Children Education System

The Way Things Work - Electricity & Other Amazing Discoveries (Vol 2)

"Humorous, informative and very educational. Explanations are clear and relevant, with necessary diagrams to explain exactly how things work...These are exceptional physics videos that merit a place in all educational collections." - USA School Library Journal

The Way Things Work is an animated children’s series based on the award-winning international best-selling book by David Macaulay. Each fun-filled episode enables children to understand how the principles of physics affect daily life. On the mythical Mammoth Island, a group of Islanders and their indigenous mammoths are caught up in a series of entertaining adventures which are motivated and inspired by their need to find solutions to various everyday problems. Our guide and interpreter, the Inventor, offers the islanders friendly advice and as they make their amazing discoveries we learn how these fundamentals apply to us today.

The series poses questions such as “Have you ever wondered what a wheelbarrow and a bottle opener have in common? “Did you know that a dentist's drill is a direct descendant of the first windmill?” and sets about explaining the answers using animation. From aircraft to zippers and axles to zoom lenses, The Way Things Work brings to life core principles of physics in a fun and engaging way for children.

SCIENCE CONCEPTS:

ELECTRICITY: Inhabitants of Mammoth Island learn all about electricity during the annual lemon harvest. The islanders learn about how current and static electricity are different and what metals make excellent conductors of electricity.

STEAM: While observing the power of expanding steam in a whistling tea kettle, Olive and Troy, together with the inventor, decide to build a steam engine! A steam engine is a device that converts heat energy to mechanical energy. The Islanders soon discover that using steam power can make the Mammoth Island far more thrilling -- from spinning cotton candy to powering roller coasters.

ENGINES: Inhabitants of Mammoth Island look for an alternative to mammoths to speed up pizza delivery. They decide to experiment with different engines and discover how each works -- from simple rockets to turbofan jet engines to gasoline engines.

FRICTION: Olive and Troy are delivering mail with a mammoth-drawn wagon when they learn how important the force of friction is as they attempt to slow down! Applying what they discover about friction, Olive and Troy test a variety of brakes, trying to find the type just right for them.