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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Air Is Matter

This collection of still images presents different ways to visualize air, from billowing sails to windblown hair to tornadoes.

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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Arch Bridge

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

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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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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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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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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: 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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Converting to Biodiesel

Meet a college student whose class project to turn cooking grease into diesel fuel resulted in converting bus fleets to biodiesel, in this video from Earth Island Institute's New Leaders Initiative.

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Cooking Cookies with Solar Power

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two solar cookers are tested against a control to see which can cook a "s'more" faster.

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Cooking with Sugar

Find out about the chemistry of candy and how sugar reacts at different temperatures to become fudge, caramel, lollipops, and more in this interactive activity adapted from the Exploratorium.

Defy Gravity! Centripetal Force

How can you keep a ball from falling out of a jar if the jar is upside down? Watch the ZOOM cast use centripetal force to meet this challenge.

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Defy Gravity! Upside Down Ping Pong Ball

In this video segment, the ZOOM cast is challenged to keep a ping pong ball in a funnel while the funnel is held upside down, seemingly defying gravity.

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Density and Buoyancy: Experimenting with Club Soda

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast discovers that gas-filled bubbles act like life jackets for raisins, making them buoyant.

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Density and Buoyancy: Making Eggs Float

Why does an egg float in salt water? Learn about density and buoyancy in this video segment adapted from ZOOM.

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Density and Buoyancy: Testing Liquids

Will a grape float in oil? Will a metal nut sink in corn syrup? Watch as the ZOOM cast tests the buoyancy of a variety of liquids and objects.

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Design: Building a House

This collection of images follows the process of building a house from cutting the trees and making the bricks to finishing construction.

Designing a Paper Bridge

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members make a bridge from a single piece of paper. Will it be strong enough to hold a hundred pennies?

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Designing a Puff Mobile

The air you exhale can power a puff mobile. Watch as the ZOOM cast races their air-powered designs to see which design features are the most successful.

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Designing a Roller Coaster

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast is challenged to design and test a roller coaster with loops, hills, and U-turns.

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Designing Balloon Cars

Can the air in a balloon power a car? Watch students from Weston, Massachusetts, demonstrate their balloon car designs in this video adapted from ZOOM.

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Designing Electric Circuits: Steadiness Tester

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members discover that metal is a good conductor of electricity as they play the steadiness tester game.

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Designing Future Cities: Alternative Energy

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, visit a class as they design a city of the future that will use solar, wind, and water power to fuel its economy.

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Design Squad: Sound

In this video segment adapted from Design Squad—a PBS TV series featuring high school contestants tackling engineering challenges—learn about the fundamentals of sound as student teams create percussive and stringed instruments for a local band.

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Design Squad: Suspension Bridge

In this video segment adapted from Design Squad—a PBS TV series featuring high school contestants tackling engineering challenges—students employ the concepts of tension and compression to build a suspension bridge without the aid of power tools.

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Design Squad: Truss Bridge

In this video segment adapted from Design Squad—a PBS TV series featuring high school contestants tackling engineering challenges—students employ the concepts of tension and compression as they build a truss bridge without the aid of power tools.

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Disappearing Milk

A magician pours milk into a glass, but when he turns the glass upside down, nothing comes out. How does he do it? Discover the science behind the "magic" in this video adapted from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Don't Mess with Mercury

Learn about the dangers of mercury in this short video from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Down to the Core Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids design and build devices that can extract a core sample from a potato “asteroid.” They also learn how samples give NASA scientists insight into solar system objects.

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Electric Girl

Anna loves electricity. Watch her construct a homemade flashlight and show off her new, electrifying hairdo in this video segment from ZOOM.

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Electricity

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains some electrical vocabulary and follows the route of electricity from its generation to the home.

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum: NASA

From radio waves to gamma rays, this video segment from NASA introduces the seven categories of the electromagnetic spectrum and how each type of radiation is part of our everyday lives.

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Energy in a Roller Coaster Ride

See potential energy convert to kinetic energy in this interactive activity from WGBH that shows a roller coaster in action.

Experimenting with a Glass Xylophone

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast investigates how the pitch of sound changes when they strike a variety of glasses filled with different amounts and types of liquids.

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Experimenting with a Lemon Battery

Can a fresh lemon power a digital clock? In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast shows you how this can be done and, in the process, discover how kids can be a part of an electric circuit.

