Exoplanets
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, produced by the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Don Pollacco introduces us to SuperWASP, one of the most successful exoplanet finding instruments in the world. Don explains how we find planets orbiting other stars and how…
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Tim O'Brien and astrophysicist Chris North explain how astronomers use radiation from across the electromagnetic spectrum. They demonstrate how Jodrell Bank and the Herschel Space…
The Life Cycle of Stars
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, produced by the Institute of Physics, Teachers TV and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), astronomer Tim O'Brien, from Jodrell Bank Observatory, explains how astronomers believe a star is born, lives and dies. Tim compares the life of stars like our Sun with much…
5/5- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Video
Asteroids and Comets
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), astronomer Jay Tate reveals the risks and dangers of an asteroid collision with the Earth. Jay explains how our understanding of orbits allows us to track asteroids and looks into…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Video
Saturn and the Scale of the Solar System
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), planetary scientist Sheila Kanani shows us the stunning images of Saturn and its moons taken from the Cassini spacecraft. Sheila describes the Cassini-Huygens mission and how it…
Models of the Solar System
In this Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), physics teacher and astronomer Simon Foster explores how we developed our understanding of the universe. He shows how our changing models of the Solar System is an example of how science…
The Life Cycle of Stars: the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows how students can be engaged with the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, which is used to illustrate the properties of different types of stars. This is achieved by using a large…
Colour and Temperature of Stars
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows how it is possible to illustrate how the light emitted by a star is related to the star's temperature. Using a filamernt lamp and a variable resistor, the lamp glows first…
Invisible Wavelengths
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows a simple demonstration to illustrate wavelengths of radiation that are invisible to the human eye, but which can be detected using a camera phone or digital camera. The…
The Earth's Atmosphere - Why is the Sky Blue?
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), helps to explain the answer to a simple question: why is the sky blue? Using a light source, a beaker of water and a few drops of milk, students can see how the milky water scatters…
Elliptical Orbits
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), illustrates a simple demonstration showing how the orbits of the planets form an ellipse around the sun. It also enables students to see why comets have a much more eccentric eliptical…
Solar Eclipses
From the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), this short video clip shows a simple method for helping students to understand the relative positions of the earth, sun and moon during a solar eclipse. The video demonstrates how the moon's orbit typically takes its…
Phases of the Moon
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), illustrates a simple demonstration of the phases of the Moon. Using a light source and a small ball, the Moon's phases can be seen by a central observer representing the Earth.…
The Seasons: Light Intensity and Latitude
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows a simple demonstration to explain why regions at the equator are hotter than regions nearer the Earth's north and south poles. Using a lamp and a board, it is easy…
Cooking Up a Comet
This Teaching Astronomy and Space video clip, from the Institute of Physics (IOP), Teachers TV and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), shows how a range of ingredients can be used to make a material in the classroom that is the similar to the solid head of a comet. The clip shows how mixing water, silicates (sand)…
Waterproof Hanky
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration which illustrates the power of water's surface tension and the push of atmospheric air pressure. All that is needed is a cloth handkerchief, a glass and some water. The teachers' notes include the equipment needed, tips and contain…
Straw Oboes
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a noisy, amusing demonstration of the physics of music. Using a drinking straw, it is possible to make a vibrating 'reed' similar to ones found in wind instruments. It can take a bit of practice to get exactly right, but it is well worth the effort.…
Tame Tornado
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a good visual demonstration of forces, and in particular vortices. This demonstration does require a specialised adapter, but it is readily available and the demonstration is striking. The initial small rotation caused by spinning the bottles gains speed as…
The Power of Words
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video gives a short demonstration which uses a rule and a sheet of newspaper to show just how much force air pressure can exert, especially when it acts over a large area. The teachers' notes include the equipment needed, tips and contain a full explanation of the…
Potato Straw
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration. Could you push a plastic straw into a potato? Try doing it slowly and the drinking straw will bend and crush. Be bold and do it quickly and the straw will penetrate the potato due to the instantaneous force and pressure. Watch the video…
Magical Match
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration in which the uneven contraction of a match causes it to bend. This is the same type of uneven expansion and contraction that is common in many thermostats that contain a bimetallic strip. The teacher notes include the equipment needed, tips…
One in the Hand
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration which shows how force applied over a large area will not break an egg. The shape of an egg is actually one of the strongest designs possible. The curved structure means that applying pressure to any particular area actually spreads the…
Lager Lamp
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration which is a twist on the lava lamp activity. Watch nuts rise and fall in lager (or any other fizzy drink) as they form bubbles on their surface, and float, before releasing the bubbles at the surface and sinking back down. This demonstration…
Lifting Lemon
Produced by the Institute of Physics, the demonstration in this Physics to Go video shows a slice of lemon, floating on water, mysteriously rising in an empty glass. A range of processes are all working to give the effect: air pressure, expansion and contraction of gases and change in gas composition. To get the video to play,…
Extra Bounce
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows an experiment which looks at conservation of energy and momentum. Drop each ball separately and they do not bounce very high. Drop the small ball and large ball together, with the small ball on top, and most of the momentum from both balls is transferred to the…
Erupting Fizz
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration shows how mixing a carbonated drink, some salt and an effervescent tablet produces some interesting effects when the liquids' densities are modified. The teachers' notes include a list of the equipment needed, tips and a full…
Egg-citing Physics
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration which demonstrates momentum by spinning hard-boiled and uncooked eggs. The raw egg is filled with liquid whereas the hard boiled egg is effectively a solid. The hard boiled egg is easier to spin since the entire egg starts spinning at…
Cloud in a Bottle
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration that can be used to show water condensation as a 'cloud' forms inside a plastic bottle. Clouds are formed when water droplets in the air cool and then collect on dust particles. In this demonstration, the dust particles are provided…
Cartesian Diver
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a classic demonstration which helps to develop understanding about how pressure can influence the volume, and therefore density, of a gas. The Cartesian diver demonstration also links in with the understanding of density, floating and sinking. The teachers'…
Bernoulli Balls
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration in which a ball is kept in the air using only a hairdryer. The upward pressure from the hairdryer balances the downward force of gravity, keeping the ball 'levitating'. The more impressive part of this trick is being able to move…
Balloon Kebabs
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this Physics to Go video shows a short demonstration which aims to develop an understanding of surface properties. A balloon is formed by inserting air into a flexible thin rubber sheet. Most of the balloon is stretched evenly, but there are two points where the rubber is least stretched…
Amazing Marshmallows
Produced by the Institute of Physics, this video shows a simple demonstration to stimulate discussion on gas pressures and gas laws. A vacuum wine saver pump and stopper are used to reduce the air pressure in a bottle,causing the air inside marshmallows in the bottle to expand and the sweets to swell. The teachers' notes…