S2013 E1 • Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Explained

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle tells us that it is impossible to simultaneously measure the position and momentum of a particle with infinite precision. In our everyday lives we virtually never come up against this limit, hence why it seems peculiar. In this experiment a laser is shone through a narrow slit onto a screen. As the slit is made narrower, the spot on the screen also becomes narrower. But at a certain point, the spot starts becoming wider. This is because the photons of light have been so localised at the slit that their horizontal momentum must become less well defined in order to satisfy Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

Première diffusion : 14 janvier 2013

S2013 E2 • How To Make Colour With Holes

Scientists are being inspired by nature to design the next generation of security devices. Arrays of nanoscale holes create beautiful reflected colours that are almost impossible to forge.

Première diffusion : 21 janvier 2013

S2013 E3 • Why Do Venomous Animals Live In Warm Climates?

As a Canadian-Australian, I have always wondered why it is that Australia has so many venomous animals that can kill you while Canada has virtually none. But it's not just Australia - it seems like all beautiful, warm places are cursed with venomous native species. So I set out to find the truth: why have all these venomous species evolved in the world's best holiday destinations?

Première diffusion : 6 février 2013

S2013 E4 • The Original Double Slit Experiment

Light is so common that we rarely think about what it really is. But just over two hundred years ago, a groundbreaking experiment answered the question that had occupied physicists for centuries. Is light made up of waves or particles?

Première diffusion : 19 février 2013

S2013 E5 • What Can Frogs See That We Can't?

What would you see if you were drifting through space, looking back at the sun? Well its light intensity would decrease as the inverse square of distance from the sun. And you would imagine the intensity would decrease smoothly, asymptotically approaching zero.

Première diffusion : 4 mars 2013

S2013 E6 • Single Photon Interference

What happens when single photons of light pass through a double slit and are detected by a photomultiplier tube? In 1801 Thomas Young seemed to settle a long-running debate about the nature of light with his double slit experiment. He demonstrated that light passing through two slits creates patterns like water waves, with the implication that it must be a wave phenomenon.

Première diffusion : 13 mars 2013

S2013 E7 • World's Roundest Object!

The world's roundest object helps solve the longest running problem in measurement -- how to define the kilogram.

Première diffusion : 25 mars 2013

S2013 E8 • Epic Slow-Mo Drum Implosions!

Première diffusion : 11 avril 2013

S2013 E9 • Jetpack Rocket Science

Première diffusion : 25 avril 2013

S2013 E10 • Empty Space is NOT Empty

Première diffusion : 30 avril 2013

S2013 E11 • Your Mass is NOT From the Higgs Boson

Première diffusion : 8 mai 2013

S2013 E12 • Why the Sky ISN'T Blue

Première diffusion : 28 mai 2013

S2013 E13 • Do Aliens Exist?

Première diffusion : 3 juin 2013

S2013 E14 • How Does a Quantum Computer Work?

Première diffusion : 17 juin 2013

S2013 E15 • Can We Really Touch Anything?

Première diffusion : 24 juin 2013

S2013 E16 • How Does a Transistor Work?

Première diffusion : 9 juillet 2013

S2013 E17 • How To Make a Quantum Bit

Première diffusion : 23 juillet 2013

S2013 E18 • Slow-Mo Non-Newtonian Fluid on a Speaker

Première diffusion : 5 août 2013

S2013 E19 • Bullet Block Experiment

Première diffusion : 20 août 2013

S2013 E20 • Bullet Block Explained!

Première diffusion : 30 août 2013

S2013 E21 • How Special Relativity Makes Magnets Work

Première diffusion : 23 septembre 2013

S2013 E22 • 10 Facts About Great White Sharks

Première diffusion : 17 octobre 2013

S2013 E23 • How a Shark Attack Survivor Invented Cage Diving

Première diffusion : 6 novembre 2013

S2013 E24 • Is Punishment or Reward More Effective?

Première diffusion : 23 novembre 2013

S2013 E25 • Bullet Block Experiment Result

Première diffusion : 28 novembre 2013

S2013 E26 • How To Tag a Great White Shark

Première diffusion : 20 décembre 2013