VIDEO / TEACHER GUIDE

Secondary Level

VOLUME 38     2008/09
1	GLASS - A WINDOW ON THE FUTURE	Print Guide
Today’s optoelectronic engineers are developing extremely thin glass that is both durable and scratch resistant. Telecommunications systems require speed and accuracy and glass is proving to be important in developing semiconductors, optical fibers, and multiplexing. Precisely engineered glass is also used in terrestrial and extra-terrestrial telescopes. The Very Large Telescope in Chile uses four individual mirrors, each over eight meters in diameter, to see the details of outerspace. Running time 15:23
2	ARACHNIDS - THE TARANTULA STORY	Print Guide
Tarantulas have a combination of five unique characteristics. They are hairy, have dense hair pads with retractable claws, and long spinnerets shaped like fingers. Hundreds of black studs surround the mouthparts and they have no fewer than eight eyes set in a rectangular position - yet remain almost blind. This program crawls right into the complex world of the tarantula and our growing fascination with the king of spiders. Running time 31:51
3	ROBOTICS - ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING	Print Guide
Almost fifty years ago the first industrial robot was “employed” in an automobile assembly plant. Robots are regularly used for hazardous, super-heavy and difficult tasks in manufacturing, agriculture, entertainment, medicine, and space exploration. Welding robots with touch sensing and seam tracking abilities increase assembly plant efficiency, while robotic surgery results in less pain, quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays. NASA’s robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity are mapping the terrain and searching for evidence of water on Mars. Honda Motor Company’s humanoid robot, ASIMO, can walk, run, recognize people, and identify sounds and voices. Running time 17:05
4	SKYSCRAPER - REACHING NEW HEIGHTS	Print Guide
Architects and construction engineers are building taller, larger and smarter by inventing new materials that are lightweight, robust and sturdy. The 21st century skyscraper is being tailored to the demands of location-specific environments and ecosystems and to anticipate extreme weather. This issue centers on the construction of the Burj Dubai - the tallest man-made structure in the world. The 162 floors of the Burj Dubai soar to 818 meters. Running time 15:20
5	GAS TURBINES - ENERGY POWERHOUSES	Print Guide
In a gas turbine, the linear motion of gas causes rotors to spin, ultimately creating electricity. The forward rotating blades pump air under high pressure into the combustion chamber where natural gas ignites on contact with the air. At 1,500 degrees Celsius, the stream of gas rushes past the rear turbine blades, causing the entire rotor to spin. A generator transforms that rotational energy into electricity. This program shows the extreme precision required to build a turbine and how it works and how it’s used. Running time 15:54
6	PLUTO, FARTHEST PLANET & COMET, VISITORS FROM SPACE	Print Guide
Since its discovery in 1930, astronomers have been debating the status of the tiny world at the farthest reaches of our solar system—Pluto. In this program, students are given a firsthand look at the scientific process that initially classified Pluto as a planet and then reclassified it in 2006 as a Dwarf Planet. Also, students will also learn about comets, objects that formed from the earliest galactic activity. Comets orbit the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud, and sometimes come a little too close for comfort. Running time 20:00
7	FAR OUT, MEASURING THE UNIVERSE & YONDER TO INFINITY, END OF THE UNIVERSE	Print Guide
How far is a star or a galaxy? Distances are so vast they are described in light years; nearby stars are measured by trigonometry – the technique of parallax. Farther out, astronomers use so-called “standard candles”, the ‘Type Ia supernovae’ is the standard candle basis. Beyond that the electromagnetic “redshift” of galaxies reveals their distances. The second part of this program discusses the concept of the expanding Universe. Calculations by astrophysicists show that the cosmos seems to be speeding up. The 50-billion galaxies thought to comprise our Universe are rapidly moving farther apart. As our Sun’s energy diminishes, scientists are working to understand the nature of space called “mysterious dark energy and dark matter” – believed to comprise 96 percent of the Universe. With each discovery made by astronomers and astrophysicists, we find there is so much more to learn. Running time 20:00
8	ZERO TO ZILLIONS, THEORY OF THE BIG BANG & BLACK HOLES, COSMIC VANISHING ACTS	Print Guide
We view a scientific speculation about how the Universe grew from an infinitesimal speck to create matter, radiation, time and space. In the first trillion-trillion-trillionth of a second, the cosmos grew a hundred million times to less than the size of an atom. Then, in another instant, the Universe was the size of a galaxy. Now, billions of years later and strung along vast filaments, our Universe has some 50-billion galaxies that continue to expand as stars within them are born, live and die. In the second half of this program, the creation and disappearance of black holes is explored. These occur when a massive star dies. As the star’s outer layers cascade into space, the core collapses to beyond the visible and becomes a voracious gravitational trap from which nothing, not even light, escapes. Running time 20:00

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