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Experimenting with a Pendulum

In this video segment, members of the ZOOM cast experiment with a pendulum and discover what they need to do to make the pendulum complete one back-and-forth swing in five seconds.

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Exploring Conductivity: Kid Circuits

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members join hands and become electron conductors to complete an electric circuit.

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Exploring Windmill Design

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members are challenged to design a windmill that can be powered by a hair dryer.

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Finding the Dew Point

In this video from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad learns to keep track of both air temperature and humidity so they can predict when fog will appear.

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Firth of Forth Cantilever Bridge

This video segment from Building Big: "Bridges" demonstrates the basic design of a cantilever bridge by looking at Scotland's Firth of Forth Railway Bridge.

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Flight

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K takes you on a flight with a young student and a pilot as you learn about the 4 aerodynamic forces which are present when air is moving past an object such as an airplane.

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Force and Motion

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains and gives examples of Sir Isaac Newton's 3 Laws of Motion using the rides at an amusement part.

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Geothermal Power

This video segment from Vegas PBS shows the important role geothermal energy systems can play in making a more energy-efficient and greener building.

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Glider Boy

Meet 12-year-old Jesse, the designer of dozens of gliders, in this ZOOM video segment. Some of his gliders fit in your hand, while others can only be stored in the garage. Watch his gliders go and learn why they fly.

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Global Warming: The Hydrogen Car

Is the hydrogen car the answer to global warming? This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at the pros and cons of this developing technology.

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Gravity

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K demonstrates how gravity, mass, matter, and weight are related and how astronauts can overcome earth's gravity to fly to space.

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Gravity on Earth and in Space

This collection of images compares the effects of gravity on Earth and in space.

Green Energy

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K describes renewable and non-renewable energy sources and the benefits and drawbacks of each. It provides some ideas about how you can personally conserve energy.

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Hana's Japanese Drums

In this ZOOM video segment, join Hana as she learns traditional Japanese drumming with her Taiko group.

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Heat Transfer

In this interactive activity adapted from the Wisconsin Online Resource Center, learn how heat can be transferred in one of three ways: conduction, convection, and radiation.

Helium Is Boring

In this video adapted from the National Science Center, observe a demonstration to discover how helium gas is inert and hydrogen gas is reactive.

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Hoover Dam

This video segment from Building Big: "Dams," demonstrates the basic principals at work in the Hoover Dam, a concrete gravity dam that also makes use of the properties of the arch.

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How Would You Turn a Bolt in Space?

In this fast-paced NASA Brain Bites™ video, an astronaut demonstrates the impact of microgravity on the use of tools in space.

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Infrared Gallery

How would your world look if you saw heat instead of light? In this interactive resource produced for Teachers' Domain, see what familiar objects look like through an infrared camera and watch infrared videos of geysers, mudpots, and hot springs.

Infrared: More Than Your Eyes Can See

In this video segment adapted from NASA, astronomer Michelle Thaller introduces the world of infrared light and demonstrates how infrared cameras allow us to see more than what the naked eye can perceive.

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Inspector Detector Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids design and build magnetic-field detectors and use them to find hidden magnets. They also learn how NASA uses magnetometers to learn what is going on inside a planet or moon.

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Investigating a Suspension Bridge

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, the cast builds a suspension bridge from a couple of chairs, some cardboard, and rope.

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Invisible Force Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids design and build systems that use magnets to control the speed and direction of a rolling ball. They also learn how NASA uses gravity to direct a spacecraft.

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Kid Designer: A Comfortable Cardboard Chair

Follow along in this video segment from ZOOM as 13-year-old Nick explains how he came up with a design, tested materials, and constructed his own cardboard chair.

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Kid Inventor: The Couch Protector

Want to keep your dog off the couch? In this video segment from ZOOM, Jason demonstrates his invention that does just that: a couch protector.

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Kid Musician: Mexico's Guitar Town

Visit with Andres during fiesta time at Paracho Michoacan, Mexico's "guitar town". As Andres shows in this video segment from ZOOM, guitar music goes beyond simple sound vibrations.

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Let's Build Something

Children learn about the types of machines on a construction site and the different jobs they do to help us build in this original video from KET.

Levers: Raising the Moai on Easter Island

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, a team of archaeologists and engineers explores different uses of the lever by recreating the engineering feats of the ancient Easter Island peoples.

