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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Island hopping
Your mate is stuck on a tiny island surrounded by shark infested waters. Can your knowledge of science save the day?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring oak woodland
Oak woodland is a characteristic feature of the English landscape and home to a huge variety of plants and animals. On this album, Professor David Streeter of the University of Sussex explores some characteristic features of an English oak wood, and reveals some of the processes that maintain the web of life within the wood. In three further ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Kill or cure
You've been infected, now you need a cure, and fast. Can your knowledge of biology identify the bacteria and get you the correct antidote?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Escape the airtight room
Trapped, and your oxygen is running out. Can your science skills get the door to this airtight room to open in time?
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring wave motion
What are waves and what happens to them when they pass through a gap? Do different sorts of waves behave in the same way? Dr Andrew Norton of The Open University uses a ripple tank to demonstrate some of the key features of wave motion, and show how waves spread out when they pass through an aperture. Using a laser and a diffraction grating, he ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
DNA, RNA and protein formation
How is genetic information stored in cells, and how is the information accessed and used? On this album, Dr Norman Cohen of The Open University uses models and graphics to provide easily understood explanations of how genetic information is stored in DNA, how DNA is replicated, and how genetic information from DNA is used to create new protein ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The sound of silence
Why does each musical instrument have its own unique sound? What exactly distinguishes a guitar from a fiddle? Follow the story as we find out exactly how a musical note is produced and how to create the sound of silence. This material forms part of The Open University course MU120 Open mathematics.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring the science of climate
The idea that human activities could influence global climate first emerged more than a hundred years ago, when the Swedish scientist Arrhenius warned that burning coal could lead to global warming. The tracks on this album take a historical look at the systematic study of weather and climate, from the amateur scientists of the Mannheim group ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Exploring sedimentary processes
What is sand? What’s it made from, and how does it get from where it’s made to the beaches and sand dunes that surround many of our shores? On this album, Dr Dave McGarvie of The Open University takes us on a visit to Cornwall to follow grains of sand on their journey from the high moorland to the sea shore. Back in the lab, he demonstrates some...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The physical world: helicopters
Want to learn to fly a helicopter? In this album Royal Berkshire Ambulance pilots show two complete beginners the ropes. Normally, Marie and Tracey dispatch air ambulances, now they find out how to fly one. The five video tracks offer a hands-on explanation of the science and engineering behind helicopter flight. They show how rotors help this ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
The physical world: waves and relativity
This album explores the science of waves. Five video tracks feature two pair trawling fishermen from the Cornish village of Looe. Their lives and livelihoods depend on gadgets like radio, GPS and radar. This album explores the physics behind this technology, gives a simple introduction to wavelengths and looks back to the discovery of ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Bang challenge: Snakes by a flame
It's dark – you need light to avoid standing on the slumbering snake. Can your science know how help you make enough light to escape without waking the python?