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Just six numbers
Science, Maths & Technology

Just six numbers

...which our Big Bang has evolved into the complex cosmos we inhabit, where on at least one planet creatures have evolved which are complicated enough to worry about it all. Martin Rees was explaining his theory to the Open University programme Final Frontier. To find out more about Martin Rees' six key numbers, take a look at Martin's book, which is called Just Six Numbers....
The Great Fall: A personal perspective, before and after
Languages

The Great Fall: A personal perspective, before and after

...Open University lecturer in Classical Studies. ...Like many millions I watched the breaching of the Berlin Wall on TV in 1989. I’ve had two direct and brief encounters with East Germany before and after this historic event. I’m descended from a C19th German Jewish émigré family of musicians but I first visited East Germany in 1982 when we went on a camping holiday,...
Noble gases
Science, Maths & Technology

Noble gases

...Open University Chemistry qualification. Video Text version Here are five of the six noble gases: helium, neon, argon, kypton and xeon. They're all colourless and transparent. Krypton and xeon form compounds only with difficulty. Helium, neon and argon don't form compounds at all. As we descend the group in the periodic table the atomic number and relative atomic mass...
Video 5 mins
What's the difference between a tall organisation and a flat organisation? The one-minute guide
Money & Business

What's the difference between a tall organisation and a flat organisation? The one-minute guide

...Open University's Business and Management courses and qualifications [A ray] Is this ray wise to keep things flat? Where there is a large number of levels in the management hierarchy, the organisation is said to be ‘tall’. This will tend to result in narrow spans of control. Where there is a small number of levels in the hierarchy, the organisation is said to be...
The age of offence
Society, Politics & Law

The age of offence

...Open University's Language courses and qualifications. From ‘cancel culture’ to ‘wokeness’ to the ‘culture wars’, many of the terms that define our age are related to the idea of ‘offence’. Propelled by the influence of social media, the giving and taking of offence seems to have become an integral part of modern life. The news media regularly spark moral...
Small Data: Star Wars release & broadcast dates
History & The Arts

Small Data: Star Wars release & broadcast dates

...open in America, and then, eventually, they'd find their way across to the UK. If you didn't enjoy going to the movies, or lived too far from a cinema, you'd have to be even more patient waiting for the film to turn up on TV. The changing nature of the entertainment industry - driven in part by digital media - has made the wait times shorter, and even - for some...
The science of chocolate
Health, Sports & Psychology

The science of chocolate

...opening) your blood vessels. This is due to compounds in dark chocolate called flavanols, which act by increasing the production of a gas called nitric oxide – it is this gas which this causes blood vessels to dilate. This effect was small but appeared to be borne out by a statistical analysis. However, it only happened during the first two weeks of dark chocolate...
Design Essentials: are you sitting comfortably?
Science, Maths & Technology

Design Essentials: are you sitting comfortably?

...Open University course T217 Design Essentials... Chairs – are you sitting comfortably? What makes a good chair? Theo Zamenopoulos considers the factors that produce good design while sitting in his favourite place. No chair is an island No design is an island, entire in itself, they are all part of an ongoing conversation about what is good design Here Theo Zamenopoulos...