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Life Goes On

In this video segment from Nature: “Radioactive Wolves”, biologists monitor how several animal species have been affected by long-term radiation exposure in the “Exclusion Zone” surrounding the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Lifting with Air

How can you lift a heavy metal table using air? In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members succeed in lifting a table using their own breath and a few plastic bags.

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Lightning!

This video segment adapted from NOVA explains the mysterious force of lightning.

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Mixing Colors

Children learn the basics of mixing primary colors in this original animated video.

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Mixing Colors Interactive

Children learn the basics of mixing primary colors in this original interactive.

Mystery Mud: Exploring Changes in States of Matter

Join a group of middle-school students on a visit to a laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where they experiment with "mystery mud" and learn about the relationships between magnetism, particle motion, and changes in the state of matter.

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Newton's Third Law of Motion: Astronauts in Outer Space

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, NASA learns hard lessons from the first American attempt to do work while "walking" in space. The video also explores Newton's third law of motion.

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Observe, Make, Measure

There are many ways to get information in the world. This collection of still images features tools that help us observe, make, and measure things.

Ohm's Law

In this interactive simulation of Ohm’s law, adapted from the University of Colorado's Physics Education Technology project, adjust the voltage and resistance in a circuit, and observe how this affects the flow of current.

Pantheon Dome

This video segment adapted from Building Big: "Domes" illustrates how the design of the Pantheon Dome emerged out of another form, the arch.

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Pitch: Making Guitars

Watch the rubber bands vibrate on homemade guitars in this video segment adapted from ZOOM as cast members talk about pitch and demonstrate how to make a cereal box instrument.

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Pitch: Straw Kazoo

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores the different sounds that a simple drinking straw can produce when you cut the straw and blow into it.

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Pitch: Super Sounding Drums

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores sounds made by homemade drums of different sizes, shapes, and materials.

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Pitch: Water Trombone

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, demonstrates how to use a drinking straw and a bottle full of water to make low- and high-pitched sounds.

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Potential and Kinetic Energy: Spool Racer

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, learn how the potential energy in a wound-up rubber band powers a spool racer.

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Predicting the Angle of a Bouncing Ball

In this Cyberchase video segment, the CyberSquad is trapped in an icy cave. In order to escape, they must use the principles of a bouncing ball to transport a key from one side of the icy cave to the other.

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Raising an Obelisk: An Engineering Puzzle

This video segment adapted from NOVA follows two teams as they each test a different engineering design in an effort to explain how ancient Egyptians raised a giant stone obelisk.

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Refraction of Light Demonstration

In this interactive activity featuring videos adapted from the Rutgers PAER Group, observe how light bends when it travels through a convex lens, a concave lens, and glass.

Robo Arm Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids design and build controllable mechanical arms and use them to lift objects and play games. They also learn how NASA uses robotic arms on many of its missions.

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Simple Machines

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K lists, describes and shows examples of the 6 simple machines and how they make work easier.

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Snapshot of U.S. Energy Use

This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at American energy consumption and the resulting production of greenhouse gases.

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Soft Landing Challenge

In this video from Design Squad Nation, kids model NASA’s airbag landing system. They design and build protective covers made of balloons to protect an egg dropped from a height of three feet.

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Solar House

In this What's Up in the Environment? video segment, an electrical engineer in Virginia and his 13-year-old son explain how they produce electricity in their home. 

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Solar Power

This video segment from Vegas PBS shows the largest solar power system to date in the U.S. and explains how solar power can serve the needs of large-scale facilities and benefit the environment.

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Sound and Solids: Listening Stick

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores how sound waves travel differently through air than through solids like a yardstick, a baseball bat, and a golf club.

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Sound and Solids: Stereo Hangers

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores how sound waves travel differently through solids than through air, in this case, a metal clothes hanger.

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Sound and Solids: Visualizing Vibrations

In this video segment, adapted from ZOOM, a tuning fork's vibrations are made visible as ripples in a bowl of water.

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States of Matter

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explains and gives examples of the 4 states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

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States of Water

This short video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines a water molecule and describes the 3 states of water; steam, ice, and liquid.

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Static Electricity: Snap, Crackle, Jump

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, see static electricity make breakfast cereal jump and hair stand on end.

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Surface Tension: Making Paper Clips Float

In this video segment, the ZOOM cast relies on the surface tension of water to make paper clips float.

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