The Music of Physics

Ever heard of a physics sing-along? Well, Professor Walter Smith leads one every year at the American Physical Society meeting.

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That’s Professor of Physics Walter Smith at the microphone, belting out a tune during the annual Physics Sing-Along at the March meeting of the American Physical Society (APA).  Years ago, in a collaboration with his wife Marian McKenzie, Smith began writing songs about physics that he used as a teaching tool in his classes. (Among their creations: “Divine Einstein,” sung to the tune of “I’m Lookin’ Over a Four-Leaf Clover;” and “The Photon and the Wave,” sung to the tune of “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” ) About eight years ago, Smith brought his tunes to the APA and launched the sing-along as a social event.  Read more about it in a post on the Physics Buzz Blog, which called the gathering of singing scientists  “one of the most awesomely nerdy things I’ve ever seen.”
Watch video of the performance below, or listen to a podcast of it here.