Children Education System

The Way Things Work - Magnets & Other Amazing Discoveries (Vol 4)

"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:

MAGNETS: Inhabitants of Mammoth Island discover the power of an invisible force called magnetism -- a contraption made of wire wound into a coil around an iron bar. The inhabitants of Mammoth Island learn that opposites really do attract as they explore the many ways in which magnets can be used!

INCLINED PLANES: The inhabitants have decided to smash boulders into bits by dropping them off a wooden tower to make gravel for their new roads but find it difficult and even dangerous to hoist boulders up the side of a tower. Olive suggests that they roll the boulders up a ramp instead of hauling them up the tower, and proves that it takes less effort to roll the boulders up an inclined plane.

PULLEYS: The inhabitants are trying to find the best method to lift their mammoths. Olive decides to use a simple machine called a pulley to get the job done. And when multiple pulleys work together, lessen effort will be needed to complete the task.

BELTS AND GEARS: The inhabitants are getting ready for their annual fair. Olive and the inventor decide to use belts and gears to design new exciting rides. While belts and gears don't increase the amount of force applied, they can transfer the force to change direction or speed. And this results in some terrific new rides!