Curated Video
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...
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Forensics: Bog Bodies
A look at the ancient preserved bodies that forensic scientists can examine in order to gain a better understanding of our ancient past. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Forensic scientists can help us understand our...
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Inventions to Save the Planet
Discover some geo-engineering techniques that scientists are developing to manipulate Earth's climate. What are they and how would they work? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Geo-engineering strives to use technology to...
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Natural Climate Change
Ice cores taken from deep within the Earth's polar regions hold a hidden secret: the historical record of the Earth's climate. Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Evidence of natural climate changes can be found in...
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Geothermal Power
The heat at the centre of our planet could fulfil all of our energy needs. Find out how some are already utilising geothermal power. Earth Science - Earth's Resources - Learning Points. Geothermal power is obtained from heat within 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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How Do Snowflakes Form?
A blizzard creates a blanket of snow. Look closer and the true beauty of individual snowflakes can be seen. How are different shapes of snowflakes formed and why are they always perfectly symmetrical? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding -...
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Cavitation
In close-up, moving water can be seen to hold a hidden danger that can destroy metal and stun animals. How can tiny bubbles create enough heat to cause such damage? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Cavitation is the...
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Mars: Under the Ice
Scientists have found microbes frozen deep in the Antarctic ice sheets, in conditions very similar to the red planet's surface. Could life exist on Mars, in suspended animation? Physics - Universe - Learning Points. In 2001, a frozen...
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Malleefowl
Find out why this unassuming bird is one of nature's master architects. Biology - Animal Kingdom - Learning Points. Malleefowl are large birds native to Australia. Malleefowl live a solitary existence for most of the year, but they mate...
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Climate Cycles
How climatologists use ice cores, cylindrical cones of ice drilled from glaciers, to reveal Earth's historical cycles of climate change. Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. The Earth has natural, long cycles of climate. The...
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How the Oceans Formed
The same water has been on Earth for four and a half billion years. Where did this water come from? Earth Science - Weather - Learning Points. 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth's surface was too hot for water to exist. Inside the Earth's...