What do scientists do when their observations don't match the theory? An interesting video introduces the ultraviolet catastrophe as part of a larger series covering physics concepts. Starting with ultraviolet light and ending with quantum physics sounds like a long jump, but that is the path scientists used to solve the problem. We may not understand everything now, but we are so much closer than we were before.

Concepts

ultraviolet light, ultraviolet rays, ultraviolet radiation, infrared light, quantum mechanics

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Stress the fact that the most important discoveries were often made because of mistakes
• After the video, share some of the most recent discoveries in quantum physics

Classroom Considerations

• Requires prior knowledge of ultraviolet light and famous scientists

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Includes subtitles in eight languages for ELLs
• Works well in a traditional or flipped classroom
• Connects history, science, math, and more

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4