Be Smart
The Science of Iridescence
Why do we see rainbows in soap bubbles? What makes an oil slick so oddly beautiful? Iridescent colors, which transform depending on the angle you look at them, are all over nature. How does physics make these shifting rainbows? We’re...
Be Smart
The Unbelievable Science of How We Read
Reading. You’re doing it right now. I bet you don’t even have to think about it. But have you ever wondered what’s happening in your brain to turn all these weird symbols into meaning? This video will teach you how to read all over...
Be Smart
Can Illusions Teach Us How the Mind Works?
Optical illusions are fun, but they can also teach us a lot about how our brains work. In particular, how our brains accomplish the incredible feat of constructing a three-dimensional reality using nothing but 2-D images from our eyes. A...
SciShow
8 Mind-Blowing Optical Illusions
Your brain does its best to inform you about the world around you, but sometimes it gets tricked. Enjoy eight optical illusions to test your brain’s sensory input.
SciShow
5 Times Scientists Were Very Wrong About New Discoveries, Because of Hope
Passionate scientists constantly have revolutionary ideas, but when they seem too good to be true, they usually are. Here are 5 instances where the scientist whiffed it.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How optical illusions trick your brain - Nathan S. Jacobs
Optical illusions are images that seem to trick our minds into seeing something different from what they actually are. But how do they work? Nathan S. Jacobs walks us through a few common optical illusions and explains what these tricks...
SciShow
5 Times Scientists Were Very Wrong About New Discoveries, Because of Hope
Passionate scientists constantly have revolutionary ideas, but when they seem too good to be true, they usually are.
SciShow
Studying the Brain with... Quantum Mechanics?
Quantum mechanics may not seem like it has anything to do with human psychology, but some psychologists are starting to borrow concepts from the field to help make human behavior more predictable.
SciShow
How Do Rainbows Form?
SciShow explains how three important ingredients -- sunlight, water, and you -- interact to create the illusion of a rainbow. The colorful details are inside!
SciShow
8 Mind-Blowing Optical Illusions
Your brain does its best to inform you about the world around you, but sometimes it gets tricked. Enjoy eight optical illusions to test your brain's sensory input.
Curated Video
How to Make a Silver Egg
When you hold the egg close to the flame, it gets covered in soot. Soot repels water, similar to oil. When we put our sooty egg in the water, it creates a small air bubble around it. This bubble reflects light, and makes the egg look...
Wonderscape
Eyes and Optical Illusions: The Science of Seeing
This video examines the retina's photoreceptors, rods and cones, and their roles in vision, particularly in color perception and low-light conditions. It also explores optical illusions, showing how the brain can be tricked by visual...
Learning Mole
How Does it Work? - Optical Illusions
This video is explaining how optical illusions work for kids.
Curated Video
Rods and Cones of the Eye
Rods and cones are the structures in our eyes that allow us to translate light into images and colors. Learn how these structures work and the role they play in optical illusions.
AllTime 10s
10 Puzzles That Cant Be Solved
Have an IQ of 160+? Fancy yourself as the next Albert Einstein? Well good for you, but you probably still won't be able to solve these puzzles!
Crash Course
Special Effects
Special effects have come along way since the spectacular illusions of Georges Melies. Young filmmakers learn about the three major types of special effects: mechanical or practical effects, optical effects, and computer-generated imagery.
Crash Course
Georges Melies—Master of Illusion
The focus of a playlist on the history of film shifts from the development of early film technology to techniques used by filmmakers like Georges Melies. Melies, a former magician, used dazzling illusions and tricky editing to create...
Be Smart
What Color Is The Moon?
Is the entire moon an optical illusion? We know it exists, but do we really know what color it is? The video explains what color we perceive the moon to be and its actual color.
Steve Spangler Science
Disappearing Money - Sick Science! #049
Bring a little magic into the classroom. Fill a cup with water, place a plate underneath it, and watch a coin disappear. This is a great way to kick off a discussion involving the behavior of light and the concepts of reflection and...
Curated OER
Color Mixing Wheel
Two scientific concepts can be taught with this activity. First, the mixing of primary colors is demonstrated. As the color wheel spins, red, yellow, and blue are no longer visible; secondary colors orange, purple, and green appear in...
Steve Spangler Science
Spinning Disk Illusion - Sick Science! #042
What the eye perceives can be deceiving. Learners can make a spinner that creates an optical illusion by merging two images. They can experiment with ways to make them in different shapes and styles to get varied results.
Curated OER
Disappearing Money
Bring a little magic into the classroom. Fill a cup with water, place a plate underneath it, and watch a coin disappear. This is a great way to kick off a discussion involving the behavior of light and the concepts of reflection and...
Steve Spangler Science
Color Mixing Wheel - Sick Science! #019
Two scientific concepts can be taught with this activity. First, the mixing of primary colors is demonstrated. As the color wheel spins, red, yellow, and blue are no longer visible; secondary colors orange, purple, and green appear in...