The Krebs Cycle
Matt Johnson explains the Krebs Cycle, its discovery by a University of Sheffield Nobel Prize winner and its role in endurance sports such as cycling.
More details | Watch nowModelling C60
Wave Power
The UK coast is constantly being bombarded by sea waves.Ā There is a massive amount of power available from these waves. Ā Jonathan describes three different ways of generating electrical power from water waves.
More details | Watch nowHow does a transistor work?
A short video explaining how transistors work.Ā At the heart of our high-tech society with radios, mobile phones, computers and space exploration are tiny electronic components called transistors.Ā They have revolutionised electronics and in the pr....
More details | Watch nowSolar Cells
A short video on solar cells explaining with accompanyingĀ information sheet. How they work and how Jonathan uses solar power at home.
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With some simple circuitry and a homemade hand powered generator Jonathan makes AC and DC electricity that could be used for charging a mobile phone or attaching to a wind turbine.
More details | Watch nowPaper Windmills
Jonathan makes some simple paper windmills/turbines and experiments with a simple generator to power house hold devices such as torches, calculators and even a radio.
More details | Watch nowMobile Phone
Jonathan shows us with a cheap and simple homemade demonstration how your mobile telephone generates radio waves in order for you to use it to communicate.Ā As you will see you can use this method to explore many aspects of your mobile phone!
More details | Watch nowWhat is Graphene?
In October 2010 the Nobel Prize for Physics was won by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov at Manchester University for their work on graphene but if you are left wondering just what graphene is then watch this video. Jonathan explains all.
More details | Watch nowGraphene and the Carbon Revolution
Jonathan explains what graphene is and how it fits into the revolution in carbon science.
More details | Watch nowElectrical Generator
This short video shows one of the demonstrations for the Physics SEPNet exhibition - "Who will keep the lights on?" which travelled around the southern UK from February 2009.Ā We describe and explain the electrical generator demonstration which Jona....
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Bill introduces queueing theory and uses it to design the most efficient check out line
More details | Watch nowPhotocopier
Bill uses power tools to take apart a photocopier. He shows how it works, and shares the story of its invention by Chester Carlson.
More details | Watch nowThe Light Bulb
Bill reads from his book of fairy tales. He tells the story of the engineering of a light bulb, focusing on the materials breakthrough needed to make the filament.
More details | Watch nowCopper – The Miracle Metal
Bill cuts a copper pipe from his ceilng to show the five properties of copper that make it the most important metal for our world: From clean water to electronics.
More details | Watch nowConcrete
Bill moves a piece of sewer pipe into his office to show how important the ancient material concrete is to our modern world. It, of course, wreaks havoc on his office.
More details | Watch nowThe Geiger Counter
Bill sings a song - with help from Doris Day - about the geiger counter. He shows that scientist Hans Geiger became an engineer when he designed the counter as a tool to make his life easier.
More details | Watch nowThe Cell Phone
Bill invades a cell phone store to show that the design of a mobile isn't arbritary. Engineers uses seven basic principles to create a useful phone.
More details | Watch nowTantalum
With his hammer Bill cracks up a cell phone to expose how our electronic gadgets rely on the mineral tantalum - mined as Coltan.
More details | Watch nowWhy a Chair?
Bill asks the question 'Why a chair?' ... the answer reveals the human aspects of engineering design.
More details | Watch nowGarbage – Rubbish?
Bill covers his office floor with trash to see what takes up space in a landfill. He digs through fast food containers and diapers to learn that what we really need is green design of our manufactured objects.
More details | Watch nowMatches
Bill reveals the importance of matches in the 19th century; he shares how adding phosphorous to them revolutionized life - in both good and bad ways
More details | Watch nowGolf Balls
To learn what's inside a golf ball - and to show how clever engineers are - Bill uses a special cutter to chop one open - well more than one.
More details | Watch nowThe Transistor
Bill examines the first transistor ever built. He explains how it works, and its impact on our world today. And, also, he even tests it out!
More details | Watch nowThe Thermostat – Why does it look like it does?
Armed with a pair of wire cutters Bill shows how a common thermostat reveals how good industrial designers keep track of the dimensions of a human being.
