TO HER FRIENDS SAID THE BRIGHT ONE IN CHATTER
To her friends said the Bright one in chatter,
“I have learned something new about matter:
My speed was so great,
Much increased was my weight,
Yet I failed to become any fatter!”
~~~ A. H. Reginald Buller (1874-1944)
(Note: Mass increases with velocity in Alfred Einstein’s special theory of relativity.)
William S. Baring-Gould, The Lure of the Limerick: An Uninhibited History (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1967): 6.
A. H. Reginald Buller was an accomplished mycologist who lead the life of a bachelor professor. His is a fascinating story. Read more about The Poet-Scientist of Mushroom City. Online version of the poem was found here: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/303.html
Yeesh. When did it become Physics Friday?
(Very cool, actually — what was your source material? Is it from a book of scientific verse?)
Yikes – thanks for reminding me. It was too early when I posted. I added the source. I found it at a Canadian university site. This guy was really interesting.
It’s not like I thought you were derelict for not posting the source — I was just curious since I hoped to check it out further!
Oh I didn’t think you were dinging me but I DO usually put the source up there and forgot.
Fun stuff. I remember this one from my childhood. I think my uncle taught it to me. It’s also Butler:
There was a young lady named Bright,
Whose speed was far faster than light.
She went out one day,
In a relative way,
And returned the previous night!
If I remember correctly, not only does mass increase but length contracts, so the lady would actually grow slimmer.
a question!
can you do a poem with phisic word in it but make it do with st patricks day?
Thanks