Anatomy of a Firework

There's more to a fireworks display than meets the eye. This interactive activity from the NOVA Web site looks at the technology behind each burst of light.

Birth of a Supernova, Type II

In this interactive activity from NOVA Online, learn about a type of exploding star — a Type II supernova — that is so large it has a mass 10 times greater than the mass of our Sun.

Blacker Than Black

In this video adapted from NASA, two members of a NASA research team working to produce carbon nanotubes share some background behind this new technology, show examples of how it will be useful, and explain the various tests being performed to ensure readiness for spaceflight.

Chemical Bonds

This interactive activity developed for Teachers' Domain demonstrates how attractive forces between atoms create chemical bonds, resulting in the formation of molecules and compounds.

Discovering Air

Our understanding about the air we breathe has changed dramatically through time. This illustrated timeline from the NOVA Web site tracks the changing thought on air and the creation of the Periodic Table of the Elements.

The Elements: Forged in Stars

The story of how elements from lithium to uranium are created by stars is illustrated through animation and a hands-on periodic table in this video segment adapted from NOVA.

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Elements of Steel

This resource from the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Web site, which contains both an interactive activity and illustrated text, looks at the composition of different types of steel and their impact on technology.

Fireworks! Lifting Charge

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, learn how pyrotechnicians use common compounds to blast fireworks into the sky and give them shape.

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Fireworks! Making Color

What gives a fireworks display its brilliant blue, green, and red colors? Learn how pyrotechnicians give fireworks color in this video segment adapted from NOVA.

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Graphing the Periodic Table

This interactive activity from the American Chemical Society presents the properties and electron configurations for all the elements in the periodic table. Discover patterns by plotting the elements' properties according to their place in the table.

Igniting Chemistry in Fireworks

Students learn about the concepts of spectral chemistry, combustion, and the nature of fire through the use of visually rich fireworks resources. Optional resources address chemical reactions for those who want a more advanced chemistry lesson.

Island of Stability

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, follow scientists in their quest to understand how stable elements are made and how to create the elusive element 114.

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The Origin of the Elements

This video segment adapted from NOVA explains the origin of the elements and how scientists use unique element profiles to identify supernova types.

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The Periodic Table of the Elements

Students learn about the origin of the modern periodic table of the elements and how to extract information from it.

Periodic Table of the Elements

This interactive periodic table developed for Teachers' Domain provides detailed information about the chemical properties of elements and illustrates the electron configurations that determine those characteristics.

Periodic Table of the Elements Chart

This downloadable periodic table of elements, produced for Teachers' Domain, provides easy, transportable access to a wealth of chemical information, including the oxidation state number of each element.

Periodic Table of the Elements essay

This essay, written for Teachers' Domain, describes the foresight and pattern recognition that Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev used to develop the modern periodic table of elements.

Pyrotechnics: It's Elemental

In this interactive periodic table from the NOVA Web site, find out the role of various elements in making fireworks.

Quantum Mechanical Atom

This illustrated essay, written for Teachers' Domain, describes the orderly arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom and explains how to determine each element's configuration based on the number of electrons it has.

Quantum Mechanics

Are electrons particles or waves? This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey looks at the intense debate surrounding the understanding of electron configuration.

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