100's Day

What does 100 look like? Sound like? Feel like? In this video from Curious George, explore the many ways to measure 100 things.

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3D Space: Illusion or Reality?

This video excerpt from NOVA’s "The Fabric of the Cosmos: What Is Space?" reveals new data about black holes that has led to a new idea about the universe: Instead of everything being a three-dimensional object, it’s possible that everything is actually just a hologram.

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Accidental Discoveries

This segment from Swift: Eyes through Time traces the history military officers and engineers discovering a strange phenomenon in the sky that astronomers now know are gamma-ray bursts.

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Acids and Bases: Cabbage Juice Indicator

In this video segment, the ZOOM cast demonstrates how to use cabbage juice to find out if a solution is an acid or a base.

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Acids and Bases: Making a Film Canister Rocket

In this video segment, ZOOM cast members mix different amounts of baking soda and vinegar to see which combination produces the most carbon dioxide for launching a film-canister rocket.

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Acids and Bases: Testing Rocket Cars

In this ZOOM video segment, cast members make bottle rocket cars using lemon juice and baking soda, and experiment with different ways of launching the cars.

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Acids and Bases: Testing Rockets

What happens when you mix baking soda and lemon juice? Watch the ZOOM cast launch a rocket using kitchen chemistry.

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Airborne Wind Energy

The strongest and most consistent winds are found in the jet stream as high as 30,000 feet above the earth. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn about the benefits and challenges of wind energy.

Air Power: Experimenting with Balloons

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members experiment with the amount of air expelled first from a balloon, then through a straw attached to it, and see how both affect a balloon's behavior.

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Air Power: Making a Hovercraft

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members make their own hovercraft and demonstrate how the air leaking out of a balloon can make a plastic plate hover above a table.

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Arch Bridge

This video segment adapted from Building Big illustrates the strength of the arch in bridge design and construction.

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Astronomy Theories

This video segment from Swift: Eyes through Time deals with the advancement of science through changing existing ideas, refuting outdated theories, and incorporating new findings.

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Atomic Arrangements in Solids

This video/animation asks the question "So if the same molecules are in the solid, liquid, and vapor forms of water, why are their properties so different?" The properties of a material are affected not just by the kinds of atom in it, but also by how they are arranged, and how free they are to move around. Forms of carbon are introduced, from graphite to buckyballs.

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Atomic Structure of an Alloy

Learn about the atomic structure of bronze, a copper alloy, in this video excerpt from NOVA: "Hunting the Elements."

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Atoms: The Space Between

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey takes a look at the scale of the atom and the tremendous amount of space between the electrons and the nucleus. If all this empty space exists in matter, how can any substance be solid?

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Balloon Brain: Designing a Helmet

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members are challenged to design protective headgear for a water balloon using what they know about the properties of the materials available.

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Basketball Physics

In this video from DragonflyTV, Jai and Jonathan track, graph, and analyze the motion of basketball shots as they investigate what factors influence the accuracy of their game.

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Bend, Twist and Break: Beyond the Laboratory

Dr. Chris Muhlstein explains that when scientists study fracture surfaces from controlled experiments to understand the resulting shapes and features, they can use their understanding to deduce what happened when they were not around to see the material fail or break. Further they can predict what will have to a larger or smaller piece of material under stress. This process is how scientists and engineers translate a lab experiment into a design for an airplane, bridge or even a bike frame.

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Bend, Twist and Break: Breaking Glass

Dr. Chris Muhlstein explains that researchers learn about the scientific basis for failure of materials by running experiments in the lab, using a simple shape like a glass rod to calculate the strength of material and predict its failure. The same tests can be done at the micro and nano scale using tiny specimens. Students can run a similar experiment with a bar of chocolate.

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Bend, Twist and Break: Fracture Surfaces

Dr. Chris Muhlstein explains that fracture surfaces can reveal how and why a material has failed. An image of a fracture surface has features or shapes that we can use to understand where a material failed and why. Scientists use an optical microscope or a scanning electron microscope to read a fracture surface at high magnifications, much like we read maps to find our way.

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Bend, Twist and Break: The Bridge

Dr. Chris Muhlstein explains that the arrangement of atoms in a material determines the properties. He drops an iPod to illustrate how the arrangement of atoms can protect it from damage; he narrates footage of the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the 1940s to show how the deformation of materials can cause the collapse of a structure.

