Watch Mr. Wizard's World

WALKING IN CIRCLES - Mr. Wizard tells Lorilee that people lost in the wilderness have a tendency to walk in a circle. They are going to find out if it's true. He blindfolds her and asks her to walk to a marked tree. He stops her near the tree and removes the blindfold. She is surprised to see how far away the tree is. They repeat the test and she again is the same distance away. STEEL WOOL TEST - On a double pan balance are two pads of steel wool. The balance has been adjusted so that both sides are equal. When the pad on one side is heated with a torch, will the pad get lighter, stay at the same weight or get heavier? Erin thinks it will get heavier. As they heat the pad, she sees bits of something falling from it, changes her mind, and assumes it will get lighter. When she places it back on the balance, it is slightly heavier than before. Heat speeded up the combining of the steel wool and oxygen in the air. Instead of just the steel wool, the pad now has a supply of iron oxide which makes it heavier. ENGINEERING EXAM -Mr.Wizard narrates: Although it looks like fun and games, this is a final exam for engineering students at the Univer­sity of Maine. When students have graduated, they'll face problems that can't be learned in the classroom. That's one of the reasons the University of Maine has the amphibious human-powered com­petition. Students learn what it's like to turn an idea into a final product. A FAN IN SLOW MOTION - A three-bladed fan illuminated in ordinary light spins much too fast to be studied. When illuminated by a light flashing 60 times a second, the speed of the fan can be controlled until it appears to be stopped. 3D MAGNET - Tarek's hand is on top of a small box and Mr. Wizard is sprinkling iron filings on it. It looks like black moss is growing on his hand. Tarek removes his hand and picks up the box to see a very large horseshoe magnet. Mr. Wizard put a steel hammer on it and asks Tarek to remove it. He does so, but with great difficulty because of the strength of the magnet. Tarek shakes up a transparent box containing iron filings and mineral oil. When Mr. Wizard add a magnet to the center of the box, they see the magnet lines of force in three dimensions. TREE BRANCH COVER PART 1 - Mr.Wizard has tied a large plastic bag around a branch of a small tree. He explains to Alan that leaves give off moisture and they are going to collect it. SUPERMARKET BATTERIES - Mr.Wizard shows Eliana how to get a battery type current by using a can of sauerkraut, wire, & a meter. MEDICINE YOU WEAR - Mr.Wizard explains there are medicines you wear. It will deliver medicine to the heart by diffusing through a spe­cial membrane into his skin then into his bloodstream and onto his heart. So far, only a few medicines can be taken by wearing them. TREE BRANCH COVER PART 2 - Alan and Mr. Wizard approach the tree branch covered with transparent plastic to see the surprising amount of water given off by the leaves. LEECHES -Mr.Wizard narrates: This is a leech often called a blood sucker. It's not a rare animal but it is rather unusual. It has, in effect, a series of brains. The study of leeches is instrumental in the study of humans because they have complex brains. HYDROGEN REACTION -Mr.Wizard explains that this experiment should always be performed with safety glasses and with a responsible adult! Erin and Mr. Wizard are at some distance from the counter on which is a cylinder. Suddenly, there is a loud explosion. The cylinder is shot off the counter. The cylinder was filled with hydrogen gas which was lighted at a hole in the top of the cylinder. At the bottom is another hole through which air can enter. When just the right mixture of hydrogen and oxygen occurs, they combine with an explosion to produces a very tiny drop of water: H2O.

MICROSCOPIC IMAGES - Tarek comments on how big the flower on the television screen is compared to its actual size. Mr. Wizard quickly traces the path from the actual flower, through the lens and TV camera to the TV screen. With a ruler on the screen, Mr. Wizard has him count the number of millimeter marks: 32. Tarek then measures the width of the screen: 280 millimeters. He then divides to find they are magnifying the object almost 9 times or about the same as looking through a magnifying glass. STORAGE BATTERY - To a small light bulb Vanessa connects two wires fastened to two plates in a beaker. The bulb lights up very briefly because not many electrons are stored in the beaker which is a simple lead-acid battery. INDOOR ORCHARD -Mr.Wizard narrates: These peaches are unusual because they are in an orchard made up of 350 trees growing indoors. Protected from severe weather, the trees grow two times faster and produce fruit two months earlier than those growing outside. These peach trees are about two years old and will soon be trimmed to keep them at the desired height. DOUGH SCULPTING - Mr. Wizard gives Lorilee 1.5 cups Flour, .5 cup salt, .5 cup water, & .25 cup of vegetable oil to mix and use a sculpting dough. TURKEY DINNERS -Mr.Wizard narrates: To feed this flock of turkeys, start with a few tons of corn, add a ton of soy bean meal, and blend eight pounds of vitamin supplement. You could add several dozen other ingre­dients. It is very important to feed turkeys a proper diet at each stage of their lives. Young birds need protein to support their growth while mature birds like these need more of the carbohydrates in corn and wheat. HOW FAST IS A COCKROACH? - Mr. Wizard shows him a cockroach inside a transparent plastic tube. Brian stands by with a stop watch as Mr. Wizard prods the insect to start running down the ruler at the bottom of the tube. They find the insect runs at about 10 centimeter in 1 second. Mr. Wizard points out they would need many more trials to be accurate and that temperature makes a difference. Scientists who have carefully timed cockroaches have found they can run 50 times their length in one second. THE LENGTH OF A SNORKEL - Mr. Wizard challenges Damon to blow water out of a transparent plastic tube inserted under the water in a larger tube. Damon does it with little effort. Mr.Wizard lowers the tube deeper and deeper until Damon cannot blow hard enough to clear out the water because of its weight. In the same way, if the garden hose had water in it, it would be impossible to force the water out from the bottom of a pool. The breathing tube is raised until Damon can easily clear it of water. It's at the same distance from the surface as the length of a snorkel. That's why the snorkels are all that length. DOUGH SCULPTING-Part 2 - Lorilee is painting her model heart made from the dough clay. Mr. Wizard asks her to describe some of her other clay objects. She has used the dough clay to make a French horn, flute, a spinner with numbers, a monster's face, and dice. ALADDIN'S LAMP - Mr.Wizard cautions Erin that they are going to do a dangerous experiment and have on safety glasses and a fire extinguisher handy. On the workbench is a strange looking flask which Mr. Wizard suggests has a genie inside which will be released by adding a few drops of water. He gives Erin a squirt bottle and has her aim it at the top of the flask. After a few seconds, a large amount of violet smoke forms an impressive cloud as it escapes from the bottle. (In the bottle are a small amount of powdered iodine and powdered aluminum.) Mr. Wizard asks her if she made a wish that the genie can grant. She says: Yes, that the experiment would work

