English

PLANETAMOS, A Physics Show Musical (Phyusical)

Popular Physics 2022-01-27 v1 Physics Education

Abstract

We present a physics show musical with live physics experiments and live performed songs with live orchestral accompaniment. The musical was first put on stage in German at the Physikalische Institut, University of Bonn, on the 24th of March, 2019. Here we present the original German script as well as an English translation, including a translation of the songs. We also give brief descriptions of all the experiments employed, with photos as well as how we present the experiments. The musical tells the story of a couple, Life and Death, nicknamed Vita and Mortis, who want to buy a planet where they can settle down and raise a family. They arrive at the store Planetamos, run by the manager Luna Callisto and the scientist Jupi Mercury. The latter two present to Vita and Mortis what is required for life on a planet, as well as all of the extra features for sale, to make it that very special place for their family. Through Vita and Mortis the audience learns about the physical requirements for life on a planet orbiting a star. The show involves 14 live physics experiments. The four actors sing 7 songs, which are to well-known tunes with new lyrics, in German. During the show the singers are accompanied by a small live orchestra, consisting of a flute, an oboe, a piano, a violin, a cello, a harp and percussion. The show was developed by the University of Bonn physics students, who have all been very active in the University of Bonn Physics Show (Physikshow der Universitaet Bonn) the past few years. To the best of our knowledge this is the first physics show musical with live experiments and live song and orchestra.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2201.10968,
  title  = {PLANETAMOS, A Physics Show Musical (Phyusical)},
  author = {Lara Becker and Erik Busley and Jakob Dietl and Herbi K. Dreiner and Till Fohrmann and Kathrin Grunthal and Jana Heysel and Finn Jaekel and Kristoffer Kerkhof and Michael Kortmann and Barbara Leibrock and Viola Middelhauve and Steffi Moll and David Ohse and Johann Ostmeyer and Laura Rodríguez Gómez and Christoph Schürmann and Anne Stockhausen and Joshua Streichhahn and Carsten Urbach and Heinrich von Campe and Alexandra Wald and Laura Weber and Inga Woeste},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2201.10968},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

86 pages, 18 figures

R2 v1 2026-06-24T09:03:46.037Z