Dr. Carlson's Science Theater

The mystery of styrofoam packing peanuts is revealed in this shocking episode demonstrating.... hmm, well it demonstrates cool stuff. After all, if you can't dissolve packing peanuts when you feel like it, what's the point of science anyway?

Science Theater Episode 8: Packing Peanuts

What does it feel like to float in outer space? How do satellites orbit the Earth? These mysteries, and more, are explained in this short video about gravity, orbits, and free fall.

Science Theater Episode 7: Free Fall

It seems unnatural, but the laws of physics don't lie. Liquids require heat to boil, and if the conditions are right one liquid can be boiled in order to freeze a second. Under a vacuum, the water in an acetone/water mixure can freeze while the acetone boils.

Science Theater Episode 6: Freezing by Boiling

Hot stuff and cold science explain temperature and its affect on chemical reactions. Crowd-pleasing lightsticks make their return in this episode focusing on temperature.

Science Theater Episode 5: Temperature

Can-crushing, balloon-inflating, juice-box-drinking action in this study of air pressure: how it happens, what it is, and why.

Science Theater Episode 4: Air Pressure

Eggs turn white when fried because their protiens are unfolded by the heat. Much of your body is made of large molecules called proteins that can perform chemical reactions. Proteins are like long strands of pearls that can fold up into balls in order to their job. Changes in the environment (like heat) can change whether proteins fold.

Science Theater Episode 3: Protein Folding

*As an aside, my PhD thesis research focused on this very topic.

LEDs and photosensitive paper show light be a particle in this demonstration explaining how light comes in little "packets" that we call photons. Colored LEDs make phosphorescent paper glow only if their color (frequency) of light is high enough in energy.

Science Theater Episode 002: Photons of Light

Liquid light can be mixed to create pure white light. In the premiere episode, "lightstick juice" is used to demonstrate how red, green, and blue light can be mixed to create white light. All it takes is a few colored light sticks, a knife, and a paper towel...

Episode 1