DENSITY GRADIENT - Sarah is not sure of the meaning of the word density, but has referred to someone as dense meaning thick headed. Mr. Wizard illustrates the idea of density by having her float a half of a slice of potato in water and sugar water (in which it sinks to the bottom). The more dense a liquid is, the heavier are the things that will float on it. MICROSCOPIC VORTICELLA - Erin is watching the monitor of a television set hooked up to a microscope. On the slide is another superstar of the microscopic world: a vorticella.. Mr.Wizard describes the current it produces with hairs around the mouth opening. Through the same opening the animal discharges waste products. PAPER PLATE TOPS - A top made from paper plates is spinning on the counter. Also on the counter are the things Andrew will need to make his own version: a pencil, spool, 2 grommets, and 3 paper plates. Andrew puts the spool on the pencil and adds a grommet. Mr. Wizard pushes the pencil through the paper plates and Andrew adds the other grommet. Andrew spins his top. Mr. Wizard shows him an apparatus that works on the same principle as some of the rides at an amusement park. Centrifugal forces send weights moving away from the center of rotation. SOUND OF THIRSTY PLANTS - Scientists studied how plants transport water from their roots up their stems. In some plants, like sequoia trees, water is forced up through tubes as high as 100 meters due to the tremendous suction pressure. Thus making sounds from the suction pressure for the human ear to detect. GREENHOUSE EFFECT - With the probe of an electronic thermometer, Tarek finds a flat iron is hotter than a light bulb. Yet when he puts his hand between two sheets of glass between the iron and light bulb, he feels the heat of the light bulb but not that of the iron. FRACTAL GEOMETRY "“This is not a photograph of an actual moun­tain. The images were created by a computer using a recently devel­oped kind of mathematics called fractal geometry. SLIME & DISAPPEARING CUP - Alan is handling a slimy, gooey mass which he calls gross. Mr. Wizard notes that it is called slime and also a polymer, which means it is many molecules linked together to form a long chain. Alan mixes together two clear liquids, stirs, and finds he has made more of the slime as the molecules join together to form the chains. Next, they're going to take the chains apart. Alan puts a styrofoam (a polymer) cup in acetone. The cup gradually disappears as the bonds between the long chains are broken. SHARK MOVEMENT - Few animals generate so much fear in so many people. Scientists who study sharks treat them with the same respect due any large, potentially dangerous, wild animal. When they capture a shark, they put a towel in its mouth to keep it from biting. A small transmitter is implanted in the shark's body without harming it. Each transmitter sends out a different signal so movements of individual sharks can be monitored. The shark is released. IRON HEAT TREATMENT - Without knowing why she's doing it, Shan is bending open metal bobby pins. Mr. Wizard explains she is going to be a metallurgist and heat treat them. He tells her that she is to heat the first bobby pin and allow it to cool slowly so that the molecules are given a chance to line up and form a metal that is soft and can be bent. She is then to heat the second bobby pin and plunge it into water to stop the molecules from lining up. She assumes that will be the one that is brittle and break easily. When she allows the first to cool slowly and the second quickly she tests to find the second breaks and first bends. VACUUM FOUNTAIN - Mr.Wizard is holding a flask over the burner of the stove. Water is boiling at the bottom, filling the flask with steam. The steam is escaping through a glass tube extending from just above the water through a rubber stopper to several centimeters above the flask. He is going to invert the flask so that the end of the tube is under water in a beaker.

