22 results found for ,university-of-illinois

Bill introduces queueing theory and uses it to design the most efficient check out line

Bill uses power tools to take apart a photocopier. He shows how it works, and shares the story of its invention by Chester Carlson.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With his hammer Bill cracks up a cell phone to expose how our electronic gadgets rely on the mineral tantalum - mined as Coltan.

Bill asks the question 'Why a chair?' ... the answer reveals the human aspects of engineering design.

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.

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

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.

Bill cuts a fluorescent light out of his ceiling to show that plasmas and their products are all around us - they're essential in making circuit boards, lights, and even potato chip bags.

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!

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.

Bill shows how a transistor works by examing a replica of the first one ever build: The Bardeen-Brattain point contact transistor.

Using slow motion video Bill Hammack shows how the mechanical digital-to-analogue converter of IBM's revolutionary 'golf ball' typewriter works.

Bill uses slow motion video to show the ingenious engineering design of the apparently simple tab of a pop can.

In designing an object an engineer must choose the proper material. Never is this more important than in the 'black box' flight data recorder.

Bill takes apart a cheap watch to show how it works. He describes how a tiny quartz tuning fork keeps the time.

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.

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.