Curated Video
Galtür: The Perfect Storm
The worst avalanche in 40 years destroyed countless buildings and killed many people in this Austrian village, but it was factors 4,000 kilometres away that caused this disaster. Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. Galtur is a...
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Carbon: Buckminsterfullerene
Discovered in 1985, Buckminsterfullerene has some fascinating characteristics. What is it and how is it shaping the future of chemistry? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. In the 1980s, a new carbon allotraope was found -...
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Reactivity Series: Reactive Metals
The discovery and uses of reactive metals throughout history, and how their uses have defined the period in which they were discovered. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The reactivity series ranks the chemical reactivity of...
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Speed of Sound
Sound waves move through different mediums at different speeds, but why is this? What factors affect the speed of sound? Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Speed of sound depends on many different factors. Temperature, elasticity and...
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We Are All Made of Stars
Discover how elements are formed in the centre of stars, and how some elements are formed in even more spectacular conditions. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Most elements were created in space. At the beginning of the...
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Climate Models
Predicting the future of Earth's climate is a daunting task. How are complex climate models calculated, taking chaos theory into account? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Climate models use data to calculate the...
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Global Warming
Earth has always had changeable weather, but now the world's climate is getting warmer. What is global warming, why is it a problem and how can we stop it? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Most scientists agree that human...
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Shockwaves: The Damage Caused by Supersonic Speeds
Discover the damage caused by shockwaves and how they are created by supersonic speeds. Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Waves of high pressure are produced when something moves through a medium at supersonic speed. At supersonic...
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Measuring Food Energy
We investigate the amount of energy stored in maize snacks and peanuts by burning them. The food is placed under an aluminium beaker of water before being set alight and the temperature change of the water is recorded. We can compare the...
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Stimulating Daphnia
We examine the effects of different temperatures and chemicals on the heart rate of Daphnia. A microscope is used to let us see the Daphnia\u2019s heart and establish the heart rate under normal conditions. The heart...
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Ingenhousz's Heat Conductors
We use a metal box holding rods of different materials to test their ability to conduct heat. The box is filled with boiling water and a paperclip is attached to the end of each rod using petroleum jelly. As the heat moves through the...
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Elements vs Alloys
We compare melting points of lead and tin to the melting point of their alloy, solder. By timing how long it takes samples of each to melt, we discover that the melting point of solder is actually lower than those of both lead and tin....
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Making Slime
We make slime using borax, water and food colouring. The slime is a non-Newtonian liquid. A non-Newtonian liquid can behave like a liquid or a solid depending on the pressure applied to it. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning...
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Heat Absorption
We use two cans, one painted black and the other painted white, to investigate heat absorption. The containers are placed in front of a heat source and the temperature change is recorded. This shows that the black container absorbs heat...
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Liquid Nitrogen Demos
We look at how different materials change when they are exposed to liquid nitrogen. Flowers become frozen and stiff and the petals snap. A banana hardens and is strong enough to be used as a hammer and a squash ball becomes very brittle...
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Endothermic Reaction
We demonstrate an endothermic reaction by mixing hydrated barium hydroxide with ammonium thiocyanate. When these two solids react they take heat from the surrounding air. Chemistry - Reactions - Learning Points. Breaking bonds takes in...
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Enzyme Action: Trypsin
We demonstrate denaturing by adding the enzyme trypsin to photographic film. Strips of photographic film are added to trypsin solution at different temperatures to determine the optimum conditions for the enzyme. In the right conditions...
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Heat Loss
We compare two cans, one painted black and the other painted white, to see how quickly they lose heat. The containers are placed in front of a heat source and heated to the same temperature. The temperature in each container is recorded...
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Frozen Balloon
We lower a helium-filled balloon into liquid nitrogen to see how the change in temperature affects its volume. When it hits the cool liquid nitrogen, the gas inside contracts and the volume of the balloon decreases. When it is removed...
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Elephant's Toothpaste
We create a rapidly expanding column of foam by mixing chemicals. Hydrogen peroxide and detergent are added to potassium iodide and food colouring to set off a reaction that creates vibrant expanding foam. Chemistry - Reactions -...
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Fire Extinguisher Sublimation
We release carbon dioxide from a fire extinguisher against a dark cloth to see what happens. The expanding gas cools as it leaves the extinguisher, forming a visible dry ice solid on the cloth. As it warms, the carbon dioxide vanishes...
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How We Touch
How the four sensory receptors in our skin, which detect heat, cold, pain and pressure, help us to feel an object, and can even help us tell if we like something or not. Biology - Being Human - Learning Points. The skin contains millions...
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Collision Theory
Discover that altering the number of successful collisions between particles is key to changing the rate of chemical reactions. How this can be manipulated? Chemistry - ReactionsLearning Points. New substances are made when particles...
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Redox Reactions
For centuries, humans have been extracting metals from molten ores. Today, the basic technique remains the same, but how does extraction work? Chemistry - Reactions - Learning Points. Metals can be extracted from rocks if they are heated...