* The Best From Conceptual Physics Alive!; Addison-Wesley; 1997; 2 videodiscs, 240m. DVD 1699
Introduces students to master teacher Paul Hewitt and his conceptual lectures and demonstrations.
* Brattain on Semiconductor Physics; Bell Telephone Laboratories; 1959; 29m. DVD 3487
Originally issued as a 16 mm motion picture in 1959; Presents an introductory lecture on the physics of semiconductors. Demonstrates thermal EMF, photo EMF, and rectification.
* Einstein’s Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists; Teaching Company; 2000; 4 videodiscs, 720m. DVD 2475
Twenty-four lectures cover the early study of motion through the modern discovery of relativity, quantum phenomena, and the consequences of these discoveries for our understanding of space, time, and the universe.
* The Elegant Universe; WGBH Boston Video; 2003; 2 videodiscs, 180m. DVD 1004
Physicist Brian Greene discusses the historical quest for a grand unified theory in physics which will reconcile quantum physics and general relativity, and considers the possibility that superstring theory may bring an end to that search.
* The Mechanical Universe; Annenberg/CPB Project, California Institute of Technology/The Corporation for Community College Television; 1985; 26 videocassettes, each 60m. VHS 728
A survey of introductory college physics. The Mechanical Universe is divided into two semesters, the first consisting of 26, 30-minute programs covering classical mechanics, with an introduction to differential and integral calculus. The second semester, entitled Mechanical Universe and Beyond, includes 26, 30-minute programs covering electricity and magnetism, light, relativity, thermodynamics, and modern physics.
* My Favorite Universe; Teaching Co.; 2003; 2 videodiscs, 360m. DVD 2620
Lectures by Professor Neil de Grasse Tyson based on essays written by him for Natural History magazine. Clear introductions to essential principles of physics support these lectures, including density, quantum theory, gravity, and the General Theory of Relativity. Also includes forays into disciplines such as chemistry and biology as needed to explain events in astronomy.
* The Nature of Space and Time; Princeton University Press; 1995; 3 videocassettes, 445m. VHS 6981
Einstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most accurate and successful theories in all of physics, be united in a single quantum theory of gravity? Contents: tape 1. Classical theory by Stephen Hawking; Structure of space-time singularities by Roger Penrose — tape 2. Quantum black holes by Stephen Hawking; Space-time and quantum theory by Roger Penrose — tape 3. Quantum cosmology by Stephen Hawking; The twister view of space-time by Roger Penrose.
* 100 Greatest Discoveries; Films for the Humanities & Sciences/Discovery Education; 2005; 9 videodiscs, 450m. DVD 2546
Host Bill Nye examines eight major areas of modern science, giving history and current information. Contents: discs A-J. Disc “D” covers Physics.
* Physics: The Basic Science: A Brief History of Physics From Galileo to Einstein; Hawkhill Video; 1995; 19m. VHS 6850
Program focuses on how physics began with ideas and inventions like the lever, the wheel, the catapult, and the cannon. Students will learn how Galileo and Newton radically changed our view of the world and the universe in the Renaissance, and how Einstein, Curie, Bohr, and Rutherford led another revolution in the 20th century.
* Physics: Cinema Classics; American Association of Physics Teachers; 1992; 3 laser discs (6 sides) Videodisc 11
A collection of 245 chapters of physics vignettes taken from more than one hundred film sources. Each video chapter is a mixture of movies and still frames. Contents: pt. 1-2. Mechanics — Mechanics and heat — pt. 3-4. Waves — Waves and electricity and magnetism — pt. 5-6. Conservation laws — Angular momentum and modern physics.
* Physics in Your Life; Teaching Company; 2004; 6 videodiscs (36 lectures, each 30m.) DVD 1699
This course introduces principles of physics through their application to everyday life.
* Physics of Spaceflight; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1991; 3 videocassettes, each 33m. VHS 2517
A 3-part program illustrating physics principles as they apply to spaceflight and space related events. Includes computer animation and graphics, and photography provided by NASA.
* Simple Harmonic Motion; McGraw-Hill Text-Films; 1953; 10m. VHS 7721
Illustrates the different means of exerting a force upon a given body. Introduces Hooke’s law, explains the motion associated with the circle diagram, emphasizes the relationship between the simple harmonic acceleration and Hooke’s law, and concludes with a brief consideration of the geometry involved.
* The Uncertainty Principle: Making of an American Scientist; Films Media Group; 2007; 53m. DVD 4505
Postdoctoral student, Keith Schwab and his mentor, Professor Michael Roukes, try to create a device that can measure the flow of heat at a quantum level. This program follows Keith’s quest as he confronts the uncertainty principle both in his work and personal life.
