How Eclipses Changed History-Quest special 21 Aug-USA solar eclipse
Newton and Einstein had big ideas, but needed an eclipse to prove them. And scientists are still pursuing secrets of the universe one eclipse at a time.
Category: pleasure of knowledge
What Eclipses Have Done for Science -Quest special 21 Aug-USA solar eclipse
For the first time in nearly 100 years, a total solar eclipse will be visible across the entire contiguous United States. Professor Frank Close, particle physicist, former Christmas Lecturer and eclipse enthusiast takes us on a journey through history to uncover how these celestial events have helped us...
Getting Something from Nothing-Zero
Once upon a time, zero wasn’t really a number. Its journey to the fully fledged number we know and love today was a meandering one. Today, zero is both a placeholder, and tool, within our number system signifying an absence of a value, and as a number in...
The age of Mankind
According to Dutch scientist Paul Crutzen, the planet is on the cusp of entering a new geological age: the Anthropocene. Produced by the VPRO Backlight documentary series, The Age of Mankind verifies the evidence in support of Crutzen’s pronouncement, and examines the long-term consequences of man’s continued exploitation of the environment....
This Circuit Board Will Self-Destruct in 5, 4, 3…-IEEE
Under the cover of night, enemy agents capture an elite solider unit. The agents hold down the commander and cut through the skin of his upper arm, pulling out a slim, transparent circuit board containing the unit’s military directives. But as soon as the agents remove the device,...
The Chip Hall of Fame-IEEE
To most, microchips are mysterious black boxes sprouting tiny metal pins, labeled with seemingly random strings of letters and numbers. But for those in the know, some chips stand out like a celebrity on the red carpet. Many of these integrated circuits found glory by directly powering...
Science and Islam-The Power of Doubt
Jim Al-Khalili concludes his investigation into the relationship between science and Islam. He shows how the scientific revolution that took place in 16th and 17th century Europe had its roots in the world of medieval Islam. He travels across Iran, Syria and Egypt to discover the astronomical advances...
BBC Science and Islam-The Empire of Reason
Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries. He travels to Syria to discover how, a thousand years ago, the astronomer and...
Science and Islam-The Language of Science
The Language of Science. Jim Al-Khalili Physicist travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries. Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and...
