Electricity: The Invisible River Of Energy

The modern world is based on the flow of electrical energy. This program provides students with a fundamental understanding of electricity. Topics include static and current electricity: parallel, series, and complex circuits; the definition of volts, ohms, amperes, watts, insulators and conductors; the relationship between magnetism and electricity; how electricity is generated; how electricity is turned into mechanical energy by electric motors; and how fuses and circuit breakers protect us from the hazards of overloading circuits.

Waves: Energy In Motion

This program clearly illustrates to students through high quality animation, how waves transfer energy, but not matter, from one point to another. Other important concepts such as reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, the Doppler effect, wavelength, amplitude, and frequency are also thoroughly explained. The program also looks at the difference between transverse, compression, and standing waves. The program concludes by explaining how sound waves are produced by various musical instruments and perceived by the human ear.

Heat and The Changing States Of Matter

This program explains how thermal energy causes matter to change states, expand and contract, and how thermal energy is transferred by convection, conduction and radiation. The program also looks at how different materials very in their specific heat capacity and thermal conductance. These important concepts are illustrated by footage of steel mills, solar and geothermal power plants, wind forms, the flight of hot air balloons, and 3-D animation.

Motion: Newton's Three Laws

Newton revolutionized physics by developing the Three Laws of Motion. This video revolutionizes the study of Newton's three laws of motion with exciting footage of top fuel dragsters, fighter jets, bungee jumpers and rockets. These examples are used to explain the motion of falling bodies and projectiles, circular motion and how the motion of an object is relative to the observers frame of reference. Concepts critical to understanding Newton's three laws of motion; acceleration, speed, velocity and force, are also explained.

Light, Lenses And Lasers

Explains that light is just the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum which consists of a wide variety of waves from radio waves to cosmic rays. The use of concave and convex mirrors and lenses are explored as are the concepts of diffraction and polarization. The program concludes by introducing students to the special quality of laser light and how it is used in medicine, communications and entertainment.

Force And Work: Energy In Action

Introduces students to everyday mechanical forces and to the mysteries of field forces like gravity and electromagnetism. The concepts of work, pressure and potential and kinetic energy are also explored. The program then looks at how simple machines like levers and pulleys are used to provide mechanical advantage and combine to form complex compound machines. The program concludes by introducing the concepts of power and efficiency.