Today's tip features a maths lecture by Tom Lehrer in 1997. Hear him say, 'I suppose when people think of Harvard and mathematics these days, they think of Ted Kozinski.' Snork. This musical lecture was given on the occasion of Irving "Kaps" Kaplansky's 80th Birthday Celebration. What a way to remember your professor.

'MIT didn't have a sociology department – they hadn't sunk that low.'

Most people probably don't think of Tom Lehrer and maths first, although he WAS first and foremost a mathematician. More likely, we remember him for such political satire as 'We'll All Go Together When We Go', which is here, briefly, danced to.

You might, however, remember Lehrer's great contribution to science and mnemonics, which involves singing the Periodic Table to the tune of 'Model of a Modern Major General'. Here is the Lego version.

Lehrer's music will never die, not while serious musicians possess a sense of humour. An old favourite of mine, Lehrer's 'Irish Ballad', is here given a suitably high-class treatment by mezzo soprano Ann Murray.

He's snarky, he's musical, he's intellectual. And I remember visiting people's dorm rooms at uni to listen to him on a turntable. Nice to know they're still listening.