More details | Watch nowThe Transistor 2
Bill shows how a transistor works by examing a replica of the first one ever build: The Bardeen-Brattain point contact transistor.
More details | Watch nowIBM Selectric Typewriter
Using slow motion video Bill Hammack shows how the mechanical digital-to-analogue converter of IBM's revolutionary 'golf ball' typewriter works.
More details | Watch nowAluminium drinks can tab
Bill uses slow motion video to show the ingenious engineering design of the apparently simple tab of a pop can.
More details | Watch nowBlack Box – A flight data recorder
In designing an object an engineer must choose the proper material. Never is this more important than in the 'black box' flight data recorder.
More details | Watch nowQuartz Watch
Bill takes apart a cheap watch to show how it works. He describes how a tiny quartz tuning fork keeps the time.
More details | Watch nowThe Whiffletree
Bill describes how a whiffletree was used in early calculating devices to do mechanical digital to analog conversion. He shows briefly the device used in an IBM Selectric Typewriter.
More details | Watch nowCoffee Maker: Pumping water with no moving parts
To engineer an object means to make choices. Bill illustrates how the choice of having a single heating element made an engineer find a creative way to pump water with no moving parts.
More details | Watch nowJourney to Etna
Clive Oppenheimer, a vulcanologist working on the latest techniques to monitor and predict volcanic eruptions, demonstrates his work at Mount Etna, an active volcano in Sicily.nVolcanic eruptions pose a real threat to communities living nearby, and a....
More details | Watch nowMusic’s Energy Footprint
A look at how the UK music industry is working with energy and climate researcher Catherine Bottrill to reduce its carbon footprint.nIn 2007 a group of influential people from the music industry formed Julie's Bicycle, an organisation dedicated to re....
More details | Watch nowAsthma on the Run
A look into the research of biochemist Ceri Harrop, who specialises in respiratory medicine and developing new treatments for people with breathing difficulties.nAs part of her research at the University of Manchester, Ceri meets with athlete Wayne A....
More details | Watch nowClimate Change: Madagascar
Anjali Nayar visited a pioneering project in Madagascar that's aiming to protect one of the country's few remaining forests. It's hoped that projects like this will help curb global warming. But first, these projects must overcome the poverty and pol....
More details | Watch nowScience and Art make comfortable bedfellows
With portrait painter Peter Edwards, Sir Harry Kroto discusses his love of art and science.
More details | Watch nowEmotion Recognition from Physiological Signals for Human Computer Interaction
Use of physiological signals for emotion recognition and human-computer interaction.
More details | Watch nowMediasite global outreach competition winner – 2009
Steve's winning presentation in the Mediasite Global Outreach Challenge 2009
More details | Watch nowCan we see atoms?
We see smaller and smaller objects through naked eye and microscopes, from hair to atoms.
More details | Watch nowPotato Battery
When two different types of conductors are pushed into a potato chemical reactions take place charging them up - we have a simple electrochemical cell. A potato, zinc screw and carbon rod produce about 1V. We experiment joining a few of these cells u....
More details | Watch nowShake-a-Gen
This is a simple yet effective demonstration of electricity generation. 500 turns of wire are wound onto a 35mm film can and the two ends are attached to an LED light. A strong magnet is placed in the can and the lid fixed back in place. The generato....
More details | Watch nowSeawater Battery
When two different metals are placed in a salt solution (an electrolyte) the chemistry produces a voltage. This is called a cell. By wiring up a number of these cells we can make a battery and use it to power electrical circuits.
More details | Watch nowThree Windmills
Converting wind power into electricity seems like an ideal way of helping to solve our energy problems. However, the power generated by a windmill is dependent on the wind speed. If the wind drops to half its speed there is as little as an 1/8th of t....
More details | Watch nowParabolic Light Collectors
Parabolic surfaces can be used to concentrate energy for example to focus sunlight to heat things. Using an old World War II spot light mirror we demonstrate how easy it it is to concentrate enough energy to cause combustion. Finally, we show how to ....
More details | Watch nowThe Mathematician Who Can’t Add Up
Emma was a post-graduate student at the University of Nottingham, completing a PhD in the field of theoretical cosmology. As an undergraduate at the University of Sussex she made history when she became the first woman to win the top prize at the Sci....
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