Curated Video
Hard and Soft Water
The properties of water and its uses, depend on its mineral content. What minerals are found in water and how do they affect it? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Water contains dissolved mineral ions, such as sodium, calcium...
Curated Video
Colour
The world appears to be a colourful place, but what are colours? What properties of light determine what colour we see? Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Colour is how our brains perceive different wavelengths of light. Newton...
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Pi: Reciting Pi
Watch one champion try to recite Pi to as many digits as he can; and discover what Pi is and why it is useful. Maths - Shape A Twig Math Film. Reinforce and extend the learning required by the curriculum. Twig’s context films show...
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Metallic Bonding
Metals can be strong and hard, or they can be flexible. It's the special behaviour of ions that give metals their different properties. Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Metal atoms bond together and create giant lattice...
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Mendeleev's Prophecy
When Mendeleev created the Periodic Table in 1869, he also predicted the existence of elements yet to be discovered, including gallium. What are the properties of this rare metal and why was its discovery so important? Chemistry -...
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The Legacy of John Newlands
The story of chemist John Newlands and his theory of the "Law of Octaves" that related chemical elements to notes in the musical scale. Did the scientific community accept his unusual theory and does it hold up to the laws of modern...
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Nanotechnology: What is It?
Still in its early stages, nanotechnology has the potential to change our world. What is it and how could it be used in the future? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. Nanotechnology is engineering on the smallest scale....
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Recycling Plastics
The differences between thermosetting, thermosoftening and partially biodegradable plastics, and how they can be recycled. Chemistry - Chemical Industries - Learning Points. We throw away a lot of plastic and most is non-biodegradable....
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Alkali Metals
Witness the exciting reactions that occur when alkali metals come into contact with other substances. What does this tell us about their properties? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The alkali metals make up Group 1 of the...
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Transition Metals
Transition metals are the largest group in the periodic table. Find out what similarities they share, and how we make use of these metals. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Transition metals are found as a block in the middle...
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Making an Electromagnet
We create a simple electromagnet by coiling wire around a nail and passing current through it. The magnetic field around the electromagnet creates similar patterns in iron fillings to a permanent magnet. Physics - Electricity And...
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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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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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Magnetic Strength
We use two magnets and a set of scales to examine magnetic field and strength. One magnet is attached to the scales and a second is lowered towards it. When opposite poles are facing each other, the weight on the scales decreases as the...
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Burning Bubbles
We investigate the properties of two types of gas bubbles: methane gas bubbles and bubbles of the gas we breathe out. The air-filled bubbles sink and we are unable to set them alight, while the methane bubbles float upwards and are...
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Dancing Polymer
We create a polymer using cornflour and water called oobleck. Oobleck is a non-Newtonian liquid that behaves like a solid and a liquid. When placed on a speaker, the vibrations cause the polymer to constantly change its behaviour and it...
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Forming Iron Sulfide
We examine the different properties of iron and sulfur when they are mixed and when they are chemically combined. When iron and sulfur are mixed they retain their individual properties. When they react chemically to form iron sulfide...
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Atomic Structure
What does the Periodic Table tell us about the elements, their properties and behaviours? And why does the atomic number define each element? Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. The structure of the atom reveals why the...
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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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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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Salt: Salt and Ice
Salt is routinely used to melt snow and ice on winter roads. But what is happening at the molecular level to cause this helpful change of state? Chemistry - Atoms And Bonding - Learning Points. When salt is added to water it lowers the...
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Characteristics of water – Big reveal
What is it? ... It's a hot spring geyser! Material processes - Solids, liquids and gases - Characteristics of water A Twig Tidbit Film - Big Reveal. The image zooms out from an extreme close-up to full frame. The children have to guess...
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Minerals – Big reveal
What is it? ... It's the mineral turquoise! Material processes - Classifying materials - Minerals A Twig Tidbit Film - Big Reveal. The image zooms out from an extreme close-up to full frame. The children have to guess what the image is.
Curated Video
Properties of materials – Big reveal
What is it? ... These are rubber boots! Material processes - Classifying materials - Properties of materials A Twig Tidbit Film - Big Reveal. The image zooms out from an extreme close-up to full frame. The children have to guess what the...