Classicist and columnist Victor Davis Hanson talks with UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler about the classics, war, and what we stand for in the post-9/11 world. (56 min)
Material Type: Lecture
Conversations Host Harry Kreisler welcomes philosopher Martha Nussbaum for a discussion of women and human development, religious freedom, and liberal education. (55 min)
Material Type: Lecture
Pointing to inequities of the past that are unfathomable today, the Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois College of Education invites us to consider what aspects of our current educational system our grandchildren will find unimaginable.
Material Type: Lecture
The fact that no one knows the answer to this question is what makes it exciting. The story of physics has been one of an ever-expanding understanding of the sheer scale of reality, to the point where physicists are now postulating that there may be far more universes than just our own. Chris Anderson explores the thrilling implications of this idea. A quiz, thought provoking question, and links for further study are provided to create a lesson around the 5-minute video. Educators may use the platform to easily "Flip" or create their own lesson for use with their students of any age or level.
Material Type: Lecture
Manifold greatness: Oxford Celebrations of the King James Bible 1611-2011. Lecture series held in Corpus Christi College to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the first publication of the King James Bible.
Material Type: Lecture
Students will learn about the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter Reformation as related events. They will analyze works by the artists Rubens and Rembrandt, and use the artworks to illustrate the divergent beliefs and philosophies of the two movements.
Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lesson Plan
Part One of this video lesson will explore the science that explains soap bubbles, as well as the application of this knowledge to other areas, such as architecture and biology. We first introduce the concept of surface tension. In Part Two of this video lesson, students will learn where the colors of soap bubbles come from and also learn what soap bubbles and telescopes have in common. The students will first make a connection between light and waves waves and will then go on to explore various characteristics of waves through a series of classroom activities.
Material Type: Lecture
The CK-12 21st Century Physics FlexBook is a collaborative effort of the Secretaries of Education and Technology and the Department of Education that seeks to elevate the quality of physics instruction across the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Textbook
The People's Physics Book v3 is intended to be used as one small part of a multifaceted strategy to teach physics conceptually and mathematically
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Textbook
In this activity about light and perception, learners discover how a flash of light can create a lingering image called an "afterimage" on the retina of the eye. Learners will be surprised when they continue to see an image of a bright object after staring at it and looking away. Use this activity to introduce learners to principles of optics and perception as well as to explain why the full moon often appears larger when it is on the horizon than when it is overhead. This lesson guide also includes a few extensions like how to take "afterimage photographs."
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this demonstration, amaze learners by performing simple tricks using mirrors. These tricks take advantage of how a mirror can reflect your right side so it appears to be your left side. To make the effect more dramatic, cover the mirror with a cloth, climb onto the table, straddle the mirror, and then drop the cloth as you appear to "take off." This resource contains information about how this trick was applied during the making of the movie "Star Wars."
Material Type: Activity/Lab
CK-12 Basic Physics - Second Edition updates CK-12 Basic Physics and is intended to be used as one small part of a multifaceted strategy to teach physics conceptually and mathematically.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Textbook
In the master-equation formalism, a set of differential equations describe the time-evolution of the probability distribution of an ensemble of systems. This can be used, for example, to describe the varied mRNA copy numbers found in individual cells in a population.
Material Type: Lecture Notes
The stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA, Kinetic Monte Carlo, Gillespie algorithm) produces an example trajectory for a particular member of a probabilistic ensemble by looping over the following steps. The current state of the system is used to determine the likelihood of each possible chemical reaction in relative comparison to the likelihoods for the other possible reactions, as well as to determine when the next reaction is expected. Pseudo-random numbers are drawn to "roll the dice" to determine exactly when the next reaction will proceed, and which kind of reaction it will happen to be.
Material Type: Lecture Notes
In this optics activity, learners discover that when they rotate a special black and white pattern called a Benham's Disk, it produces the illusion of colored rings. Learners experiment with the speed of rotation and direction of rotation to observe varying patterns. Use this activity to explain to learners how our eyes detect color and how different color receptors in the eye respond at different rates.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this lesson students investigate the effects of black carbon on arctic warming and are introduced to a mechanism of arctic warming that is not directly dependent on greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: black carbon deposition on Arctic snow and ice. It can also be used to introduce the concept of albedo. Prerequisite knowledge: students understand the concepts of absorption and reflection of light energy. This lesson is designed to be used with either an Earth/environmental science or chemistry curriculum. It may also be used as an enrichment activity in physics or physical science during a unit on energy. Includes suggested modifications for students with special needs and low technology option. Requires advance preparation, including freezing ice samples overnight.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Data Set, Lesson Plan, Simulation
In this optics activity, learners examine how polarized light can reveal stress patterns in clear plastic. Learners place a fork between two pieces of polarizing material and induce stress by squeezing the tines together. Learners will observe the colored stress pattern in the image of the plastic that is projected onto a screen using an overhead projector. Learners rotate one of the polarizing filters to explore which orientations give the most dramatic color effects. This activity can be related to bones, as bones develop stress patterns from the loads imposed upon them every day.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this activity, learners observe as soap bubbles float on a cushion of carbon dioxide gas. Learners blow bubbles into an aquarium filled with a slab of dry ice. Learners will be amazed as the bubbles hover on the denser layer of carbon dioxide gas, then begin to expand and sink before freezing on the dry ice. Use this activity to discuss sublimation, density, and osmosis as well as principles of buoyancy, semipermeability, and interference.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
In this activity about electricity, learners produce a spark that they can feel, see, and hear. Learners rub a Styrofoam plate with wool to give it an electric charge. Then, they use the charged Styrofoam to charge an aluminum pie pan. Essentially, learners build an electrophorus (Greek for "charge carrier"). This resource also contains instructions on how to build a large charge carrier called a "Leyden Jar" using a plastic film can.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Students use their knowledge of potential and kinetic energy, and explore forces and motion to place a ball into the center of a 6-foot diameter circle.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