* Understanding or Memorization: Are We Teaching the Right Thing?; Northeastern University; 1996; 57m. VHS 6614
Eric Mazur discusses his innovative methods of teaching physics. Students tend to concentrate on problem-solving without paying sufficient attention to the underlying concepts. Mazur offers a straightforward solution.
* Conceptual Physical Science: Physics and Chemistry Demonstrations; Addison-Wesley; 1999; 60m. VHS 8514
Over 25 simple experiments, demonstrating various physical and chemical principles, are shown.
* Physics Demonstrations in Electricity and Magnetism,; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1993; 3 videocassettes, each 60m. VHS 2705
Shows individual experiments in electricity and magnetism.
* Physics Demonstrations in Heat; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1992; 3 videocassettes, 83m. VHS 2211
A three-part program developed in an effort to give physics teachers a comprehensive collection of demonstrations which would supplement and enrich their physics curriculum. The program's conceptual design, which relies upon the extensive use of real physical events, is directed at motivating students and giving them a deeper understanding of the concepts in thermal energy.
* Physics Demonstrations in Light; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1992; 2 videocassettes, 67m. VHS 2526
Part I of this set primarily contains demonstrations in geometrical optics, while Part II contains demonstrations in physical optics.
* Physics Demonstrations in Mechanics; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1990; 2 videocassettes, each 66m. VHS 2525
Shows individual mechanics experiments.
* Physics Demonstrations in Sound and Waves; Physics Curriculum and Instruction; 1993; 3 videocassettes, each 60m. VHS 2553
Shows individual sound and wave experiments.
* Video Encyclopedia of Phyics Demonstrations; Education Group & Associates; 2000; 27 DVDs. DVD 634 (**NOTE: This set is housed at the Physics Library)
A comprehensive series of 600 videotaped physics demonstrations. Each of the demonstrations is concisely produced and narrated, and illustrates a particular principle of physics. The demonstrations, approximately 10 hours in length, are augmented by slow-motion photography and animation and allow for interactive participation by students, including calculations which can be done “off the screen.” The DVDs are accompanied by books of written material which include scripts, explanatory material, illustrations and a list of equipment for each of the demonstrations; in addition, the demonstrations have been “keyed” to popular textbooks.
* Boundary Layer Control; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 25m. VHS 3351
Originally produced and released as 16mm motion picture in 1968 as part of the Fluid Mechanics Films series. Illustrates means by which airfoil design can be modified to control transitions from laminar to turbulent flow and from laminar flow to flow separation.
* Channel Flow of a Compressible Fluid; Britannica Educational Corp.; 1985; 29m. VHS 3118
Schlieren flow visualization and simultaneous display of the pressure distribution along a channel of varying area demonstrate the phenomena of choking, blocking and starting. Shows supersonic flow, Mach waves, normal shock waves and supersonic compression.
* Eulerian and Lagrangian Descriptions in Fluid Mechanics; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 28m. VHS 3123
Uses a computer-animated film to illustrate the two principal ways of describing fluid motion. Shows displacement, velocity, and acceleration fields, steady and unsteady Eulerian velocity fields, and the substantial derivative.
* Flow Instabilities; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1989; 26m. VHS 3110
Videocassette release of 1968 motion picture. Shows surface waves generated by wind in a water channel to illustrate the general features of flow instability.
* Flow Visualization; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 31m. VHS 3112
Stephen J. Kline demonstrates the use of flow visualization in solving engineering problems and establishing mathematical models for analysis of flow fields. Explains the kinematic concepts linking visual observations to the velocity field in steady and unsteady flow.
* The Fluid Mechanics of Drag; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 4 videocassettes, 120m. VHS 3117
A four-part instructional series which utilizes film clips and classroom presentations to illustrate the fluid mechanics of drag. Ascher H. Shapiro uses experiments and models to introduce and explain certain concepts and laws of drag. Contents: pt. 1. Some curious experiments — pt. 2. Fundamental concepts — pt. 3. The laws of drag in fluids of high and low viscosity — pt. 4. How to reduce drag.
* Fundamentals of Boundary Layers; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1985; 24m. VHS 605
Illustrates boundary layer concepts and phenomena using demonstration-experiments in water and glycerine.
* Low Reynolds Number Flows; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 33m. VHS 3130
Sir Geoffrey I. Taylor describes and discusses characteristics of the motion of fluids using a variety of models, and demonstrates how in low Reynolds number flows a rough estimate is provided by the Reynolds number scale of the relative importance of inertia and viscosity.