25x MAGNIFICATION - Kellie briefly describes objects on the counter that they are going to examine under the microscope: plastic ruler, fingerprint, feather, some mud, and a flea. With the plastic ruler on the microscope stage, Kellie counts the number of marks on it on the TV screen (11). Then she measures the width of the screen (280 millimeters). She divides to find the magnification is about 25 times. See the amazing results. PRETZELS - Mr.Wizard asks Tarek how many pretzels he can eat in one minute. Tarek thinks he can eat 15. In spite of his best efforts, Tarek can only eat only three at the end of one minute and his mouth is still full of the third pretzel. As Tarek takes a drink of water, Mr. Wizard explains that the shiny coating on the outside of pretzels absorbs water very efficiently. As he chewed, the chemical absorbed the water in his mouth. It became so dry he couldn't swallow. STRAW THROUGH POTATO - Christiana tries to plunge a drinking straw through a potato, but the straw bends. It's necessary to plunge the straw at exactly the right angle to use the strength of straw as tube to give it stiffness to go through potato. The potato has the inertia of an object at rest and the straw the inertia of a moving object. SOAP READING - Mr.Wizard has written an invisible message on a mirror. Lorilee can't see it until Mr. Wizard gives her a clothes steamer to fog up a section of the mirror. She then can read SOAP. EXPLAINING ELECTRICITY - Sarah places a steel ball at the top of a special incline and watches as it dislodges a second ball, the second dislodges a third, and so on until the last ball drops into a bowl. It is a model of electricity flowing through a wire. The electron that's entered into the wire repels the nearby so-called free electron. The process continues until an electron is returned to the source. They discuss the kinds of energy that are used to generate electricity: falling water, coal, sun, chemical, and nuclear. Mr. Wizard produces an apparatus that uses muscle energy to give electrons a push. She turns the crank which spins a coil of wire in a magnetic field to generate electrons that light up a bulb. CENTRIFUGAL SOLUTION - Mr.Wizard had mixed aluminum powder in water and challenged Eliana to get the metal to the bottom. They fill two test tubes with the aluminum in water and place them in a hand-operated centrifuge. They fill a third test tube as a control. She sees that spinning the solutions will allow centrifugal force to push the aluminum to the bottom. After spinning the tubes, they take one and compare it to the control to see how quickly the centrifugal force forced the powder to the bottom. INERTIA - Two carving knives are position horizontally so that two loops of newspaper can be draped over them. A thin wooden dowel is supported by the paper loops. Mr. Wizard gives Tarek a club with which to hit the wood. Tarek thinks the paper loops will break. When he hits the dowel, it breaks instead of the paper. It's the inertia of the piece of wood that causes it to break instead of the paper loops. Inertia is the tendency of an object that is at rest to remain at rest or an object that's moving to continue to move.

SIPHON CHALLENGE - Mr. Wizard explains to Shan how the principle of siphoning works by using measured beakers of liquid connected by a curved tube. MICROSCOPIC HYDRA - Erin and Mr. Wizard examine a hydra on a microscope slide and see smaller animals moving over its surface. A water flea is caught temporarily and eventually escapes. Mr. Wizard explains something about the hydra's structure and some of the experiments scientists have conducted on the unusual pond animals that look like trees. STRING IN STRAW TRICK - Mr.Wizard shows Eliana a string through a drinking straw. He folds the straw and she cuts through it with a scissors. When he pulls on the string, it is uncut! Watch Mr.Wizard explain this trick! GIANT ATOM SMASHER -Mr.Wizard narrates : This is not a giant race track. But everything about it is huge. Fifty ton electromagnets and tunnels that go on and on. It uses enough electricity for a city of 30,000 to explore parts of atoms by producing pictures that are clues to their structure. At the Ferme National Accelerator Laboratory this is the main atom smasher, one of the largest scientific instruments in the world, used to study some of the smallest things in the world, the atom. PAPER AIRPLANES - Mr.Wizard sails a paper airplane across the room to Kellie. He then shows her The Great International Paper Airplane Book published by the Scientific American. In it are designs for paper airplanes. Kellie takes the book home and on her return shows Mr.Wizard her favorite airplane. GLOWING PENNY - Mr.Wizard describes the working of a propane lantern. The mantle burns up, but continues to glow. He and Tarek are going to repeat the chemical reaction. Tarek heats two small pieces of copper until they are red hot and then carefully places each on a beaker. One beaker contains only air, the other liquid fuel (acetone). The metal plate in the beaker with air cools rapidly and returns to the dark metal color. The metal plate above the fuel continues to glow red. The reaction of hot copper with liquid in the beaker produces heat with keeps the copper hot. SHEEP TRANSPLANT -Mr.Wizard narrates : Scientists and other wildlife experts from Cali­fornia's Department of Fish and Game, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service have come to Sand Moun­tain in the rugged foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to carry out what is called a transplant. They plan to capture big horn sheep to move them to a new area north of their present range. GLUING 2 GLASSES TOGETHER - Mr.Wizard challenges Sarah to glue two glasses together with a piece of paper toweling. She is doubtful that it can be done. They pour warm water into the 2 glasses then emptying them and using a wet paper towel between them he pours cold water over them. When she picks up the top glass, they are stuck together. She explains that the warm air inside the glasses was cooled by the cold water and condensed to form a partial vacuum. Outside air pressure holds the glasses together. MARSHMALLOW BURN - Brian lights a fuse connected to a marshmallow, it doesn't burn. Mr. Wizard sprinkles sodium peroxide on the marshmallow and lights a new fuse connected to the marshmallow. This time it toasts to a crisp.

ANIMAL CLASSIFICATION - On a large board are categories of animals with some of their major characteristics listed, but with the pictures of the animals covered. The two main groups are Backbone and No Backbone. Lorilee is to uncover each animal and place it in its proper category. DIPPING BIRDS - On the counter are seven so called dipping birds that bob back and forth dipping their beaks into a dish of water. Sarah has seen them before but doesn't know what makes them move. Mr.Wizard shows her two bulbs joined together that contain a liquid that boils at a low temperature. The vapor bubbles up to the surface giving the appearance of boiling. He shows her a small tube with a similar liquid in it. She recognizes it as a Christmas tree ornament. Mr.Wizard shows her how it works. BLUE DUIKERS - Mr.Wizard narrates this study of South African mini antelopes used for a study in food consumption for larger animals. INSIDE A BATHROOM SCALE - Tarek and Mr.Wizard take apart a bathroom scale to see the levers and springs that transfer the weight on the plat­form to the movement of the dial that shows the weight. RISING LIQUID PUZZLE - A glass on the counter contains a blue liquid. An identical glass contains a red liquid. They are connected by vertical tubes that are joined at the top into a single tube. Andrew sucks gently on the single tube and notes that the red liquid goes up higher in its tube than the blue liquid does in its tube. When he blows gently into the single tube, bubbles are produced only in the red liquid. Mr. Wizard explains! FORKS INTO CHURCH BELLS - Brian holds a string tied to a fork to his ear as Mr. Wizard taps the fork with a spoon. Brian calls the louder sound ,, ,Weird. In order for them both to hear the sound, Mr. Wizard shows him a wrapping paper cone with three strings taped to it. At the ends of the strings are forks. Brian listens at the top of the cone while Mr. Wizard tap the forks. Brian agrees they have made forks into church bells. ALLIGATOR COURTSHIP -Mr.Wizard narrates: You've watched alligators at the zoo but you've probably never seen a man in the water with the alligators. Dr. Walter Offenberg of the Florida State Museum and Ken Bleet of the University of Florida get into the water with alligators to study their mating behavior. ICE BOMB - Brian fills a small cast iron container with water. He then screws on the top securely. 30 Feet away Mr.Wizard has a can filled with alcohol and dry ice. Safely away from the can Brian is instructed to lower the container into the can by way of a long rope and pulley. When the frozen liquid freezes the liquid in the container it explodes inside the can.

