Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos

March 17, 2011

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Veritasium - S2 - E22

It is a common view that "if only someone could break this down and explain it clearly enough, more students would understand." Khan Academy is a great example of this approach with its clear, concise videos on science. However, it is debatable whether they really work.

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Veritasium: Season 2 - 25 Episode s

2x1 - Atomic Theory
January 7, 2011
This is the first Veritasium science video. It addresses one of the most fundamental concepts in science: the idea that all things are made of atoms, tiny particles that are in perpetual motion. They attract each other when a little distance apart and repel when squeezed together.
2x2 - Thomson's Plum Pudding Model of the Atom
January 27, 2011
JJ Thomson proposed the first model of the atom with subatomic structure. He had performed a series of experiments and was credited with the discovery of the first sub-atomic particle, the electron. He therefore proposed a new model of the atom called the plum pudding model. In this model, the plums represent negatively charged electrons which can be plucked out of the atom, leaving behind some positively charged pudding. In this film, cherry tart is used as a delicious substitute for plum pudding.
2x3 - Cathode Rays Lead to Thomson's Model of the Atom
February 2, 2011
In the mid 1800's scientists successfully passed an electric current through a vacuum in a glass tube. They saw a glow from the tube that seemed to emanate from the negatively charged plate called the cathode. Since scientists didn't know what the glow was they called it a cathode ray. There was debate over whether the cathode ray was a wave phenomenon like light or a stream of negatively charged particles. JJ Thomson effectively resolved the debate in 1897 by performing a clever experiment that determined the charge to mass ratio of the particles making up the cathode ray. He also showed that this same particle was in all different cathode materials so it must be a constituent common to all atoms. This changed our understanding of the atom from the previous billiard ball model to Thomson's plum pudding model of the atom.
2x4 - Scientific Notation - Explained!
February 2, 2011
Scientists have to work with some very large and some very small numbers. To represent these numbers more easily, they use scientific notation. Scientific notation relies on powers of 10. This video gives examples of how to represent a large and small number and explains powers of ten.
2x5 - I'm Atoms (Scientific Cover of Jason Mraz's I'm Yours)
February 2, 2011
🎶Well an atom's made of protons, neutrons, and electrons... 🎶
2x6 - Scientific Notation - Example
February 3, 2011
If the sun were entirely made of protons, how many would there be in the sun? How can this be worked out using the Google search field?
2x7 - The Difference Between Mass and Weight
February 7, 2011
There is a common perception that weight and mass are basically the same things. This video aims to tease out the difference between mass and weight by asking people what makes a car difficult to push. The standard answer is that it is difficult to push because it's heavy. But heaviness is a measure of weight, the gravitational pull of the Earth attracting the car to Earth's center. When the car is pushed on a flat road, the force of gravity does not oppose the motion. Instead, the resistance felt is an indication of the car's mass which determines its inertia. Inertia is the property of matter which means it tends to resist acceleration - the greater the mass, the less the acceleration for a given amount of force.
2x8 - Egg Experiment to Demonstrate Inertia
February 9, 2011
If you spin a raw egg and then stop it, it will start spinning again without you having to touch it. A boiled egg, on the other hand, stops and stays stopped. Why is this? Well, a raw egg contains a yolk that moves inside the egg independently of the shell. If you stop the shell, the yolk inside continues to move due to its inertia and it, therefore, gets the egg spinning again.
2x9 - Gravity (Scientific Version of John Mayer's Gravity)
February 13, 2011
A song about Gravity set to the tune of John Mayer's Gravity.
2x10 - How Far Away is the Moon? (The Scale of the Universe)
February 17, 2011
If the Earth were the size of a basketball and the moon a tennis ball, how far apart would they be? Diagrams that are not to scale make us think that they're closer than they really are.
2x11 - What is a Force?
February 18, 2011
Force is a central concept in physics. By analysing the forces on an object, its resulting motion can be determined. But what exactly is a force? The word force is used in everyday language in a variety of contexts, only some of which reflect the scientific definition of force. In this video, people at Victoria Park in Sydney are interviewed on their ideas of force and the forces that act on them.
2x12 - What Forces Are Acting On You?
February 18, 2011
What forces (i.e. pushes or pulls) are acting on you right now? Most people can identify the gravitational force down, but there must be something else otherwise you would accelerate down towards the center of the Earth. The other main force on you is called the normal force. It is a force perpendicular to the surface that supports you, like the ground or the seat of your chair. You compress this surface and it acts like a spring, pushing you up.
2x13 - Why Does the Moon Orbit Earth?
February 21, 2011
It takes the moon about 27 days to orbit the Earth. What makes it go round? It is the gravitational attraction of the Earth on the moon. Due to the moon's velocity, the Earth keeps pulling the moon towards it without the moon actually getting closer to the Earth. This is similar to how satellites orbit the Earth.
2x14 - What Is Gravity?
February 21, 2011
People have a lot of different ideas about what gravity is: a downward force that stops you from flying off into space, an attraction smaller objects experience towards larger objects or a mutual attraction between all masses. It is the last of these ideas that best reflect a scientific conception of gravity.
2x15 - Best Film on Newton's Third Law. Ever.
February 25, 2011
