Curated Video
Friction
Friction can be friend or foe. What is friction, how does it affect our lives and how can we alter it? Physics - Forces - Learning Points. Friction is a resistive force between surfaces moving at different velocities. Friction is...
Curated Video
Scablands: Carved By Water
Over 15,000 years ago, a glacial dam broke, releasing 2,000 cubic kilometres of water across Washington State. Discover how it created the landscape we see today. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Washington State's chaneled...
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Yellowstone: Supervolcano
The geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park are a clue to its deadly secret. It sits on a massive supervolcano. But why can't we see it and will it ever erupt? Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Yellowstone National Park...
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Newton's Laws of Motion
Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion explain how and why objects move as they do - the principles which underlie all of modern mechanics. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. Sir Isaac Newton published his laws of motion in 1687. Every movement...
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Water Forces
The unique force created by hydrogen bonding gives water some unique properties, which seem to defy the laws of nature. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Hydrogen bonding is a special force of attraction between water...
Curated Video
Momentum
Explore the reasons why objects can keep moving on their own, and why most of them will eventually stop. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. Momentum is how we quantify a moving object. Outside forces affect momentum. Momentum is...
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Separating Notebooks
We interleave the pages of notebooks to see how hard it is to pull them apart. As the amount of interleaving increases, we see that the force required to separate them also increases. This is because the friction between the notebooks is...
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Cartesian Diver
We make a Cartesian diver using a drinking straw and sticky tack. When the diver is placed in a sealed bottle of water it can be controlled by squeezing and releasing the bottle, which makes it rise and fall within the water. Physics -...
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Hero's Engine
We use a Hero's engine model to show how equal and opposite forces can cause propulsion. Two holes are pierced in a metal bottle and some water is added. This is suspended above a Bunsen burner, and as the water boils and leaves the...
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Settlements and Apartheid
The impacts of racial segregation on settlement patterns in Johannesburg, and the legacy this leaves today. Human Geography - Orientation And Settlements - Learning Points. Apartheid (Afrikaans for 'apartness') was a series of policies...
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Smashing Eggs
We use eggs to show how different rates of deceleration affect the outcome of collisions. One egg is dropped onto a hard surface and breaks. The second egg is dropped onto a soft surface and bounces, as the material slows its...
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Can Crusher
We demonstrate the effects of imbalances of pressure. A metal can is crushed by atmospheric pressure. We add some water to a can and boil it until the can is full of water vapour. It is then sealed and left to cool and after a few...
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Aiming for the Outer Planets
The use of direct and indirect proportion in navigating the Voyager spacecraft to the outer planets. Maths - Number A Twig Math Film. Reinforce and extend the learning required by the curriculum. Twig’s context films show abstract...
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Plastics and Polymers
Plastics are all made in a similar way, but can be manipulated to have very different functions. Discover how their properties are determined. Chemistry - Chemical Industries - Learning Points. Plastics are synthetic materials called...
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Speed, Velocity, Acceleration
Discover how speed, velocity and acceleration are interlinked but very different measurements of motion. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. The velocity and acceleration of any moving object can be calculated. Speed is the distance...
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Forces of Nature
Introducing the four main forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetic force, weak and strong nuclear forces. Learn why they are fundamental to life on Earth. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. There are four fundamental forces of nature....
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Tsunami
Tsunamis are huge volumes of moving water that become monstrous waves when they hit the coast. What causes them and how do they grow to be so dangerous? Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. Tsunamis are massive volumes of moving...
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Land Formations
Learn how our planet's landscapes, from mountains to hills, plateaus to plains, have been sculpted over millions of years by powerful geological forces. Earth Science - Geology - Learning Points. The planet's diverse landscape is shaped...
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How Do Planes Fly?
Aeroplanes use the same forces and physical principles as birds to fly. Discover how man has copied nature to achieve flight. Physics - Forces - Learning Points. Flight occurs when the upward force (lift) is greater than the downward....
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Types of Weather: Wind
What is wind and what are localised winds? Find out about the global cycles which take winds right across the world. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Wind begins with the difference in air pressure. Air moves from areas of high...
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What is an Orbit?
How the orbit of the planets is dictated by mass and the force of gravity. Physics - Our Solar System - Learning Points. The curved path of one object around another is its orbit. Objects orbit due to the effects of gravity. The...
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Non-Newtonian Liquids
Introducing the liquids whose behaviours seem to defy the accepted states of matter. What are they and why don't they behave as we predict? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Newtonian liquids take the shape of their...
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Planes, Wedges, Screws
There are only six basic types of machine. Discover more about planes, wedges and screws: what are they and why are they useful? Physics - Forces - Learning Points. Machines based on the ideas of Archimedes make work easier. An inclined...
Curated Video
Arches
Discover how forces are applied through an arch, and why this makes it the perfect shape for architecture. Maths - Space A Twig Math Film. Reinforce and extend the learning required by the curriculum. Twig’s math films show abstract...