MinutePhysics
Where Does Complexity Come From? (Big Picture Ep. 3/5)
Mixing milk and coffee is a complex example in the eyes of a quantum physicist. A creative lesson compares a tendency toward entropy with complexity. Learners view a mixture of coffee and milk as first simple, then complex, and finally...
MinutePhysics
What Is the Purpose of Life? (Big Picture Ep. 5/5)
In the eyes of a physicist, the purpose of life is to continue the mission of the sun. An engaging lesson discusses the increasing entropy levels of energy that originates at the sun. As life forms use that energy, entropy rises until it...
Veritasium
When Is A Bungee Jumper's Acceleration Max?
Where is acceleration at its maximum value during a bungee jump? Junior physicists ponder the possibilities with a short video. The narrator invites viewers to choose from five points along the jump as potential times of maximum...
Veritasium
What Forces Are Acting On You?
You may not realize it, but you get pushed around every day. What forces are acting upon you? Young physicists explore gravitational force and normal force in a video that demonstrates both forces and their directions as they move...
Crash Course
Work, Energy and Power: Crash Course Physics #9
What does work mean to you? Chances are it has a different meaning to a physicist! The ninth video in a physics series discusses the meaning of work, power, and energy. The narrator gives examples and formulas while explaining the...
Veritasium
Can We Really Touch Anything?
When we touch something, what actually happens? Young physicists get in depth with electrons in a video from Veritasium. The narrator first explains the intricate interactions that occur at the subatomic level before answering a variety...
Veritasium
Anti-Gravity Wheel?
What difference does rotation make when it comes to lifting a mass over your head? Sometimes, it makes all the difference! Young physicists observe this concept in a gravity-defying video by Veritasium. The resource shows the behavior...
American Chemical Society
Nerding out on Star Wars Science
Are light sabers possible? Could the Death Star really vaporize a planet the size of Earth? Take a look at the science behind the fiction with a video from the American Chemical Society's Reactions series. Physicists sound off on the...
PBS
The Higgs Mechanism Explained
In 2012, physicists discovered a new particle, the Higgs Boson. This particle, predicted by scientists for years, finally answered many questions in quantum field theory. A video in PBS Space Time's "The Origin and Matter of Time"...
PBS
The Speed of Light is NOT About Light
Just when you thought you had this figured out! Engage young physicists in an interesting look at the nature of a universal constant with a video, part of a PBS playlist on space time and measurement. Viewers examine the history of...
PBS
Have Gravitational Waves Been Discovered?!?
Einstein was right ... again? Introduce young physicists to the final piece in Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity through a video from PBS covering space time and measurement. Discover where gravitational waves come from, the...
Physics Girl
Strange Unexplained Cosmic Rays
The truth about strange unexplained cosmic rays? They're still unexplained! Share one of our universe's many unsolved mysteries with your class using a video from the Physics Girl playlist. The resource describes what cosmic rays are,...
Physics Girl
I Built an Acoustic Levitator! Making Liquid Float on Air
Think of current acoustic levitator technology as a hover board for tiny things! Introduce young physicists to this emerging gadget using a video from an informative playlist touching on physics topics. Viewers watch as Physics Girl and...
Physics Girl
Why Do Mirrors Flip Horizontally (But Not Vertically)?
Want to see your class flip out over a simple question? Blow their minds and challenge young physicists using a video from an engaging physics playlist. The narrator demonstrates how mirrors show only what they are presented and...
Physics Girl
The Physics of Weightless Flight
Ever wonder what it's like to feel weightless? Hop aboard the Vomit Comet and find out! A video from a large physics playlist features the parabolic airplane flight used to simulate weightlessness. Young physicists discover how the...
Periodic Videos
Rutherfordium
Physicist Ernest Rutherford might have hated chemistry, but we love his contribution to science! Rutherford won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Viewers learn about this interesting man through a look at his personal photos, research, and...
National Woman's History Museum
Women's History Minute: Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu
Born in Suzhou, China, experimental physicist Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu immigrated to the United States, where she worked on the Manhattan Project. A short video introduces viewers to the amazing achievements of this remarkable woman.
PBS
Volume and Amplitude | UNC-TV Science
Future physicists pump up the volume while discovering the world of sound waves. Group members learn about the qualities of sound waves, the relationship between energy and sound volume, and the definition of amplitude while viewing an...
PBS
Pitch and Frequency | UNC-TV Science
Musicians and physicists unite for an activity that explains frequency using the guitar as an example. Scientists view an animated video defining frequency and explore pitch changes. During the activity, tension changes on guitar strings...
PBS
Thermal Energy 101: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science
Discover what makes a cup of tea feel hot one minute and cold the next. Young physicists learn about thermal energy, why substances feel hot or cold, and the three means of thermal energy transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation...
TED-Ed
The Beginning of the Universe, For Beginners
Cosmology is the study of how our universe evolves. The big bang theory is introduced as the beginning of everything we know. Particle physicists attempt to simulate early universe conditions and apply the results to a time when all of...
Curated OER
The Race for Absolute Zero
When atoms are cooled to extremely low temperatures, the atoms begin to act like waves, overlap, and technically lose their identity! In this condensed introduction to the Bose-Einstein condensate, an MIT physicist explains how. Use it...
Curated OER
The Weak and Strong Nuclear Forces
Part of a longer series, "In Search of Giants," this video covers the strong force that holds atoms together. A weak nuclear force can convert neutrons into protons and protons into neutrons, emitting electrons, positrons, or neutrinos...
Curated OER
Gravity: The Weakest Natural Force on Earth?
Harvard University scientists prove to viewers that gravity is a relatively weak force. Flowing footage tells the story of how their ideas supported the idea that a parallel universe exists and that gravity is leaking into it. Stimulate...