Alpha, Beta and Gamma - which objects can they travel through?

How particles are able to travel through certain objects.

How Rutherford shaped nuclear physics

2011 was the 100th anniversary of Ernest Rutherford publishing his seminal paper describing the discovery of the atomic nucleus. The New-Zealand-born physicist reached this profound insight after his landmark alpha-particle scattering experiments carried out at the University of Manchester. To mark the centenary, the university hosted a special week-long conference in August, organized by the UK's Institute of Physics.

Symmetry - From Kaleidoscopes to Theories of Everything and Nothing

How the idea of symmetry helps us understand the world.

Dr. Howard Georgi - Harvard University
April 29, 1997

Other lectures from Jefferson Lab Science Series

Coffee Mug on String

Angular momentum helps save a red ceramic coffee mug from certain destruction. We used some string, two stolen mugs, and two Ticonderoga Dixon No. 2 pencils. Please do attempt.

Yoav Medan: Ultrasound surgery -- healing without cuts

Imagine having a surgery with no knives involved. At TEDMED, surgeon Yoav Medan shares a technique that uses MRI to find trouble spots and focused ultrasound to treat such issues as brain lesions, uterine fibroids and several kinds of cancerous growths.

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How Old Is The Earth?

The Earth is clearly old, but exactly how old was difficult to work out. People long believed the Earth had only existed for several thousand years. Then, in the 1800's, a study of geological features (including fjords) led scientists to the conclusion that the planet must be much older - at least millions of years old. Later, the discovery of radioactivity provided a mechanism by which the Earth's core could be continually heated. This meant it was much older than previous estimates of 20-40 million years based on the cooling rate of the Earth. Today through many different methods we have established that the Earth is roughly 4.54 billion years old!

Other Veritasium videos

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 34

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

The Wonderful Quantum World - Breakdown of Classical Mechanics

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Wave Function - Sixty Symbols

If you think you understand this video, you probably don't. Another adventure into the world of quantum mechanics with three professors of physics and astronomy.

Other Sixty Symbols videos



Extra footage:

What is fire?

Fire it up! We explain hot stuff.

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How do 3D glasses work - Sixty Symbols

A visit to the toilet is included in Professor Phil Moriarty's explanation of 3D glasses. How do 3D films give us that three dimensional effect?

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Concave Mirror Demo

Image formation by a concave mirror.

Types of Radiation

An introduction to alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.

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Light Fantastic: the Science of Colour

The Institute of Physics produces annual Schools and Colleges' lectures. Dr Pete Vuskusic from the School of Physics at Exeter University delivers the 2007 lecture.

There is no pink light

Pink doesn't exist!

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Angular Momentum - Sixty Symbols

A rather dizzy Professor Bowley sacrifices his well-being in the name of science.

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Honda - The Cog (Rube Goldberg machine)

Several classical mechanics topics are covered in this Honda commercial.

Other Rube Goldberg machines

Surface Tension in Fluid Mechanics

National Committee for Fluids Mechanics Films
With Lloyd Trefethen, Deptartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University

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Conductivity of Glass

Insulating glass becomes a conductor of electricity when heated with a blowtorch.

Two ceramic lightbulb sockets are wired in series to a household AC power cord. When two incandescent bulbs of the same Wattage rating are screwed into the sockets and the cord is plugged in, they both pass the same amount of current and so they both light with the same intensity. When one bulb is unscrewed, the circuit is broken and the other bulb goes out. If we can replace the missing bulb with a conductive material, the circuit will once more be complete and the remaining bulb will light again.

Giant Koosh Ball in Liquid Nitrogen

Other Frostbite Theater videos

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 33

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

Kinetic Gas Theory - Ideal Gas Law - Isothermal Atmosphere - Phase Diagrams - Phase Transitions

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Sound + Fire = Rubens' Tube

Sound waves in a tube of gas create flames of different heights that dance to the music. A metal tube with holes in it is filled with gas. The gas is lit to create a row of tiny flames. A speaker at one end plays sound into the tube, which creates a standing wave of sound: areas where air molecules are vibrating rapidly separated by areas where the air is fairly still. This produces the different heights of flames and allows the wavelength of the sound wave to be estimated.