* Rheological Behavior of Fluids; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 22m. VHS 2408
Illustrates the rheological behavior of fluids which do not obey the Navier-Stokes equations. Demonstrates non-Newtonian properties by non-linear steady flows and by the time-dependent visco-elastic behavior of such materials. Contrasts the non-Newtonian behavior with Newtonial fluid behavior in similar experiments.
* Rotating Flows; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 29m. VHS 9465
Illustrates the phenomena associated with rotation of homogeneous fluids, including horizontal trajectories in surface gravity waves, low and high-Rossby-number flows around a sphere, Taylor walls, normal modes of oscillation, and Rossby waves in a cylindrical annulus.
* Surface Tension in Fluid Mechanics; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 29m. VHS 3116
Presents a series of experiments to show that surfaces exert forces. Defines the fundamental boundary conditions governing the effects of these forces. Includes illustrations of nucleation, “wine tears,” swimming bubbles, and high-speed pictures of the breakup of water sheets and soap films.
* Vorticity; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1988; 2 videocassettes, 44m. VHS 3129
Ascher H. Shapiro presents experimental demonstrations of phenomena relating to vorticity, to circulation, and to the theorems of Crocco, Kelvin, and Helmholtz.
* Waves in Fluids; Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corp.; 1989; 33m. VHS 3104
Videocassette release of 1964 motion picture. Visualizes some of the basic phenomena of wave motion in fluids.
* Albert Einstein: How I See the World; PBS Home Video; 1995; 61m. VHS 7367
Chronicles how the world’s most famous Nobel Prize winner, scientist Albert Einstein, became its most eloquent advocate for peace. News films show the public figure, home movies reveal the private man, and much of the film is told in Einstein’s own words, which have been excerpted from his diaries, personal letters and writings.
* Chen Ning Yang; PBS Video; 1989; 29m. VHS 1665
Physicist “Frank” Yang discusses beauty in physics, the differences between the eastern and western approach to science and education, and the American spirit in a conversation with Bill Moyers.
* The Day After Trinity; Pyramid Film & Video; 1980; 90m. VHS 1897
A documentary on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, focusing on his role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
* Einstein’s Equation of Life and Death; Films for the Humanities & Sciences; 2006; 50m. DVD 2511
To mark the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s theory of special relativity, this documentary with dramatized elements tells the story of how his most famous discovery, e=mc², went from a mere set of symbols in a notebook to a weapon of mass destruction. Explains what e=mc² actually means, how it was discovered, and how it revealed that the universe contained astonishing power.
* Einstein Revealed; WGBH Video; 1996; 111m. VHS 6870
Originally broadcast as a segment of the television series, NOVA. Albert Einstein is known as the sprightly old sage with unruly hair. Now, from the pages of his private notebooks and letters, a surprising new picture emerges; a portrait of the physicist as a passionate young man.
* The Eminent Scientists Series; Cabisco Teleproductions; 1987-1990; 7 videocassettes, 209m. VHS 1344
Uses interviews with seven scientists to explore some of this century's greatest achievements.
[1.] A conversation with Steven Jay Gould (28 min.) — [2.] Richard Leakey : looking ahead to the past (35 min.) — [3.] Jane Goodall : a life in the wild (30 min.) — [4.] Francis Crick : beyond the double helix (28 min.) — [5.] From atoms to astroids : a life of Philip Morrison (28 min.) — [6.] Stephen Hawking : the universe within (28 min.) — [7.] Linus Pauling : a century of science and life (28 min.)
* I.I. Rabi: Man of the Century; PBS Video; 1988; 58m. VHS 1766
A conversation with the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who witnessed the first detonation of atomic bomb and became an advocate of peaceful uses of nuclear power.
* J. Robert Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Bomb; A&E Home Video/New Video Group; 1995; 48m. VHS 7368
Examines the life of controversial physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who led the Manhattan Project in 1942 and came to be known as “Father of the atomic bomb.” Although he served as a government adviser on nuclear weapons, he eventually campaigned against further development of nuclear arms.
* Physicists at Work; Hawkhill Video; 1995; 40m. VHS 6849
Part one presents a brief history of physics. In part two some outstanding modern physicists tell what it is like to be a working physicist today.
* Sir Isaac Newton: The Gravity of Genius; A&E Home Video/New Video Group; 1998; 50m. VHS 7369
A biography of Sir Isaac Newton’s life with a presentation and discussion of the Newtonian principles.
* Steven Weinberg; PBS Video; 1988; 29m. VHS 1659
Bill Moyers interviews Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg who discusses the aims of and current state of research in physics, the significance of humanity in the universe, the prospects for nuclear war, and government support for scientific research and how priorities in this support should be determined.
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