Poetry in Math: CDNIS Grade 8 Algebra Unit

How is language essential in Math?

AOI: Human Ingenuity

What? Poetry in Math, you say? Yes indeed! Before we had algebra, math problems were written in verse,
or poetry, form. One of the most famous texts of this sort was the Lilavati, written by Bhaskara, a famous
Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer. Please read the attached handout for more on Bhaksara.
An example of the problems found in this text is:

A fifth part of a swarm of bees came to rest

on the flower of Kadamba,
a third on the flower of Silinda.
Three times the difference between these two numbers
flew over a flower of Krutaja,
and one bee alone remained in the air,
attracted by the perfume of a jasmine in bloom.
Tell me, beautiful girl, how many bees were in the swarm?

We will solve this later, but first, try your luck with this simple problem poem Ms. Daniels created:

A pod of dolphins, swimming in the sea,

through the water they glide so elegant and free.
The sum of the square of their number and four
Gives twenty dear child, not less and not more.
Now say, my student, so smart and so brave,
Can you find the number
Of dolphins in the waves?

1. Find out what it is you are solving for, choose a variable to represent that.
2. Remember,

If you see words like… Use…

increased by, more than, combined, together,
total of, sum, added to, plus, add, larger, greater Addition
than
decreased by, minus, less, difference, fewer,
Subtraction
subtract, negative, reduce, diminish
times, multiplied by, product of, of Multiplication
per, out of, goes into, share equally, average,
Division
divided, a certain number of parts
is/are/were, gives, yields, results in, equal to,
Equal
makes…

In this unit you will be creating your own poem, styled after a Lilavati verse.

Your final solution must include:

1. An ALGEBRAIC PROBLEM- remember in algebra we use unknowns, or variables. You might

want to write out the problem first, then choose the words you will use.
o Poetic!! Your poem must be pleasing to the ear- you can rhyme, use fancy words, whatever
you wish, just use your imagination! Use the table above as well as the charts in your text
on pages 59 and 61 for ideas on words to use
o Beautifully illustrated. Your poem will be written on A4 and should be neat, colorful, and
creative. Solvable! You must have a solution to your problem.
2. A TRANSLATION TABLE of the line-by-line translation from English words to Algebra (refer
to example).
3. A detailed, STEP-BY-STEP SOLUTION to your algebraic problem
4. A reflection answering the following questions:
 a. Are there any other ways that you could have solved your problem? If so, show them! If
not, explain why not (BEDMAS?)
b. Does your answer make sense in the context of your poem? (If your answer is 2, it wouldn't
make very much sense if you were talking about the number of stars in the sky!)

We will be choosing the top poems from each Math class to include in our very own CDNIS Grade 8
Lilavati text. Do your best!
You will be assessed on criterion A (Knowledge and Understanding), C (Communication), and D
(Reflection)- see rubrics below.

Have Fun!!