How do you explain the properties of something we can't see? See how scientists use scientific principles, such as gravity, to observe gases. This lesson explores gases and how we have come to know what we know about them.

In this video Paul Andersen explains how the wavelength of a standing wave is determined by the boundary length and frequency of the wave. The fundamental frequency has a wavelength double the boundary length. Harmonics are built on...

Save the Vaquita Day is the first Saturday after the 4th of July, and it serves as a reminder that preventing extinctions means acting early.

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that you can never simultaneously know the exact position and the exact speed of an object. Why not? Because everything in the universe behaves like both a particle and a wave at the same time....

Mr. Andersen explains the basic quantities of motion. Demonstration videos and practice problems are also included. The difference between scalar and vector quantities is also discussed.

Quantum tunneling happens when a particle seemingly teleports across a barrier. But despite how instantaneous this event sounds, recent research suggests that it doesn’t happen nearly as fast as you might think.

GPS location apps on a smartphone can be very handy when mapping a travel route or finding nearby events. But how does your smartphone know where you are? Wilton L. Virgo explains how the answer lies 12,000 miles over your head, in an...

Meter is the standard unit of length used by most countries around the world. But how did they define it?

The supercontinent Pangaea, with its connected South America and Africa, broke apart 200 million years ago. But the continents haven't stopped shifting -- the tectonic plates beneath our feet (in Earth's two top layers, the lithosphere...

Jessi and Squeaks love to race each other! They can both run pretty fast, but there's one animal they'd never be able to beat: the cheetah! Join us to learn all about this super speedy cat!

Researchers have noticed a decline in reading ability starting in your 40s. And learning more about why this happens might help us tell the difference between healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Paul Andersen defines the major elements of feedback loops. The receptors and effectors both sense and respond to changes in their environment. The following examples are used to illustrate the importance of feedback loops in...

In this video Paul Andersen shows conceptual thinking in a mini-lesson on proportional relationships. TERMS Quantities - the amount (or number) of a thing Proportional relationship - relation of one dataset to another dataset Directly -...

As we get ready to watch that big football game that my lawyers tell me I'm not allowed to say the name of, let's celebrate a champion of the bird world: Stealthy and silent owls! Learn how owls fly so silently, how they see in the dark,...

Using robotics, laser rangefinders, GPS and smart feedback tools, Dennis Hong is building a car for drivers who are blind. It's not a "self-driving" car, he's careful to note, but a car in which a non-sighted driver can determine speed,...

Our Atmosphere is Escaping

Mr. Andersen shows you how to interpret a position vs. time graph for an object with constant velocity. The slope of the line is used to find the velocity. A phet simulation is also included.

We were recently visited by a traveler from outside our solar system. This is the first time we've ever seen an object that came to us from interstellar space. It's name is 'Oumuamua.

If gravity is so attractive, why doesn't the earth just crash into the sun? Or the moon into the earth? The answer: Stable Orbits

Cheetahs are fast. You know this. But which is faster: a cheetah, or a Tyrannosaurus rex?

Today we’re going to build the ticking heart of every computer - the Central Processing Unit or CPU. The CPU’s job is to execute the programs we know and love - you know like GTA V, Slack... and Power Point. To make our CPU we’ll bring...

This video is chapter 6 in my series on special relativity, and it covers the topic of relativistic addition of velocity: aka, how things that are moving relative to one inertial reference frame, which is moving relative to another...

An unbelievable play on an American football field is the perfect backdrop for understanding crucial physics concepts. Michelle Buchanan goes play-by-play on the vectors, the scalars, and the glory of a downright scientific touchdown.

Mr. Andersen contrasts nuclear reactions to chemical reactions. He explains the four main forces of nature; including gravity, electromagnetism, strong, and weak nuclear forces. He also explains how fusion differs from fission.