Search Results for Physics

Is California at risk? In 2004 a massive tsunami struck the Indian Ocean. More than 225,000 people were killed. Bay Area researchers raced to the scene to learn everything they could about these deadly forces of nature. The information they gained provides a 'Rosetta stone' for helping to understand the geologic history of tsunamis and when and where they may strike again.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Jul 28, 2009

Paul Doherty of the Exploratotium performs a "sit-down" lecture on one of Sir Issac Newton's most famous laws.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Jul 14, 2009

Quest goes to the Exploratorium to learn how and why helium changes the sound of your voice.

Play this TV Story Air Date: May 19, 2009

Fifty-five years after its construction, the Bevatron, a landmark particle accelerator at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs that helped pioneer physics discoveries and win several Nobel prizes, is about to be demolished. Why was it so important?

Play this Radio Report Air Date: Apr 20, 2009

In an average lifetime, a person experiences about 936 full Moons. So, how old is the Moon? How was it formed? Take the QUEST Quiz to find out how much you REALLY know about Earth's Moon.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Apr 7, 2009

Lawrence Berkeley National labs just turned on a $27 million electron microscope. Its ability to make images to a resolution of half the width of a hydrogen atom makes it the most powerful microscope in the world.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Mar 31, 2009

In 1935, the USS Macon went down in 1000 feet of water off the coast of Monterey, California. Now, as scientists study the recently-discovered wreckage, dirigibles are returning to the Bay Area and are poised to rule the skies once again. But these aren't the same dirigibles - these are new and improved.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Mar 17, 2009

What happens when something explodes? Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are now getting a first glimpse of the microscopic properties of an explosion.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Nov 25, 2008

If you're looking to buy an all-electric car you can drive on the freeway, your options are limited. $100,000 will buy you an electric sports car from Tesla. But an affordable all-electric vehicle remains elusive, due to the difficulty in making a battery that is powerful, long-lasting, and cheap. QUEST visits a local battery laboratory and investigates the odds of a breakthrough.

Play this TV Story Air Date: Nov 25, 2008

As a physics professor at UC Berkeley, Richard Muller considers what his students would need to know -- if one were elected president. In today's lesson, he demonstrates the principles of fission and the basics of a nuclear explosion -- using super balls!

Play this TV Story Air Date: Nov 12, 2008