Physics Folk Songs

Subject: Physics Folk Songs
From: thespionage
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 05:22 PM

Prof. Walter F. Smith of Haverford College has a great Web site for all songs written about physics, many being folk! He was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered. You'll also see a Russ & Eli recording (I being half) of one of Prof. Smith's songs, under Snell's Law Song. Check out http://www.physicssongs.org.

Russ

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: GUEST,Mary in Kentucky
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 05:38 PM

These are hilarious.

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: Susan of DT
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 06:14 PM

A search of the DT for science yields 44 hits, some of which merely mention science, but there are quite a few good science songs/parodies (since both Dick and I are science types, we like this stuff).

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 10:34 PM

Rog had a good laugh over some of them, as did I, the ones I understand a little bit of! I did send the link on to my neice, who is a microbiologist. I am sure she'll get a kick out of some of them.

Thansk!

kat

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 11:01 PM

Thank you - great !!!

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 11:28 PM

Duely forwarded to my brother in law, the atomic chemist.

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: open mike
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 11:31 PM

greazt song guys and great smiles...your dentist must be proud of you!
I wonder if the sond NaCl by the Magarrigles would fit in? oh yes
that is chemistry not physics.

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: thespionage
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 12:18 PM

I'm you like the site! Do you know of any other Web sites like this one? The reason I ask is that I just wrote a grammar song last night.

Regarding "NaCl" I'm pretty sure it would count: Walter Smith did post songs like Tom Lehrer's "The Elements" based on "The Major General Song" from Pirates of Penzance.

Russ

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: Pauline L
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 12:52 PM

Does anyone know a song recorded eons ago by a British duo, Swann and Flanders (or Flanders and Swann) called "The Second Law of Thermodynamics"? Part of it goes

Heat will not of itself pass
From one body to a warmer body.

Of the songs on the website cited by thespionage, I especially like "Physicist's Twinkle." Twinkle is one of the first songs a beginning violin student learns to play, and as a violin teacher, I get pretty tired of it. This makes it all fresh.

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: Abuwood
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 12:57 PM

The First law of Thermodynamics.
Heat is work and work is heat
Heat is work and work is heat
Very Good.
The Second law of thermodynamics.
Heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body
Heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body
Heat won't pass from a cooler to a hotter
Heat won't pass from a cooler to a hotter
You can try it if you like but you'd far better not-a
You can try it if you like but you'd far better not-a
'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a rule-a
'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a rule-a
'Cos the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
'Cos the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
Heat is work and work is heat and work is heat and heat is work
Heat will pass by conduction and
Heat will pass by conduction and
Heat will pass by convection and
Heat will pass by convection and
Heat will pass by radiation
Heat will pass by radiation
And that's a physical law

Heat is work and work's a curse
And all the heat in the universe
Is gonna cool down,
'Cos it can't increase
Then there'll be no more work
And there'll be perfect peace
Really?
Yeah, that's entropy, Man.
And all because of the second law of thermodynamics which lays down:
That you can't pass heat from a cooler to a hotter
Try it if you like but you'd far better not-a
'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a rule-a
'Cos the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler

Oh, you can't pass heat from a cooler to a hotter
Try it if you like but you'll only look a fool-a
'Cos the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a rule-a
And that's a physical law
Oh, I'm hot
That's because you've been working!
Oh, Beatles, nothing!
That's the first and second laws of thermodynamics.

My daughter is a physicist

Subject: RE: Physics Folk Songs
From: Zhenya
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 01:56 PM

Thanks - just took a look at the physics carols -- really funny! (and you may actually learn (er...remember) something in the process of reading them!