WHEEL TRAVEL-PART 1 - Andrew on his bicycle meets Mr. Wizard who has him mark a section on the front wheel with a piece of tape. Andrew turns the wheel until the marked section is on the ground. They mark the spot with a small pieced of wood. Andrew then moves the bicycle forward one revolution of the front wheel. They mark that spot on the ground. TORQUE ROD - At the end of a long rod is a handle that Tarek has to twist in order to lift the rod. A One kg weight is hooked to the first mark on the rod. Mr. Wizard explains that the marks on the rod are the same distance as the distance that the handle has to be moved to lift the weight. The amount of force that has to be exerted to lift the weight can be calculated by multiplying the weight times the distance. BALANCE - Alan knows it is impossible but he tries to balance a small washer on the edge of a piece of cardboard and the washer falls as he expected. Mr. Wizard folds a card, sets it on edge, and places washer on the fold. Slowly he opens the card until the washer is balanced on the unfolded card. HINGED STICK & BALL - A plastic cup is glued near to one end of a long piece of wood that is hinged at the other end. The piece of wood is propped up at an angle with a short stick. A steel ball is positioned on a golf tee near the end of the piece of wood. Erin is to yank the stick that holds the piece of wood up. When she does, the steel ball ends up in the plastic cup. TIE A BONE INTO A KNOT - A wishbone tied in a knot is possible because the bone has been soaked in vinegar. Mr. Wizard has Kellie remove a turkey leg bone from a jar of vinegar. While she cannot bend a normal bone, she can easily bend one that has most of its calcium removed by the acid in the vinegar over a period of a week. ORANGE JUICE CANON - Both Mr. Wizard and Eliana are wearing safety glasses be­cause they are going to fire a cannon made of two orange juice cans taped together. On top are two plastic cups taped together. Eliana brings a lighter near to a hole in the bottom can. An explosion sends the plastic cups flying. They come down on her head! CIRCUMFERENCE PUZZLE - Mr.Wizard poses a mathematical challenge to Shan. Measure the circumference of the earth using a formula. COLORING CARNATIONS - Christina recognizes white carnations the stems of which Mr. Wizard has cut at an angle under water so no air is strapped in the tubes that lead up to the flowers. He shows her a blossom tinged with blue as a result of having been placed in water to which blue food coloring has been added. He shows her one carnation colored red, another green, and a third half red and half green. She realizes the stem has been cut. ICE AGE: Imagine what it would be like if the winter lasted a little longer than usual. Then the following year the winter was longer yet. Each year the cold would con­tinue to last longer until finally the snow and ice remained on the ground all year round. That's actually what occurred several times during the Earth's history and is called an Ice Age. BIKE WHEEL TRAVEL-PART 2- On a vertical board Mr. Wizard with the help of a tin can as the bike wheel, draws the path the mark on Andrew's front wheel travels during one revolution. They put a chain along the path and Andrew sees that the rim of the wheel travels farther than the axle because the axle moves in a straight line while the point on the rim starts out below the line, moves above it, and returns to below it. SODIUM METAL - A small yellow spot moves about on the surface of water and finally disappears in a small explosion. Mr. Wizard explains that he wanted to show Vanessa an unusual element. Sodium by itself is a poison and very unstable removing the oxygen and hydrogen from water to form sodium hydroxide. The hydrogen is what causes it to explode on the water.