Another Rubens' Tube demonstration

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How lasers work (in theory)

How does a laser really work? It's Bose - Einstein statistics! (photons are bosons)

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Solar Eclipse - Sixty Symbols

Total solar eclipse in China, july 22, 2009.

Other Sixty Symbols videos

Plasma in a magnetic field

Demonstration of spinning plasma in a magnetic field from a permanent magnet.

The Science of Seeing Inside Your Body

Find out how scientists build machines that do what our eyes cannot - see inside the human body.

Medical imaging:  X-rays, nuclear medicine, Ct-scanning, magnetic resonance imaging, pet scanning.

Paramagnetism Of Liquid Oxygen

First, liquid oxygen is made by passing gaseous oxygen through a tube submerged in liquid nitrogen. Then the oxygen is poured between the poles of a strong electro magnet. The paramagnetic nature of the oxygen causes an induced dipole. As a result, the oxygen is suspended in the magnetic field. Once the field is disabled the oxygen returns to its original state and falls from the magnet. Note: liquid oxygen is dangerous and can cause spontaneous combustion please do not try this at home.

Other demonstrations from MIT

Yale: Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics, Lecture 22

Professor Bailyn offers a review of what is known so far about the expansion of the universe from observing galaxies, supernovae, and other celestial phenomena. The rate of the expansion of the universe is discussed along with the Big Rip theory and the balance of dark energy and dark matter in the universe over time. The point at which the universe shifts from accelerating to decelerating is examined. Worries related to the brightness of high redshift supernovae and the effects of gravitational lensing are explained. The lecture also describes current project designs for detecting supernovae at high or intermediate redshift, such as the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM) and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).

Other lectures from this course

Radiation vs Radioactive Atoms

There seems to be confusion about what radiation is and where it comes from. Many people believe it is the radiation that comes directly from nuclear power plants that poses a threat to public safety. In fact it is the radioactive atoms, which can escape in the event of an explosion, that pose a safety risk. They can be scattered by the wind over hundreds of kilometres. Then they may be ingested or breathed in. If they release radiation at this point, it is damaging to the body's molecules and cells because the radiation is delivered directly to tissues.

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Julius Sumner Miller - Acoustic Toys

The physics of toys:  accoustic and thermal.

Other physics demonstrations by Julius Sumner Miller

Redshift - Sixty Symbols

You've heard of redshift, but what about the "blue shifting galaxy" on a collision course with the Milky Way!?

Other Sixty Symbols videos

MIT 8.01 Classical Mechanics Lecture 32

MIT Physics Course

Professor Walter Lewin

8.01 Physics  I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999

Heat, thermal expansion, bimetal, mercury thermometer, shrink fitting.

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Neutrons and Nanoscience - Backstage Science

Beams of neutrons can be used to make important discoveries in the world of nanoscience. Here we explore three instruments (and beamlines) at the ISIS facility in Oxfordshire, where Neutrons are put to use.

Other Backstage Science videos

The Tacoma Narrows Fallacy

The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge wasn't resonance.

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Antenna - Sixty Symbols

Bet you never knew antennas (or aerials) could be so interesting!

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MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism Lecture 12

MIT 8.02 Electricity and Magnetism, Spring 2002

Professor Walter Lewin

Review before exam:  Gauss's Law, Capacitor, Kirchoff's Laws, Ohm's Law

Other lectures from the same course

Galileo the Scientific Parrot

On the surface of Earth all objects accelerate downwards at the same rate - at least, they're supposed to. But we all know dust, pieces of paper, and feathers fall slower. This is of course due to the influence of air resistance. In this experiment we use an evacuated cylinder to test whether a coin and feather really do accelerate at the same rate.

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Magnetic lines of force demonstration

Julius Sumner Miller - Electrostatic and Magnetic Toys

Electrostatic toys, magnetic toys and miscellaneous toys.

Other physics demonstrations by Julius Sumner Miller

Reynolds Number - Sixty Symbols

Wind blowing over volcanoes, planes flying through air and Jupiter's Great Red Spot. A Reynolds Number plays a role in all of them.

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Debate: Does the world need nuclear energy?

Nuclear power: the energy crisis has even die-hard environmentalists reconsidering it. In this first-ever TED debate, Stewart Brand and Mark Z. Jacobson square off over the pros and cons. A discussion that'll make you think -- and might even change your mind.

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