After discovering the nature of electrical resistance, scientists devised instruments like this one to measure and control it. (Java tutorial)

This "magneto-electric machine" was the first to turn motion into electricity. (Java tutorial)

A pair of parallel wires serves to illustrate a principle that French Scientist Andre-Marie Ampere was the first to comprehend, back in 1820. (Java tutorial)

Oscillators are a type of circuit found in many types of electronic equipment, including clocks, radios and computers. (Java tutorial)

Why do physicists want to study things at temperatures so cold atomic motion almost comes to a halt? And how do they create such frigid environments, anyway? Read on for the what, how and why of low temperature physics.

This itsy-bitsy phenomenon makes your iPod and hard drive tick.

It may look like a simple black blob, but an oil drop is in fact a phenomenally complex mix of immense molecules called hydrocarbons. Using a type of mass spectrometry called FT-ICR, scientists can analyze oil and other macromolecules...

Fear not, right-brained friends: Science and art intersect in plenty of places, and this is one of them. Samuel Taylor Coleridge lends a hand as we explore cryogenics - how to get things fantastically frigid - and the fascinating element...

This circuit is most commonly used to determine the value of an unknown resistance to an electrical current.

Italian scientist Alessandro Volta was the first to recognize key principles of electrochemistry, and applied those principles to the creation of the first battery, a simple tool which came to be known as the voltaic pile.

Invented around 1930, the Van de Graaff generator is a popular tool for teaching the principles of electrostatics. Others just call it "that thing that makes your hair stand on end." See how it works here.

Electricity goes through some ups and downs on its way from the power plant to your house. See how it works in this interactive activity.

Use this interactive, simple transformer to make a complete circuit via induction using two separate coils with iron cores inside.

A bell jar, Peeps and balloons demonstrate how changing the atmospheric pressure around objects can change their size. [3:18]

A slideshow carbo-loaded with information on how the pneumatic potato cannon works. [3:00]

Mass spectrometers are machines that give scientists a look at the composition and origin of a material by analyzing and quantifying its atoms and molecules. This tutorial shows how a single sector mass spectrometer works. (Java tutorial)

Scientists discover and probe x-rays and radioactivity, while inventors compete to build the first radio.

English chemist Sir William Crookes (1832 - 1919) invented the Crookes tube to study gases, which fascinated him. His work also paved the way for the revolutionary discovery of the electron and the invention of X-ray machines.

The main figure behind the first transatlantic telegraph knew very little about the science or engineering behind it, but was convinced that with it a fortune could be made. Read about these findings here.

Few inventions have affected human history as much as the steam engine. Without it, there would have been no locomotives, no steamers and no Industrial Revolution.

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was an outstanding twentieth century theoretical physicist whose work was fundamental to the development of quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics jointly with...

John Bardeen was one of a handful of individuals awarded the Nobel Prize twice and the first scientist to win dual awards in physics. Both times, he shared the prize with others. The first time his co-recipients were Walter Brattain and...

Like resistance, reactance slows an electrical current down. Explained by Lenz's Law, this phenomenon occurs only in AC circuits. (Java tutorial)

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and learn about the ignition coil, a type of step-up transformer, key (no pun intended) to the operation of your car. (Java tutorial)