Singing Science

udderly writes " Wired is running a story about a University of Washington biology lecturer, Greg Crowther, who sings lectures. From the article: 'Crowther bursts into song to the melody of Sugar Sugar, the bubble-gum '60s tune - "Glucose, ah sugar sugar / You are my favorite fuel from the bloodborne substrate pool / Glucose -- monosaccharide sugar -- you're sweeter than a woman's kiss / 'cause I need you for glycolysis."' In college I used many different types of devices to help memorize information like this. Crowther has a page where you can download samples. Among my favorites are The Krebs Cycle and Come On Down (The Electron Transport Chain)."

Comments

Mnemonics

[Shimmer]

I'm all for using mnemonics to remember somewhat arbitrary information (Roy G. Biv, Every Good Boy Deserves Fish), but not for semantic cramming. If you need a song to understand the difference between glucose and fructose, then why bother taking the course in the first place? You're just going to forget everything you learned as soon as you complete the final exam.

Re:Mnemonics

[ltwally]

"If you need a song to understand the difference between glucose and fructose, then why bother taking the course in the first place?"

Many of us were forced to take non-major classes that we had no interest in, in order to get our degrees. I'm going to hazard a guess that you either never attended an institution of higher-education, or you attended a technical/trade school.

Also, one of the reasons that universities force you to learn so many things that you will later forget is so that your future employer knows that you are capable of learning these things. The knowledge itself is often secondary to the ability to acquire that knowledge.

It really works too unfortunately,

[technoextreme]

I can't get this dam song out of my head about snells. Signing n sub 1 sin theta sub 1 signing n sub 2 sin theta sub 2. Gosh darn it. I don't even remember the entire sign only the dam formula. Anway, here is a website from which I found the songs.
http:http://www.haverford.edu/physics-astro/songs/ >
Ps. I just had one of those I have no life epathanies.

My favourite learning song

[jurt1235]

My favourite for learning to count in bin:

1100011 bottles of beer on the wall, 1100011 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 1100010 bottles of beer on the wall.
1100010 bottles of beer on the wall, 1100010 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 1100001 bottles of beer on the wall.
etc etc etc