258K views · Feb 14, 2013 · 4:21 · 2 HN recommenders · 4 mentions · discussed 2020–2024
Flanders and Swann perform 'First and Second Law', a comic song about the laws of thermodynamics, from their 1964 stage show At the Drop of Another Hat. It sets the first and second laws to a deadpan call-and-response routine.
Why Hacker News points people here: HN brings it up whenever thermodynamics or entropy comes up, as the classic comic explanation of the laws.
“The classic Flanders and Swann explanation”HN comment, 2024
“True, but they did one on thermodynamics”
Flanders and Swann's comedic song about thermodynamics.
> While they don't have the science/maths background that makes Lehrer an obvious win for the HN crowd, True, but they did one on thermodynamics this video
“The classic Flanders and Swann explanation”
Classic comic explanation of the laws of thermodynamics.
The classic Flanders and Swann explanation: this video Excerpts: No one can consider themsleves educated who doesn't understand the basic language of science - Boyle's law: the greater the external pressure the greater the volume of hot air. I was someone shocked to learn my partner not only doesn't understand the 2nd law of thermodynamics, he doesn't even understand the first! : Heat won't pass from the cooler to hotter! You can try it if you like but you'd far better notta! M: Heat is work and work's a curse M: And all the heat in the universe M: Is gonna cool down, M: 'Cos it can't increase M: Then there'll be no more work M: And there'll be perfect peace D: Really? M: Yeah, that's entropy, Man.
“heat don't move from a cooler to a hotter”
The claim is that the walls can be hotter than the room around it. By the second law of thermodynamics, heat doesn't naturally move from a cooler object to a hotter object, or as Flanders and Swann would put it, "heat don't move from a cooler to a hotter" ( this video ) [1]
“Thank you, Flanders and Swann!”
"Heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body." Thank you, Flanders and Swann! this video
