Every week Jacob Clark Blickenstaff, PhD, selects a video from the worldwide web and presents it on NSTA's home page for our edification and enjoyment. This is the archive of his picks.
You may also enjoy Jacob's movie reviews.
Posted May 14, 2012
Evacuated tube transport:
There are a lot of videos available on the web that depict proposed new technologies for transportation, energy generation, and communication. I take all of these with large grains (or crystals) of salt, as it is easy to create a professional-looking animation and hard to invent a world-changing new invention. Physics teachers could ask students to use the data in this video to verify the claim of traveling from NY to LA in 45 minutes, and also to brainstorm the technical challenges of building such a system. YouTube link
Posted May 7, 2012
Boron:
As May is the fifth month, let's take a look at boron, element number 5 on the periodic table. I grew up in California, where borax (a boron-containing mineral) is mined, and my family used Boraxo soap and 20 Mule Team Borax in the laundry. Borax is also a key ingredient in "flubber," a favorite elementary school polymer. YouTube link
Posted April 30, 2012
Lava flow:
This video from February 2012 shows some amazing lava flows on Kilauea. Relatively fast-moving, thin lava is called "pahoehoe" while the chunky, rough, slow-moving material is called "aa" (this shows up at 1:37 in the video). Lava sets fire to any trees it encounters, and then a hole is left after the trunk burns away and the lava cools (1:49). YouTube link
Posted April 23, 2012
US population patterns, 1700–1900:
This video shows the placement of post offices across the entire United States from 1700 to 1900. The difference in population density between the East and West Coasts is very clear, as are the paths of rivers and railroads. Check out the California gold rush of 1849 with the sudden spike in post offices on the West Coast. Vimeo link
Posted April 16, 2012
Earthquakes 2011:
This summary of global earthquake activity adds a couple of dimensions I have not seen before. First, the magnitude of the earthquake is indicated by the volume of the sound played (as well as by the size of the circle.) Second, the cumulative total number of earthquakes is plotted across the screen. Look and listen for the 9.0 Honshu earthquake around 1 minute 50 seconds. YouTube link
Posted April 9, 2012
Lunar evolution:
While we notice the changes in the phase of the Moon that happen every month, it is easy to think of the crater pattern as permanent. With no wind or weather, the lunar surface is much more stable than that of the Earth, but stable does not mean unchanging. This NASA video gives an outline of the impact history of the Moon that led to the features we know today. YouTube link
Posted April 2, 2012
April showers bring May flowers:
Watching flowers appear, seemingly overnight, is one of the joys of springtime. This time-lapse video of flowers opening emphasizes the beautiful colors and shapes and sheer variety of flowering plants. With all the color, it is easy to forget that flowers are all about pollination and reproductive success. Nectar is there to bring in pollinators (birds, bees, and other insects) to carry pollen from one flower to the next. Vimeo link
Posted March 26, 2012
The truth about magnesium:
My next long column will address some misunderstandings about element number 12, magnesium, that are being "taught" in a police procedural drama. The folks at the University of Nottingham, on the other hand, give you the facts about the lightest metal that can be put to practical use. YouTube link
Posted March 19, 2012
Helicopter shaken apart:
The voiceover on this video provides some details on how this happens. If there is something out of balance in the rotors, putting the craft down on the ground can make it worse, because the skids push down on the ground and the ground pushes back up on the skids. Newton's third law is not always our friend. YouTube link
Posted March 12, 2012
Self-leveling pool table:
It hadn't occurred to me that people would want to play pool while on a cruise ship, but if you are going to do so, this is what you need. This could be a great video to talk about relative motion since the table is tilting compared to the ship, but is remaining level compared to the Earth. YouTube link
Posted March 5, 2012
Solar tornado:
With the tornado outbreak in the midwest in late February (which has carried over into March), this video of similar vortices on the Sun caught my eye. Of course the scale (in time and distance) is very different, as this video compresses 30 hours of data into just over a minute, and these swirls are many many times larger than tornados on the Earth. YouTube link
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Jacob Clark Blickenstaff is teacher education programs manager for the American Physical Society.