Songs about physics can help students to remember critical concepts and formulas, but perhaps more importantly they communicate the lesson that physics can be fun. They certainly help to establish an informal classroom atmosphere, in which even shy students are willing to ask questions.

The songs may also activate a different part of the students' brains. In 1983, Howard Gardner advanced the theory that each person has many different kinds of intelligence (Frames of Mind : The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books). His original list had seven categories: verbal/linguistic, mathematical/logical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Songs about physics link into the musical aspect of intelligence, helping many students to build a richer "knowledge tree" relating to the concept being taught, and thus promoting better retention.