HUMAN CENTER OF GRAVITY - A line has been drawn down the center of a mirror. Clara is to her keep nose on the line while moving a leg to one side. When she does, her nose moves off the line on the mirror. When she raises her arm opposite the foot, her nose stays on line. She is controlling her center of gravity, an imaginary point at which gravity seems to be concentrated. GROWING VEGETABLES PART 1 - Shan sees examples of plants that can be grown from food purchased at the super market: watermelon, bird seed, cherries, garlic, and carrots. Mr. Wizard gives her a copy of Mr. Wizard's Experiments for Young Scientists which has a chapter titled Grocery Farm, in which are suggestions for growing plants from food. He also gives her the plants to start with. She promises to bring them back when they're growing. SALT SHAKER BALANCE TRICK - Vanessa has been shown how to balance a salt shaker on its edge. She sprinkles salt on a table that has a smooth surface and moves the shaker around on top of the salt until she gets a few grains under the beveled edge, Then, with a soda straw, she blows away the excess salt so that it appears that the shaker is balanced unaided. Great trick! INVESTIGATING ARSON -Mr.Wizard narrates: Most fires start by accident, but some are deliberately set which is a crime called arson. How do investigators know if arson was involved? An important clue can come from debris found at the scene of the fire. Sam­ples are collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. See the fascinating results. GROWING VEGETABLES PART 2 - Shan has returned with plants she has grown from food. She used a number systems to keep track of the seeds. Her favorite is garlic. She also grew tomato seeds from tomatoes, bird seed which she can't identify except that it looks like grass. THERMOSTAT - Damon recognizes a thermostat that turns the furnace on and off. To show him how it works, Mr. Wizard has set up two lengths of wires with weights. When he sends electricity through the wires, one sags more showing that it has expanded more than the other. See the whole demonstration. MICROSCOPIC SPIROGYRA -Mr. Wizard shows Erin another superstar of the microscopic world: the spirogyra, a plant inside of which are plant parts that spiral from one end of a cell to the other. EAGLES and POWER LINES -Mr.Wizard narrates: Unfortunately it was becoming a familiar scene. A dead golden eagle found beneath a power pole. The bird had attempted to use the power pole as a perch and had been electrocuted. Idaho Power Company and other utilities joined together to find a solution. They went to Moreland Nelson, one of the world's leading experts on birds of prey. They found a young bird in a nest atop a transmission power. Watch this fascinating process! MOIRE PATTERNS - Sarah's mother has a dress of material. The cloth has a pattern that moves as her mother walks. The cloth is called watered silk. They examine two combs placed together to see that similar patterns are produced as one comb is moved. When the light going through the combs it is blocked by the teeth, interference patterns are produced. They look at the patterns projected on the wall with an overhead projector. Mr. Wizard explains the patterns are called moire, which is the French word for watered, because the effect was first achieved using water to imprint the design on cloth.

MEANING OF A DOT - Through a series of graphic demonstrations Mr.Wizard and Shan define what a dot means, whether in musical notation, typographic setting or in mathematics a dot is based on it's surroundings. SINGING ROD - Mr.Wizard strokes a metal rod to produce a musical tone. He and Wensley develop that the friction of rubbing vibrates the rod which produces the tone. Wensley thinks the sound is similar to feedback, but Mr. Wizard thinks it is more pleasant. They review how to get a rod to produce a tone. Wesley strokes it to produce the sound. MARS BALL -Mr.Wizard narrates : This weird vehicle is for carrying TV cameras and scientific instruments for exploring the surface of Mars. It's one of the designs underwritten by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. SHAKING COLOR - Kellie observes three bottles that appear to be half filled with water. Mr.Wizard suggests she shake one of them three times. When she does, the solution turns blue. She shakes the other two bottles and the solution in them also turns blue. By now, however, the first bottle is losing its blue color. When she shakes it, the blue color returns.The color change takes place when methylene blue reacts with the oxygen in the air above the solution when she shakes the mixture. As the oxygen is used up, the blue color fades. LIGHT ACTIVATED WEED KILLER -Mr.Wizard narrates: One way to kill weeds is to spray them. Unfortu­nately, chemicals that are strong enough to kill weeds can effect other plants and animals. At the University of Illinois at Banner-Champagne, scientists are testing a weed killer that's triggered by light. In tests, a concen­trated dose of amino acids is sprayed on the plant which is then covered with foil so that it gets no light. In the dark, the plant absorbs the chemical. Since the amino acid loses its strength in 24 hours, it should be environ­mentally safe. In the future, when the herbicide can be produced economi­cally in large quantities, farmers could spray the weeds at night. This time-lapse sequence shows what would happen when the sun comes up. The plant on the left has been sprayed. When it is exposed to light, it withers and dies because of the weed killer triggered by light. BRIGHT SPOT TESTER - Mr.Wizard has an apparatus set up with a 25-watt bulb at one end and a 75-watt bulb at the other. Brian knows the 75-watt bulb will be brighter and assumes it will be three times as bright because three times 25 is 75. They set out to find the answer. TAKING WATER APART - Christina knows the formula for water is H2O. Mr. Wizard shows her the apparatus that uses electricity to take water apart. She identifies which test tubes contain hydrogen and which oxygen by the fact that there is twice as much gas in the hydrogen test tubes. They perform the test. RED WOLF -Mr.Wizard narrates: This is the wilderness along the coast of North Carolina where an important natural predator was the red wolf. In this vast area, where once there were thousands of red wolves, there are only three pairs and they were flown in by helicopter. Wolves are raised in a special compound run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the State of Washington. FOAMING COLOR CHANGES - Sarah has used litmus paper in school to test solutions. Mr.Wizard introduces her to a universal indicator that is blue in the presence of a base and yellow in the presence of an acid. She pours a base liquid which is blue into a glass and adds a piece of dry ice. The solution changes from blue to green and finally to yellow as the solution absorbs some of the carbon dioxide gas given off by the dry ice. Sarah continues to add blue liquid that changes to green and then yellow until the glass is almost full of solution.

