Curated Video
Factpack: Background Radiation
Although radioactive materials are associated with power stations and bombs, we live with radioactive substances all around us. What are they, and do they affect us? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. A Twig FactPack...
Curated Video
Reducing Radiation Risk
Radioactive substances can seriously damage health. Those that work with them must take care to reduce their effects. What methods can we use and how do they work? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Exposure to...
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Nobel Prize By Chance
What scientists believed was a technical fault with their equipment turned out to be radiation left over from the Big Bang - one of the greatest astronomical discoveries of the 20th century. Physics - Universe - Learning Points....
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Radioactive Substances
What is radioactivity? Explore the difference between alpha, beta and gamma radiation and how their different properties can make them useful. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Radioactivity is the nuclear decay of...
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Cold War to Gamma Rays
When the Americans tried to detect radiation from Soviet bombs, they in fact discovered gamma ray bursts - radiation from deep space. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. During the Cold War, the US suspected the Soviets of testing...
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Black Holes
Discover how dying stars transform into black holes, areas of mass so great that even light can't escape. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. When a star dies, it collapses and condenses into a single point, known as a singularity. The...
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How Do Lasers Work?
Concentrated light can be incredibly powerful and useful. Learn how laser beams are produced by controlling how atoms emit photons of light. Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Lasers are photons of the same frequency going in the same...
Curated Video
The Elements: Radium
Learn why radium is so radioactive it can both cause and cure cancer. Chemistry - Periodic Table - Learning Points. Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898. Radium is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium. Exposure to...
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum
The range of electromagnetic radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum is huge. Where does this radiation come from and how do the frequencies and wavelengths vary? Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Electromagnetic radiation is all...
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What Makes Up the Electromagnetic Spectrum?
From radio waves to gamma rays, the electromagnetic spectrum is useful in different ways. How does this radiation differ and how can they be used? Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Electromagnetic radiation exists along a continuous...
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Heat Transport
Conduction, convection and radiation are all ways in which heat is transported. How does each work, and what are they useful for? Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. The three types of heat transport are conduction,...
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Mars: The Search for Water
We know that Mars once had a landscape with oceans and rivers, but what happened to it? Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Although Mars is a freezing dry world today, it is thought the planet was once like Earth. If liquid water once...
Curated Video
Heat Absorption
We use two cans, one painted black and the other painted white, to investigate heat absorption. The containers are placed in front of a heat source and the temperature change is recorded. This shows that the black container absorbs heat...
Curated Video
Heat Loss
We compare two cans, one painted black and the other painted white, to see how quickly they lose heat. The containers are placed in front of a heat source and heated to the same temperature. The temperature in each container is recorded...
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Inventions to Save the Planet
Discover some geo-engineering techniques that scientists are developing to manipulate Earth's climate. What are they and how would they work? Earth Science - Human Impacts - Learning Points. Geo-engineering strives to use technology to...
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Big Bang Evidence
Discover the scientific evidence that supports the Big Bang theory - from the expanding Universe to cosmic microwave background radiation. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. An expanding Universe, an abundance of light elements, and...
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The Search for Dark Matter
Deep underground in a disused mine in Yorkshire, scientists are searching for particles that can't be seen and have never been detected, but might bind our Universe together. Physics - Universe - Learning Points. Dark matter is believed...
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Radioactive Half-Life
Discover how radioactive substances change over time, and how this affects whether they are hazardous to humans. Physics - Energy And Radioactivity - Learning Points. Dangerous radioactive substances will not be dangerous forever due to...
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Planetary nebula
A glowing cloud of dust and gas surrounding a star towards the end of its life cycle. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning images and concise textual definitions. Twig Science...
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Irritant
A substance that produces inflammation or pain on contact with skin, eyes, the respiratory system or other membranes such as stomach linings. A Twig Science Glossary Film. Key scientific terms defined in just 60 seconds using stunning...
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Iguanas
Journey to the Galapagos to see how cold-blooded iguanas keep themselves warm. Physical processes -Energy and energy transfer - Heat transfer Learning Points The Sun's heat energy travels to Earth as infrared radiation. Convection:...
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Nuclear energy
Explore how nuclear power stations work and what happens when radioactive waste is not contained safely. People and places - Future of energy - Energy sources Learning Points Nuclear power stations use radioactive materials to create...
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Heat transfer
Investigate the ways in which heat can be transferred. Physical processes - Energy and energy transfer - Heat transfer Learning Points Conduction is the transfer of energy from one molecule to the next. Convection is the transfer of heat...
Wonderscape
The 1979 Nuclear Disasters: Three Mile Island and Church Rock
This video examines two significant nuclear incidents in the U.S. during 1979. Learn about the reactor meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island, which sparked nationwide debates on nuclear energy, and the lesser-known but devastating...