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Beyond Einstein

NASA scientists describe some of the ways current science is addressing several of Einstein's fundamental questions and theories in this video adapted from NASA.

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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.

A Boat That Floats

In this video from Curious George, children build boats out of everyday materials and then predict and observe whether the boats sink or float.

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Booming Sands

This video segment, adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, presents basic concepts of physics behind "booming" sand dunes. See how surface tension affects potential and kinetic energy and how it all works together to create sound.

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Breathing Blue

In this demonstration of chemical change, the presenter blows breath into a methylene blue solution releasing carbon dioxide which acidifies the water and changes it from a bright blue color to green.

Bringing Down the Bolt

Learn about how lightening strikes in this video segment from Science Friday.

Building Curiosity: Rover Rocks Rocker-Bogie

NASA engineers test Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory rover, and demonstrate its material properties, its handling and mobility, and its design features in this NASA video.

Building Simple Machines: A Glass of Milk, Please

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast shows how the 34 steps in their Rube Goldberg invention use everything from gravity to carbon dioxide gas in order to accomplish one simple task: pouring a glass of milk.

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Building Simple Machines: Plant Quencher

In this video segment from ZOOM, Jillian explains how her simple machine uses marbles, levers, flowing sand, and a spinning wheel to water a plant.

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Building the Channel Tunnel

How do you build a tunnel 32 miles long -- under water? This video segment adapted from Building Big, follows the construction of the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed "Chunnel"), the engineering wonder that connects England to France.

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Calorimetry

Do you know how many calories are in a macadamia nut? This video segment highlighting a Calorimetry experiment will give you the answer.

Capturing Carbon

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, a scientist, inspired by his daughter's science fair project, develops a synthetic "tree" to remove excess carbon dioxide from the air.

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Carbon-Fiber Car of the Future

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, find out how cars made of a material stronger than steel and half the weight can help combat climate change.

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Carnival Physics: Midway Games

Follow Mary Jane and Eliza as they test and measure the best way to use a moving ball's energy to win at carnival games in this video from DragonflyTV.

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Center of Gravity: Pencil Balance

Watch the ZOOM cast learn about center of gravity by trying to balance a pencil on their fingers and noses.

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Centripetal Force

In this animation a ball bounces off the sides of the circle, and the number of sides double, until the circle appears to exert force on a ball that is constant in size and always directed towards the center.

Centripetal Force: Roller Coaster Loops

This video segment explains centripetal force and illustrates how roller coasters rely on it to give you a thrilling ride.

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Cheese: Not the Same Mold Story

In this video, Science Friday investigates the secret life of cheese.

The Chemistry of Makeup

In this video from DragonflyTV, join Jazi and Danielle as they experiment with different combinations of everyday ingredients in order to create and test batches of lip gloss.

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Citigroup Skyscraper Design Problem

This video segment adapted from Building Big looks at the challenges faced by structural engineer William LeMessurier in designing a new skyscraper and how he very closely averted disaster.

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Clean Coal?

Explore the challenges facing the deployment of clean coal technology in this video segment adapted from FRONTLINE: "Heat."

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Clifton Suspension Bridge

This video segment from Building Big illustrates the basic design principles of the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England.

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Climate Watch: Unlocking the Grid

Today we rely on electricity more than ever. In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, explore the challenges of harnessing renewable energy.

Colliding Neutron Stars Create Black Hole and Gamma-ray Burst

This video from NASA describes the detailed computer modeling used to predict that colliding neutron stars can produce gamma-ray bursts similar to those associated with black holes.

Columns: Experimenting with Balloons

Watch the ZOOM cast find out how many balloons filled with air and then with water are required to support the weight of a cast member.

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Columns: Experimenting with Paper Cups

In this video segment from ZOOM, the cast experiments to see if a bunch of paper cups covered by a piece of cardboard can support the weight of a cast member.

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Columns: Finding the Strongest Shape

In this video segment, members of the ZOOM cast experiment by bending and folding sheets of paper into various shapes to see which shape will support the weight of a heavy book.

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Columns: Hillary's Neighborhood

In this video segment from ZOOM, Hillary, from Randolph, MA, takes us on a tour of the columns in her neighborhood.

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Conical Pendulum

A pendulum that swings in a horizontal circle and sweeps out the shape of a cone with its mass and string is known as a “conical pendulum.” In this animation we see the pendulum sweep from several angles with a superimposed equation toward the end.