Physical Science


New! New Eye on the Universe 54 min.

Join scientists as they use NASA’s brand new James Webb Space Telescope to peer deep in time to hunt for the first stars and galaxies in our universe, and try to detect the fingerprints of life in the atmospheres of distant worlds.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Episode 1: Atomic Structure (Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation) 19 min.

In Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation Episode 1: Atomic Structure, we lay down the foundations on which the series is built: what atoms are made of and how atoms differ. We look at protons, neutrons, and electrons and at isotopes and nuclides.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Episode 2: Alpha Radiation (Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation) 18 min.

In Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation Episode 2: Alpha Radiation, we look at what alpha particles are, introduce students to nuclear equations, and show how alpha-emitting substances are used to power space probes and to treat certain types of cancer.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Episode 3: Beta-Minus and Gamma Radiation (Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation) 18 min.

In Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation Episode 3: Beta-Minus and Gamma Radiation, we look at what beta-minus and gamma radiation are and at how they are put to good use in medicine and in industry.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Episode 4: Beta-Plus Decay (Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation) 17 min.

In Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation Episode 4: Beta-Plus Decay, we introduce students to beta-plus particles, also known as positrons. Beta-plus particles are a form of anti-matter. Though beta-plus particles don’t really exist in huge quantities naturally on Earth, scientists have learned how to actually make atoms that emit them! Beta-plus particles have now become a major tool for doctors to...

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Episode 5: Half-Life and Activity (Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation) 16 min.

In Shedding Light on Nuclear Radiation Episode 5: Half-Life and Activity, we examine how quickly radiation is given off by radiation-emitting substances. Some radioactive substances emit lots of radiation in a short amount of time while others emit radiation very slowly. These different rates of emission can be expressed in a quantitative way using the concepts of “half-life” and “activity”.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2023

Should We Search for Extraterrestrial Life?: A Debate 52 min.

For decades, scientists around the world have dedicated their lives—and research dollars—to one question: Is there anyone else out there in the universe? In the early 1970s, NASA joined the hunt with its own program to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). When that was defunded by Congress, private efforts took hold. But just what have these efforts taught us, and how should we approac...

Formats: DVDStreaming Copyright Date: 2022

Ultimate Space Telescope 54 min.

Follow the dramatic story of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope--the most complex machine ever launched into space--in hopes of peering deeper back in time than ever before and answering some of astronomy’s biggest questions.

Formats: Streaming Copyright Date: 2022

Chemistry 36 min.

Investigate the intricacies of chemistry. Explore the branch of science that deals with the identification of the substances of which matter is composed; the investigation of their properties and the ways in which they interact, combine, and change; and the use of these processes to form new substances.

Formats: DVDStreaming Copyright Date: 2022

How are Chemical Equations Balanced? 3 min.

If you're studying chemistry, you need to know how to balance your equations. This short film will explore how it is achieved.

Formats: DVDStreaming Copyright Date: 2022