Science Archives - Page 19 of 26

The Story of Maths episode 2 – The Genius of the East

Science / 3 minutes of reading / April 10, 2020 / By HDclump

The Story of Maths episode 2 – The Genius of the East: When ancient Greece fell into decline, mathematical progress stagnated as Europe entered the Dark Ages, but in the east mathematics reached new heights. Du Sautoy visits China and explores how maths helped build imperial China and was at the heart of such amazing feats of engineering as the Great Wall. In India, he discovers how the symbol for the number zero was invented and Indian mathematicians’ understanding of the new concepts of infinity and negative numbers. In the Middle East, he looks at the invention of […]

The Story of Maths episode 2 – The Genius of the East Read More »

The Story of Maths episode 1 – The Language of the Universe

Science / 3 minutes of reading / April 9, 2020 / By HDclump

The Story of Maths episode 1 – The Language of the Universe: After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, Marcus du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece. In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system. In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the

The Story of Maths episode 1 – The Language of the Universe Read More »

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?

Science / 2 minutes of reading / February 26, 2020 / By HDclump

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? – naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world is heading for a population crisis. In his lengthy career, Sir David has watched the human population more than double from 2.5 billion in 1950 to nearly seven billion. He reflects on the profound effects of this rapid growth, both on humans and the environment. While much of the projected growth in human population is likely to come from the developing world, it is the lifestyle enjoyed by many in the West that has the most impact on the planet. Some

How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? Read More »

The Saturn V Story

Science / 2 minutes of reading / February 10, 2020 / By HDclump

The Saturn V Story: In 1961 when President Kennedy pledged to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, no rocket existed with the power or capability to rise to the challenge. In order to win the race to space, the United States would need to establish a multi-billion dollar space program. One man, Werner Von Braun believed he had the knowledge and vision to make Kennedy’s dream a reality. This is the story of the most powerful machine ever built, and the men and women who believed it could fly. The Saturn

The Saturn V Story Read More »

Einstein’s Quantum Riddle

Science / 4 minutes of reading / January 18, 2020 / By HDclump

Einstein’s Quantum Riddle: Einstein’s Quantum Riddle tells the remarkable story of perhaps the strangest phenomenon in science – quantum entanglement. It’s a story of mind-bending concepts and brilliant experiments, which lead us to a profound new understanding of reality. At the start of the 20th century Albert Einstein helped usher in quantum mechanics – a revolutionary description of the behaviour of tiny particles. But he soon became uncomfortable with the counter intuitive ideas at the heart of the theory. He hunted for flaws in the equations and eventually discovered that they predicted a seemingly impossible situation. Quantum theory

Einstein’s Quantum Riddle Read More »

The Joy of Stats

Science / 2 minutes of reading / January 17, 2020 / By HDclump

The Joy of Stats: Documentary which takes viewers on a roller-coaster ride through the wonderful world of statistics to explore the remarkable power they have to change our understanding of the world, presented by superstar boffin Professor Hans Rosling, whose eye-opening, mind-expanding and funny online lectures have made him an international internet legend. Rosling is a man who revels in the glorious nerdiness of statistics, and here he entertainingly explores their history, how they work mathematically and how they can be used in today’s computer age to see the world as it really is, not just as we

The Joy of Stats Read More »

The Joy of Winning

Science / 2 minutes of reading / January 16, 2020 / By HDclump

The Joy of Winning: How to have a happier life and a better world all thanks to maths, in this witty, mind-expanding guide to the science of success with Hannah Fry. Following in the footsteps of BBC Four’s award-winning maths films The Joy of Stats and The Joy of Data, this latest gleefully nerdy adventure sees mathematician Dr Hannah Fry unlock the essential strategies you’ll need to get what you want – to win – more of the time. From how to bag a bargain dinner to how best to stop the kids arguing on a long car

The Joy of Winning Read More »

Europe episode 2 – Transformation of a Continent

Nature, Science / 3 minutes of reading / January 3, 2020 / By HDclump

Europe episode 2 – Transformation of a Continent: Our second journey to the extremes takes us to the heart of the European continent, from the Norwegian fjords to the coast of Jura in the English Channel and up to the peak of the Matterhorn; we will go from the volcanoes of the Massif Central in southern France to the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, or the “Grand Canyon of Europe”. Alternative server and download The landscapes of Europe are as incredible as they are different. They are full of secrets and surprises. From the cold northern tip of

Europe episode 2 – Transformation of a Continent Read More »

Europe episode 1 – Birth of a Continent

Nature, Science / 2 minutes of reading / January 2, 2020 / By HDclump

Europe episode 1 – Birth of a Continent: The landscapes of Europe are as incredible as they are different. They are full of secrets and surprises. From the cold northern tip of Norway to the hot south of Spain; from the wild sea coasts of the European West to the continental extremes of the Urals in the east to the gentle heart of the continent – the landscapes of Europe are as unbelievable as they are different. Alternative server and download The first part of our journey to Europe’s extremes takes us to its borders where

Europe episode 1 – Birth of a Continent Read More »

NASA – Triumph and Tragedy

Science / 2 minutes of reading / December 15, 2019 / By HDclump

NASA – Triumph and Tragedy (2 parts): This documentary series offers audiences a unique chance to glimpse an astronaut’s view of space flight. It is an epic story of heroes and their breathtaking successes as they further humanity’s innate desire to explore. NASA – Triumph and Tragedy part 1 – One Small Step In 2009, NASA celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first Moon landing. This documentary series offers audiences a unique chance to glimpse an astronaut’s view of space flight. It is an epic story of heroes and their breathtaking successes as they further humanity’s innate desire

NASA – Triumph and Tragedy Read More »

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 4 – The Pale Blue Dot

Science / 2 minutes of reading / November 27, 2019 / By HDclump

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 4 – The Pale Blue Dot: In this final episode Professor Brian Cox travels to Iceland, where the delicate splendour of a moon-bow reveals the colours that paint our world, and he visits a volcano to explain why the sun shines. By exploring how sunlight transforms the plains of the Serengeti, drives the annual migration of humpback whales to the Caribbean and paints the moon red during a lunar eclipse, Brian reveals the colour signature of our life-supporting planet. Finally, at an observatory high in the Swiss Alps, he shows how

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 4 – The Pale Blue Dot Read More »

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 3 – The Moth and the Flame

Science / 2 minutes of reading / November 26, 2019 / By HDclump

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 3 – The Moth and the Flame: Professor Brian Cox shows how Earth’s basic ingredients, like the pure sulphur mined in the heart of a deadly volcano in Indonesia, have become the building blocks of life. Hidden deep in a cave in the Dominican Republic lies a magical world created by the same property of water that makes it essential to life. Clinging to a precipitous dam wall in Italy, baby mountain goats seek out Earth’s chemical elements essential to their survival. In the middle of the night in a bay

Forces of Nature with Brian Cox episode 3 – The Moth and the Flame Read More »