The Fascinating Physics of a Floating Screwdriver
Float a screwdriver in mid-air. And then discover how and why this cool trick works.
science videos
Engineer Guy vs. The Lead-Acid Battery
Here, friends and neighbors, is the eighth and final video of Engineer Guy series #4. The element of the week is called ‘plumbum’ in Latin, abbreviated to ‘Pb’ on the periodic table, and generally known as ‘lead.’ Formed into electrodes with its oxide and submerged in sulfuric acid, lead is an essential component in the ignition batteries that start cars and other gas-powered vehicles.
Engineer Guy vs. The Microwave Oven
The elements of the week are tungsten and thorium, which are alloyed to make the filament in the special type of vacuum tube—called a magnetron—that produces radiation in your microwave oven. Bill and the Engineer Guy team first explain the anatomy of a basic microwave oven, then…
Engineer Guy vs. Aluminum and Titanium Anodizing
As much as I love Engineer Guy videos, I am especially partial to Series #4, because it is themed around the chemical elements—each installment features a different element and a remarkable bit of engineering based upon it. And this week my two personal favorite elements are in the spotlight. Though it is utterly common, today, […]
Engineer Guy vs. The Smartphone Accelerometer
Here, with great fanfare, is the second installment of Engineer Guy Series #4: theMEMSaccelerometer. With typical flair, Bill and his production team take us from the basic concept of an accelerometer (using the familiar ball-on-a-spring model), through the analogous silicon device that lets your smartphone tell up from down, all the way to the anisotropic etching techniques used to It’s wonders all the way down, with Bill, as usual.
Engineer Guy vs. the CCD
Bill Hammack is back! I am pleased beyond measure to present the first video in Engineer Guy Series #4, in which Bill Hammack and his Engineer Guy production team at the University of Illinois unravel the key technology of digital photography: the charge-coupled device.
Fire Without Matches: Twenty-Three Spontaneously-Igniting Reactions
Really wonderful community video collaboration from the chem-hackers of sciencemadness.org, including MAKE pal and guest blogger Hayden Parker. Over about fourteen minutes, we are treated to a bench-side view of two dozen energetic reactions that share an interesting property: reagents that, on mixing, spontaneously burst into flame.
