"s is one half gt 2"
Words and Music by Tom Lehrer

copyright (c) 1951

This recording is posted here with permission from Tom Lehrer, Prof. Norman Ramsey (who made the recording), and all the cast members who are still living. You are encouraged to download it for your own use, and to notify others of the URL (web address) for this page, or the more general URL of this site.

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Sung by Lewis M. Branscomb and Munro S. Edmonson, piano by Tom Lehrer. Technical notes on the recording.

Explanation of the physics in this song

Introductory Dialog: (spoken by the "Professor")
Now, with your permission, I'll attempt to summarize the fundamentals that this course has tried to emphasize:

Professor
sung by Lewis M. Branscomb

s is one-half gt 2
PV equals nRT
KE is one half mv 2
and T is 2 pi times the square root of L/g.

,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
.

Student (Anthropology major)
sung by Munro S. Edmonson

.
.
.
.
.
I try my level best, and I cram for every test,
And I do all my work without delaying,
I'm certainly not lazy but I think I'll soon go crazy,
'Cause I don't understand a word he's saying.
I hope they overlook this course,
For why I ever took this course,
Will always be a mystery to me.
But still I wish I knew,
Just what the Dean will do,
If I don't get a C.

The force is mass
times acceleration
Yes, the force is the mass
times the acceleration, or
more precisely, the time
derivative of the linear momentum.
.
s is one-half gt 2
.
PV equals nRT
.
KE is one half mv 2
.

and T is 2 pi times the square root of L/g.
I think he said the force
I know that word, of course
It's all becoming clear
But it's too late, I fear.
.
There he goes again!
.
I try my level best, and I cram for every test,
And I do all my work without delaying,
I'm certainly not lazy but I think I'll soon go crazy,
'Cause I don't understand a word he's saying.
I hope they overlook this course,
For why I ever took this course,
Will always be a mystery to me.
But still I wish I knew,
Just what the Dean will do,
If I don't get a C.
By g, by g,
Square root of L by g
(Encore: repeat from second verse)
A C, a C
If I don't get a C.
(Encore: repeat from second verse)

 

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