FIRE TRIANGLE - Christina enters and asks why she was to have her hair pinned back and her sleeves rolled up. Mr. Wizard explains they are going to be investigating fire and hair and sleeves should be safely out of the way. He also points out the fire extinguisher on the table. She knows how to use it. He shows her the fire triangle and explains they are going to start fires and put them out by removing one of the points of the triangle: oxygen, heat, and fuel. (ADULT SUPERVISION) BUZZING BUTTON - Mr. Wizard shows Tarek an envelope with Rattlesnake Eggs written on it. In spite of the fact that Tarek expects a trick, he is startled by a buzzing sound when he opens the envelope. They examine the construction of the buzzer: a V of wire between the ends of which are two rubber bands connecting two washers. As the washers are twisted winding up the rubber band, they discuss the meaning of kinetic or moving energy. With the gadget back in the envelope, they discuss potential or stored energy. This is a lesson in potential energy turning to kinetic energy. MONKEY HELPER -Mr.Wizard narrates: Hellion, a female Capuchin monkey has been trained to do everyday chores for Robert because he's confined to a wheel­chair and cannot use his hands. Robert tells Hellion what he wants her to do and points a laser to direct her to the job. Hellion is the first graduate of a training program headed by Dr. Mary Joan Willard at the Tufts New England Medical Center. Capuchins are ideal companions because they're gentle, can manipulate objects, and live for about thirty years. Hellion has been prepared with proven techniques similar to those used to training animals. For a job well done, she's rewarded with a banana-flavored food pellet. LOGIC SWITCHES 1 - Damon works the switches on a series of boards on which there are batteries, buzzers, and switches that illustrate the logic statements: yes, no, either-or, and either but not both. Mr. Wizard then produces switches on a board that represents a farmer who wants to cross a river in boat with a fox, a hen, and some corn. The farmer can't leave the hen and corn together or the fox and hen. Damon is challenged to close the switches in the proper order so as to keep the safe bulb lighted. see Part 2 for Damon's decision. LOGIC SWITCHES - 2 - Damon solves the switch problem. ONE PERFECT KILOGRAM - Mr.Wizard shows Jessica how to measure one kilogram by using scientific weights and scale. ANIMAL MODELS - Mice are the most common animal subjects used in scientific research. However, certain human diseases do not occur in mice. So other kinds of ani­mals are models for research at the New York State College of Medicine at Cornell University. Studying woodchucks may determine whether certain hepati­tis viruses causes liver cancer in people. Cats can be infected with a feline leukemia virus similar to the human virus. Progress here could not only help cats but also millions of people. Dogs may be an appropriate model for a particular dystrophy. MICROSCOPIC ORGANISM - With a much enlarged microscope image on a TV monitor, Mr. Wizard introduces Erin to Euglena. They discuss the ordinary definition of an animal as an organism that moves around and cannot make it's own food and a plants an organism that stays in one place and can make it own food. Mr.Wizard explains the Euglena is swimming about on the microscope slide and scientists discovered it has chlorophyll inside with which its makes its own food. That's why he calls it a superstar of the microscopic world. MAKING NYLON THREAD - Andrew is going to make a nylon thread similar to those that make up a nylon rope. He and Mr. Wizard put on rubber gloves and carefully mix two chemicals in a glass. Mr.Wizard pulls up some of the lower liquid which changes to a solid as it is moves through the upper liquid. He attaches the new solid (a polymer or long molecule) to a glass rod and Andrew turns it winding up the newly-made nylon.

MEANING OF WORDS - Mr. Wizard asks Sarah to define a chair. She says it is something to sit on. Mr. Wizard mentions a bed, sofa, and stool all of which Sarah says are not chairs for one reason or another. Mr. Wizard explains they are going to investigate the science of the meaning of words or semantics because the study has produced some rules she should know about because she uses words all the time. MECHANICAL HEAT - Mr. Wizard drops a plastic bag of lead shot onto the table and explains to Tarek that according to scientific theory, some of the energy is changed to heat when it hits the table. They are going to see if the theory is correct by pouring lead shot into a long tube and closing one end with a cap contain­ing the probe of an electronic thermometer. Mr. Wizard continues to turn the tube upside down as Tarek reads the temperature. He notes that it continues to rise as the lead shot falls which confirms the scientific theory. MICROWAVE PLAT DRIER - Brian has dried plants before, so he knows how to mount a specimen. Mr. Wizard gives him a section of a fern to put between two sheets of paper towel and two sheets of glass. Brian puts them into the microwave oven along with a small beaker of water. The microwave acts to speed up the drying time. FOUCAULT PENDULUM - Kellie does not know what a pendulum is and Mr. Wizard uses the pendulum of a grandfather clock as an example of a weight that swings back and forth. He has a pendulum mounted over a turntable (representing the Earth) on which are the points of the compass. He starts the pendulum swinging over the east/west plane and slowly turns the turntable. Kellie sees that the pendulum continues in the same plane while the Earth moves under it. In 6 hours the pendulum is swinging over the north/south plane. In 24 hours the pendulum is back over the eastwest plane. Mr. Wizard identifies this as a Foucault pendulum named after the scientist who devised it. SONGBIRD STUDY - This voice print was made by a rather unusual voice. Listen as you hear the song of a male white crown sparrow. Mr.Wizard narrates: Dr.Myron Baker of Colorado State University is studying how song birds communicate. In one experiment, he places a fe­male white crowned sparrow into a test chamber. Watch what she does when she hears the recorded song of a male white crown sparrow. DRY ICE COLOR CHANGE - Clara puts pieces of dry ice into a tall transparent cylinder in which there is a dark blue liquid. Bubbles of carbon dioxide gas rise through the liquid. Mr.Wizard explains the liquid has a universal indicator dissolved in it. Clara has used litmus paper which turned from red to blue when exposed to ammonia. The blue liquid in the cylinder indicates that the liquid is an alkali. As the carbon dioxide is dissolves in the water, it will become less alkali and more acid. The color will gradually change when this occurs. As Clara adds more dry ice, the liquid finally becomes green and then yellow. BALLOON BLAST - Mr. Wizard explains carefully that this next experiment should only be performed with responsible Science Teachers. He is adding a flammable gas to a balloon. When finished, Shan tapes it to one side of a pulley arrangement while Mr. Wizard lights a blowtorch. Shan is to note the characteristics of the explosion as she pulls on the rope that moves the gas filled balloon over to the flame. The balloon explodes with a large yellow flame, next they perform the same experiment but with more oxygen and they note the difference oxygen makes in size and sound.

