Ditties for dorks: Physics institute compiles 'ultimate science playlist'

For those who say artists have a hard time with science, the Perimeter Institute would have you think again.

The theoretical physics institute in Waterloo, Ont., has published a summer soundtrack of science-savvy songs, from a ditty about the periodic table to a Kate Bush ode where she sings more than a hundred digits of pi.

The list includes at least one tune by an astrophysicist the song '39 by British rock band Queen, whose lead guitarist, Brian May, completed a PhD in 2007.

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"All you need is the right soundtrack to your next road trip, backyard barbeque, or day at the beach," the institute says on its website."Kick back, listen to these tunes, and you'll finish the summer even brighter than you started!"

The Perimeter Institute's nerdy numbers compare favourably against lists of pop songs that have gotten science wrong.

Take the Fleetwood Mac song Dreams, for instance, with its line "Thunder only happens when it's raining." Not true: In phenomena known as a dry thunderstorms and dry microbursts, either no precipitation is produced or it falls from a cloud but evaporates before it hits the ground.

Or take Jay Z's verse ".38 revolve like the sun round the Earth," from his song It's Hot (Some Like It Hot). No need to explain that one.

The Perimeter Institute's list touches on science subjects like fractals and the nuclear fusion in stars. There's also the epic, nine-minute piece Natural Science by Canadian rockers Rush that weaves in lyrics about cosmology and evolution.

Click here to see, and listen to, the complete "Ultimate Science Playlist."