There is a gravitational force of attraction between the Earth and the moon, but is it mutual? That is, are the forces on the Earth and the moon equal? Most people would say no, the Earth exerts a greater force of attraction because it is larger and has more mass. This is a situation in which Newton's Third Law is relevant. Newton's Third Law says that for every force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force. So the force the Earth exerts on the moon must be exactly equal and opposite to the force the moon exerts on the Earth. But how can that be - that the same size force keeps the moon orbiting, but barely affects the Earth? The answer is inertia - the tendency for all objects with mass to maintain their state of motion. Since the Earth has much more mass than the moon, it has greater inertia and therefore experiences much less acceleration for the same amount of force.
2x16 - Calculating Gravitational Attraction
February 28, 2011
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation can be summarized as "all mass attracts all other mass." But if this is true, why don't we notice the gravitational force of attraction between everyday objects? The reason is that the gravitational force is quite weak.
2x17 - Which Hits The Ground First?
March 1, 2011
A basketball and a 5kg medicine ball are dropped simultaneously. Which one hits the ground first? It seems obvious that the heavy one should accelerate at a greater rate and therefore land first because the force pulling it down is greater. But this is forgetting inertia - the tendency of mass to resist changes in motion. Therefore, although the force on the medicine ball is greater, it takes this larger force to accelerate the ball at the same rate as the basketball.
2x18 - Misconceptions About Falling Objects
March 3, 2011
If you drop a heavy object and a light object simultaneously, which one will reach the ground first? A lot of people will say the heavy object, but what about those who know both will land at the same time? What do they think? Some believe both objects have the same gravitational pull on them and/or both fall to the ground with the same constant speed. Neither of these things is true, however. The force is greater on the heavy object and both objects accelerate at the same rate as they approach the earth, i.e. they both speed up but at the same rate.
2x19 - Is There Gravity In Space?
March 8, 2011
If you've seen footage from the International Space Station or any of the space shuttle missions, you know that astronauts float around as they orbit the Earth. Why is that? Is it because the gravitational force on them is zero in space? (Or nearly zero?) The truth is that the strength of the gravitational attraction is only slightly less than it is on Earth's surface. So how are they able to float? Well, they aren't floating - they're falling, along with the space station. They don't crash into the Earth because they have a huge orbital velocity. So as they accelerate towards the Earth, the Earth curves away beneath them and they never get any closer. Since the astronauts have the same acceleration as the space station, they feel weightless. It's like being in a free-falling elevator (without the disastrous landing).
2x20 - Three Incorrect Laws of Motion
March 10, 2011
Newton's Three Laws of Motion are a landmark achievement in physics. They describe how all objects move. Unfortunately, most people do not really understand Newton's Laws because they have pre-existing ideas about the way the world works. This film is about those pre-existing ideas. By recognizing what people are thinking, it becomes easier to describe the correct scientific concepts of Newton's Three Laws and how they differ from this 'intuitive physics'.
2x21 - Experiments A Cappella
March 14, 2011
A short a cappella tribute to experimentalists. It is sung while performing three simple experiments with household items: Mentos dropped in diet Coke, a tea bag emptied and burned, and a ping pong ball floating in the air stream of a hair dryer.
2x22 - Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos
March 17, 2011
It is a common view that "if only someone could break this down and explain it clearly enough, more students would understand." Khan Academy is a great example of this approach with its clear, concise videos on science. However, it is debatable whether they really work.
2x23 - What Are Atoms and Isotopes?
March 22, 2011
Most people recognize that atoms are the fundamental building blocks of all matter around us. An atom itself is composed of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The simplest atom is the hydrogen atom because it consists of only one proton and one electron. If a neutron is added to the nucleus, the atom is still hydrogen, just a more massive version. Atoms of the same element (i.e. those with the same number of protons) but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes.
2x24 - Supercooled Water - Explained!
March 23, 2011
Many videos on YouTube show water freezing almost instantaneously. This video shows you how to replicate the experiment and it explains how the phenomenon works.
2x25 - How Damaging is Radiation?
March 25, 2011
What is radiation? Are all types harmful? What are the most common sources of damaging radiation? Most people view radiation as harmful and negative without understanding what makes it potentially damaging and which forms should be avoided. For example, many felt radiation from mobile phones probably caused cancer but few focused on the carcinogenic effects of UV rays.

2x1 - Atomic Theory

2x2 - Thomson's Plum Pudding Model of the Atom

2x3 - Cathode Rays Lead to Thomson's Model of the Atom

2x4 - Scientific Notation - Explained!

2x5 - I'm Atoms (Scientific Cover of Jason Mraz's I'm Yours)

2x6 - Scientific Notation - Example

2x7 - The Difference Between Mass and Weight

2x8 - Egg Experiment to Demonstrate Inertia

2x9 - Gravity (Scientific Version of John Mayer's Gravity)

2x10 - How Far Away is the Moon? (The Scale of the Universe)

2x11 - What is a Force?

2x12 - What Forces Are Acting On You?

2x13 - Why Does the Moon Orbit Earth?

2x14 - What Is Gravity?

2x15 - Best Film on Newton's Third Law. Ever.

2x16 - Calculating Gravitational Attraction

2x17 - Which Hits The Ground First?

2x18 - Misconceptions About Falling Objects

2x19 - Is There Gravity In Space?

2x20 - Three Incorrect Laws of Motion

2x21 - Experiments A Cappella

2x22 - Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos

2x23 - What Are Atoms and Isotopes?

2x24 - Supercooled Water - Explained!

2x25 - How Damaging is Radiation?

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S14: Season 2023

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