the norm. Their differences prevent them from falling in love like “regular” people (numbers that are perfect squares). However, when the square root of three is multiplied by the square root of three, it forms 3, which is a regular number. The joining of these two irregularities create a perfect number, but only if it is the exact same irregularities. This is a metaphor for true love, and two people being “made for each other.” Hope this helped :)

  • That was a well constructed response to the question of how the sqrt 3 relates to love…excellent! I’m reading that exact question and response for my speech tomorrow for my fiances bday. If u wana gimme ur name I can quote u….odawise…ull be anonymous…and life goes on…LOL…:) but great stuff. Its reli nice to find something fitting to relate to in life…all da best

  • Addicted to thìs poem too much…
    Love it…

  • Its a 3.14159265

  • The poem can be updated to include the actual method Archimedes used …

    http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=7943785

    as expanded to the square root of 5, 6, 6 and any rational number.

  • A broader discussion of Egyptian, Greek and medieval square root is found on

    http://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/EgyptianAndGreekSquareRoot.html

    not the doubling of the divisor, first square root estimate, such that the

    first error can be reduced my inverting the doubled divisor and multiplying …

    fun stuff … easy to use too ..

    Enjoy

  • oops, I hate typos

    A broader discussion of Egyptian, Greek and medieval square root is found on

    http://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/EgyptianAndGreekSquareRoot.html

    NOTE, the second step. the doubling of the divisor, first square root estimate, such

    that the first error is reduced BY inverting the doubled divisor and multiplying …

    fun stuff … easy to use too ..