Zero Gravity: The Lighter Side of Science

APS News Caption Contest Finalists

OK, we lied. In the April APS News, we said we’d post the best 3 captions for our readers to vote on. We thought we might get a dozen entries. Little did we suspect that the total would be 137. It’s true that two very prolific caption writers broke the rules and submitted way more than one entry per person, but we’re happy that 48 different people submitted entries, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. And of course the more ridiculous the better.

The range of opinion on what's funny extended not only to those submitting captions, but to those judging them. It has proved extraordinarily difficult to narrow the selection to five, much less three, but after an epic struggle we have decided on five captions as the finalists in our contest.

Voting ended at 11:59 pm EDT on August 31, 2008. The winner will be announced in the October APS News.

Caption Finalists

"I think you lost a minus sign." (David Kaz, Sommerville, MA)

Only in his 3rd year of teaching did the physics department become aware that Professor Wilberforce was actually a helium-filled balloon. (Roger Johnston, Argonne, IL)

Partway through their argument, Mary realizes that Albert does not understand the gravity of the situation. (Robert Collyer, Baton Rouge, LA)

"On our next date, can we please sit *next* to each other in the centrifuge?" (Elissa Dunn, New Haven, CT)

When I said you have potential as a physicist, I didn't mean mgh. (Loren Booda, Arlington, VA)