DOG TRAINING Part 1 - Damon has brought his dog to the den and Mr. Wizard describes the positive reinforcement system for training animals developed by B.F. Skinner. Damon is to train the dog to touch her nose to a red ball on the top of a small stand. Mr. Wizard gives him a Scientific American article on the technique and a small clicker to use during the training. Damon is to bring the dog back when she knows what to do. SUPER BALL - On Sarah's hand Mr. Wizard pours white glue and then borax soap. She mixes them together forming a small ball which she bounces on the table. The long molecules in the white glue and borax combine to form longer molecules which seem semi-solid and elastic. Trying this at home, vary the amount of each ingredient and keep records to determine which combination produces the best super ball! CELL OR BATTERY? - Brian identifies the common objects on the desk as batteries and Mr. Wizard says he is half right. They examine a dry cell cut in half to see the carbon rod in the center surrounded by the black powder, which is dry and gives the dry cell its name They measure the voltage and find it 1.6 volts. Brian defines cell as a small enclosed area. They measure a battery's voltage as a little more than 9 volts. Mr. Wizard defines the word battery as a group of something. . He takes the battery apart to show is made up of six units. They find each cell is 1.5 volts multiplied by six equals nine volts. They review the proper terms for the 9v battery and the 1.5v cell. LOCK & KEY - Mr.Wizard shows Vanessa, through several clever models, how a lock & keys work. TAGGING ANTS - What is this ant doing? What's it's job in the nest? Mr.Wizard narrates an experiment by a biologist who carefully tags an ant and follows it's activities. SUGAR TEST -The labels of 2 cans of soda have been taped so that the list of ingredients are covered up. One is a diet soda, the other contains sugar. How to tell which is which? With a hint from Mr. Wizard Eliana suggests she put them in the water in an aquarium. One floats and the other sinks. Which is Which and Why? ORANGE PRECIPITATE - When two clear liquids are poured into a glass, the solution turns to an orange-colored precipitate. Tarek defines precipitate as something coming down like rain or snow. They take large snap beads apart to represent the chemical in each liquid dissolved in water. When the two liquids are com­bined, one set of snap beads join together in spite of being in water. That is the chemical precipitate. MINIPIGS - Narrated by Mr.Wizard: The average pig is huge and has a big appetite. But not this one. It's full grown yet small. Pigs are good models for medical research because their hearts, arteries, skin, and teeth are very similar to those of humans. DOG TRAINING PART 2 - Damon returns with his dog to show that she can do the trick Mr. Wizard suggested. Damon briefly describes the Scientific American article on positive reinforcement by B. F. Skinner. He then explains that he put a dog treat on the ball and clicked the "cricket" when the dog took the treat. Then he clicked the cricket and rewarded the dog when she touched her nose to the ball. Positive Reinforcement! RATTLESNAKE NAVIGATION -Mr.Wizard narrates: At the University of Wyoming, Dr. David Duval uses traditional methods to capture prairie rattlesnakes For example, to watch a snake in the wild, you would think it travels haphazardly. Yet, as it leaves its den for hunting, it moves cross country in a very precise line that corresponds to a specific compass heading. LIQUID COLOR CHANGE - A spinner at the bottom of a beaker seems mysterious to Andrew until Mr. Wizard explains that it is a magnet that spins as another magnet inside the small stand is turned by a motor. They are going to use it as an automatic stirrer to mix chemical solutions quickly. Andrew pours three clear solutions into the beaker and notes that the mixtures turns dark blue and then clears up.

ABSOLUTE ZERO: Erin reads the temperature in the room from a wall thermometer: 23° Celsius. Mr. Wizard says she is going to use that temperature to find the lowest possible temperature in the universe. They use apparatus with a metal ball at one end and a pressure gauge at the other to find the lowest temperature. See how they do this. CAMPFIRE CHEMISTRY: With a torch Mr. Wizard is heating a flask with a side tube. The wood in the flask is turning black, the flask is filling with smoke, but there is no flame. What doe the wood need to turn into and what does it need to be combined with before it can burn?? MILK COLORS: In a tray Mr. Wizard and Dan watch swirling colors on a layer of milk. In another tray Dan pours milk. They drops of food coloring on the four sides of the tray. When liquid soap is run down the sides of the tray near the food coloring. The breaking of the surface tension by the soap swirls the color together to make a moving version of modern art. TOWER OF SALT: Mr. Wizard wants Shan to pour liquid in a flask into a small beaker. She doesn't think all the liquid will fit into the beaker. He explains that it may be because of a strange form of saturation. He shows her a saturated salt solution with the un-dissolved salt at the bottom of the container may be the reason. He explains crystallization. COPPERPLATING - Mr. Wizard shows Clara a key and a clamp which he has plated with copper. Clara has never plated anything but today she is going to copper plate an eye bolt. ELECTROCUTED PICKLE - The current is turned off the forks that are inserted into a pickle. Damon turns on the current and the pickle begins to smoke and flashes of light can be seen inside of it. The light is coming from the agitated sodium ions in the brine. A scientist in the 1800's ran electricity through water salt water and vinegar, so the reaction is known by his name: the Kolb Reaction.

