The Washington Post has put together an interesting example of the intersection between hyper–nerdy math and the age old question of selling out. The article posits a formula that looks at songs licensed for commercials and evaluates the level of selling out based on factors like the disconnect between the client and the band, the sacredness of the song, the "underground" nature of the band, artistic reputation, the artist's wealth and the time since the song came out.

Example number one is the Clash's "London Calling" which was licensed to Jaguar for a car commercial. The combination of the Clash's integrity, the age of the song, and other details led to a score over 100. Conversely, the chart look's at Fall Out Boy's licensing of music to Circuit City and based on the band's integrity and other factors gives the sell out ranking in the low teens.

Besides those songs, the equation also analyzes the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" (Nissan), Bob Dylan's Victoria Secret commercial and more.

IT even will let you calculate your own or see other people's ratings. You can check out the story here.