The Legend of Niels Bohr
This classic tale (true or not) reminds us that knowledge isn’t always measured by ticking boxes.
The story of Niels Bohr and the barometer reveals how creativity, reasoning & perspective can outshine memorised formulas.
It’s a brilliant reminder that tests rarely capture what a student really knows &
that imagination is often the key to unlocking deeper, more original answers.
This legend, the truth of which is not necessarily related to its value, concerns a question in a physics degree exam at the University of Copenhagen:
The Question
“Describe how to determine the height of a skyscraper using a barometer.”
One student replied:
“Take the barometer to the top of the building, tie a string to it, lower it to the ground, then measure the length of the string.”
This highly original answer so incensed the examiner that the student was failed immediately.
Thinking Beyond the Test
He appealed on the grounds that his answer was indisputably correct, and the university appointed an independent arbiter to decide the case.
The arbiter judged that the answer was indeed correct, but did not display any noticeable knowledge of physics.
To resolve the problem it was decided to call the student in and allow him six minutes in which to provide a verbal answer
which showed at least a minimal familiarity with the basic principles of physics.
For five minutes the student sat in silence, forehead creased in thought.
The arbiter reminded him that time was running out, to which the student replied that he had several extremely relevant answers,
but couldn't make up his mind which to use.
On being advised to hurry up the student replied as follows:
FIRSTLY,
you could take the barometer up to the roof of the skyscraper, drop it over the edge, and measure the time it takes to reach the ground.
The height of the building can then be worked out from the formula H = 0.5g x t squared. But bad luck on the barometer.
OR
if the sun is shining you could measure the height of the barometer, then set it on end and measure the length of its shadow.
Then you measure the length of the skyscraper's shadow, and thereafter it is simple matter of proportional arithmetic to work out the height of the skyscraper.
BUT
if you wanted to be highly scientific about it, you could tie a short piece of string to the barometer and swing it like a pendulum,
first at ground level and then on the roof of the skyscraper.
The height is worked out by the difference in the gravitational restoring force
T = 2 pi sq root(l / g).
OR
if the skyscraper has an outside emergency staircase, it would be easier to walk up it and mark off the height of the skyscraper in barometer lengths,
then add them up.
IF
you merely wanted to be boring and orthodox about it, of course, you could use the barometer to measure the air pressure on the roof of the skyscraper and on the ground, and convert the difference in millibars into feet to give the height of the building.
OR
since we are constantly being exhorted to exercise independence of mind and apply scientific methods, undoubtedly the best way would be to knock on the janitor's door and say to him 'If you would like a nice new barometer, I will give you this one if you tell me the height of this building."
Thinking Beyond the Test
When pressed to give a more “scientific” response, the student reportedly offered several, from timing a barometer drop to comparing shadow lengths.
Each was logical, creative, and valid, proving that the process of thinking is more revealing than the final mark.
Standardised testing loves right answers.
Real learning celebrates reasoning, flexibility, and imagination.
The student was Niels Bohr
the only Dane to win the Nobel prize for Physics.
Niels Bohr was one of the foremost scientists of modern physics, best known for his substantial contributions to quantum theory & his Nobel Prize-winning research on the structure of atoms.
The barometer question achieved the status of an urban legend; according to an internet meme,
the question was asked at the University of Copenhagen & the student was Niels Bohr.
Wikipedia
The American Journal of Physics and university teaching journals have referenced it as a legendary thought experiment, not a verified incident.
Triple Filter Test
Like Socrates Triple Filter Test, the Bohr story reminds us that truth & value depend on how we think, not just what we know.
Visual Literacy
Explore how meaning and interpretation work beyond words, in film, images & storytelling through Visual Literacy.
Super AI Assistants
AI can’t replace imagination,but it can help us see learning differently. Discover how AI Super Assistants supports deeper, more creative understanding not just the “right” answers.
Try the Super Thinker.
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