POND ANIMALS - Mr. Wizard explore micro pond life through a microscope with Tarek. Flat worms swimming in a small tank are projected onto a TV screen by Mr Wizard's microscope set up. IRON IN CEREAL - Shan reads the list of vitamins and minerals on the side of cereal box. Mr. Wizard stops her at iron which this cereal supplies 100% of the daily recommended amount. They proceed to perform an experiment to see if in fact there really are iron particles in cereal. BALLOON IN BOTTLE TRICK - Mr. Wizard gives Chris a bottle & balloon, identical to his and tells him to repeat his action. They insert balloons in the mouths of the bottles and blow into them. Mr. Wizard's balloon inflates, but Chris's doesn't. Mr. Wizard then shares his trick with Chris! NUT LIGHT - Jeffrey is challenged to make an emergency light out of Brazil nuts. He is puzzled on what to do. Mr. Wizard shows him a nut supported vertically by three pins. When started with a match, it burns readily. STALACTITES - In a photo inside a cave a man shows an estimate of the size of stalactites and stalagmites. Mr.Wizard shows Vanessa homemade examples made by dissolv­ing Epson salts in two glasses of water and placing a piece of string between them. She sees the string act as a wick drawing the solution out of the glasses. The salt attaches to the string like stalactites. LIGHT IN MICROWAVE - A circular fluorescent bulb has no wires attached to it. Mr. Wizard directs Eliana to put it into the microwave oven. She is hesitant but does it and turns on the oven. The fluorescent bulb glows! When she asks why it glows, Mr. Wizard points out that there are two possible explanations. The bulb has mercury vapor inside which is agitated by the microwaves and hits the inside of the bulb which is coated with material that glows. Or the microwaves agitate the coating directly and make it glow. Mr. Wizard explains the instructions suggest having at least 50 cc of water to prevent the oven from overheating. When she turns on the oven, the broken pieces do not glow. Mr. Wizard explains very carefully that this experiment must be performed with a responsible adult at all times!! PAPER TUBE KAZOO - With simple materials, Kellie can make a musical instrument! Using the inside of a roll of paper toweling, a pencil, a sheet of wax paper, and a rubber band she follows Mr. Wizard's instructions: make a hole in the center of the tube with the pencil; place the wax paper over the end of the tube holding it in place with the rubber band. She is now instructed to hum into the other end. She hums Happy Birthday. She wants to know where the fuzzy sound comes from. Mr. Wizard explain her humming into one end vibrates the air inside the tube which in turn vibrates the tissue paper to create the sound of a kazoo. STEAM BURNS PAPER - A spout of steam and water vapor is coming from a copper tube connected to a tea kettle. Erin knows that the steam is 100° C. She holds a sheet of paper in the steam and then a kitchen match. The steam is not hot enough to effect either one. Mr. Wizard now heats the coil in the middle of the tube with a torch to produce superheated steam which is hot enough to char a hole in the paper and to light the match. This experiment must be performed with a responsible adult at all times!

TOSS BALL ON BIKE: Mr. Wizard replies they are going to do a scientific experiment with the aid of Brian's bike. He asks Brian to ride past a pole in the ground and toss up a ball. See the movement of the ball and learn the fundamental of forward motion. GINKO TREE: For a long time, botanists had identified the Ginko tree from fossilized remains and thought it was extinct. Then, it was found in a remote area of China and brought to the western world as a curiosity. The trees grew so well even in smog filled air that they have become popular for planting along city trees. The next time you see a branch like this, take a closer look. Dinosaurs probably ate such leaves of the ginkgo tree. BALL MOLECULE MODEL: Balls in a cylinder are agitated by a plunger to represent what happens when heat is added to molecules. To illustrate evaporation, Mr. Wizard agitates the balls until one is caught in the container at the top of the cylinder. Lorilee comments that it was the hottest molecule in that it was moving with the most speed. See what happens when heat is added as well as how Mr. Wizard replaces the high pressure with low pressure. GLASS PANE COPIER - PART 1: A sheet of glass will be a transparent object or one that reflects depending upon which side has the most light. That phenomenon is the basis for a homemade copier. Mr. Wizard shows Brinna a vertical sheet of glass with a desk lamp on one side and see how she makes a drawing. EARTH SPEED: At noon the shadow of a piece of tape on the single lens from eye glasses falls on lines on a piece of paper. With this apparatus Danielle is going to time the speed of the earth's rotation with a stop watch and a calculator. HEIGHT OF TOWER: Through two holes mounted on a protractor, Giselle lines up the top of a tower supporting electric cables to determine the angle from the vertical. See how she determines the height of the tower using 'triangulation'. ORGANISM CLEAN UP POLLUTION: Microorganisms are used to clean up potentially harmful waste products found in dumps. In Dr. Ralph Portier's laboratory at Louisiana State University are samples of the most dangerous and long lasting of the industrial chemicals. The scientists have found certain strains of bacteria wastes can digest them and turn them into harmless compounds. See other ways lab grown cultures could be of help. WATER PRESSURE PUZZLE: Mr. Wizard points to the tape that covers each of the three holes in a plastic bottle filled with water. One hole is near the bottom, one near the middle, and the other near the top. Erin is to describe what will happen when she removes the bottom tape. She assumes the water will squirt out. She removes the tape. Mr. Wizard explains about water pressure and water depth, see what happens and why?? ONE HALF PUZZLE: Mr. Wizard shows Nickie a ball which he says weighs 200 grams plus half its weight. See how they use logical calculation methods to come up with the answer. WHAT IS THIS? - When you eat them you don't notice that they look like many buds ready to burst into flowers. But that's exactly what they are. Buds on a plant that are harvested before they have a chance to mature into blossoms. So next time you get ready to cook them, take a closer look. You may see a bud that's partially open to reveal the yellow flower of the broccoli plant. TEMPERATURE AROUND THE HOSUE: With a sensitive thermometer Shan sees that the temperature at the bottom of a glass of ice water is around 5° C. Near the top the temperature is about 2°.The fact that ponds freeze at the surface and ice floats means plants and animals can live in the cold water underneath the ice. Mr. Wizard describes the effect of atmospheric pressure the boiling point.