About the Song Find the Longest Path
On 1 May 1988, Daniel Barrett wrote the song Find the Longest Path while
a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University during a difficult "Algorithms
II" final examination. He also recorded the song and it has been played at
several mathematics conferences.
The music is from the original song The Longest Time, while the original
artist is Billy Joel. Here are the lyrics:
Find the Longest Path
Woh, oh-oh-oh
Find the Longest Path
Woh oh-oh
Find the Longest Path
If you said P is NP tonight
There would still be papers left to write
I have a weakness
I'm addicted to completeness
And I keep searching for the longest Path
The algorithm I would like to see
Is of Polynoimal Degree
Buts its elusive,
Nobody has found conclusive
Evidence that we can find the Longest Path
I have been hard
Working for so long
I swear its right,
But he marks it wrong
Somehow I'll feel sorry when its done
GPA 2.1,
Is more than I hoped for
Garey, Johnson, Karp and other Men (and Women)
Try to make it Order n log n.
Am I a math fool
If I spend my life in Grad School
Forever following the Longest Path.
Woh oh-oh-oh
Find the longest path
Woh oh-oh-oh
Find the longest path