S1.E1 ∙ Introduction1985This preview introduces revolutionary ideas and heroes from Copernicus to Newton, and links the physics of the heavens and the earth.Rate
S1.E2 ∙ The Law of Falling Bodies1985Galileo's imaginative experiments proved that all bodies fall with the same constant acceleration.Rate
S1.E3 ∙ Derivatives1985The function of mathematics in physical science and the derivative as a practical tool.Rate
S1.E4 ∙ Inertia1985Galileo risks his favored status to answer the questions of the universe with his law of inertia.Rate
S1.E7 ∙ Integration1985Newton and Leibniz arrive at the conclusion that differentiation and integration are inverse processes.Rate
S1.E8 ∙ The Apple and the Moon1985The first real steps toward space travel are made as Newton discovers that gravity describes the force between any two particles in the universe.Rate
S1.E10 ∙ Fundamental ForcesAll physical phenomena of nature are explained by four forces: two nuclear forces, gravity, and electricity.
S1.E11 ∙ Gravity/Electricity/MagnetismShedding light on the mathematical form of the gravitational, electric, and magnetic forces.
S1.E12 ∙ The Millikan ExperimentA dramatic recreation of Millikan's classic oil-drop experiment to determine the charge of a single electron.
S1.E13 ∙ Conservation of EnergyAccording to one of the major laws of physics, energy is neither created nor destroyed.
S1.E14 ∙ Potential EnergyPotential energy provides a powerful model for understanding why the world has worked the same way since the beginning of time.
S1.E17 ∙ ResonanceWhy a swaying bridge collapses with a high wind, and why a wine glass shatters with a higher octave.
S1.E18 ∙ WavesWith an analysis of simple harmonic motion and a stroke of genius, Newton extended mechanics to the propagation of sound.
S1.E21 ∙ Kepler's Three LawsThe discovery of elliptical orbits helps describe the motion of heavenly bodies with unprecedented accuracy.
S1.E22 ∙ The Kepler ProblemThe deduction of Kepler's laws from Newton's universal law of gravitation is one of the crowning achievements of Western thought.
S1.E23 ∙ Energy and EccentricityThe precise orbit of a heavenly body - a planet, asteroid, or comet - is fixed by the laws of conservation of energy and angular momentum.
S1.E24 ∙ Navigating in SpaceVoyages to other planets use the same laws that guide planets around the solar system.
S1.E25 ∙ From Kepler to EinsteinFrom Kepler's laws and the theory of tides, to Einstein's general theory of relativity, into black holes, and beyond.
S1.E26 ∙ Harmony of the SpheresA last lingering look back at mechanics to see new connections between old discoveries.
S1.E27 ∙ Beyond the Mechanical UniverseThe world of electricity and magnetism, and 20th-century discoveries of relativity and quantum mechanics.
S1.E28 ∙ Static ElectricityEighteenth-century electricians knew how to spark the interest of an audience with the principles of static electricity.
S1.E29 ∙ The Electric FieldFaraday's vision of lines of constant force in space laid the foundation for the modern force field theory.
S1.E30 ∙ Capacitance and PotentialFranklin proposes a successful theory of the Leyden jar and invents the parallel plate capacitor.
S1.E32 ∙ The Electric BatteryVolta invents the electric battery using the internal properties of different metals.
S1.E33 ∙ Electric CircuitsThe work of Wheatstone, Ohm, and Kirchhoff leads to the design and analysis of how current flows.
S1.E34 ∙ MagnetismGilbert discovered that the earth behaves like a giant magnet. Modern scientists have learned even more.
S1.E35 ∙ The Magnetic FieldThe law of Biot and Sarvart, the force between electric currents, and Ampère's law.
S1.E36 ∙ Vector Fields and HydrodynamicsForce fields have definite properties of their own suitable for scientific study.
S1.E37 ∙ Electromagnetic InductionThe discovery of electromagnetic induction in 1831 creates an important technological breakthrough in the generation of electric power.
S1.E38 ∙ Alternating CurrentsElectromagnetic induction makes it easy to generate alternating current while transformers make it practical to distribute it over long distances.
S1.E39 ∙ Maxwell's EquationsMaxwell discovers that displacement current produces electromagnetic waves or light.
S1.E40 ∙ OpticsMany properties of light are properties of waves, including reflection, refraction, and diffraction.
S1.E41 ∙ The Michelson-Morley ExperimentIn 1887, an exquisitely designed measurement of the earth's motion through the ether results in the most brilliant failure in scientific history.
S1.E42 ∙ The Lorentz TransformationIf the speed of light is to be the same for all observers, then the length of a meter stick, or the rate of a ticking clock, depends on who measures it.
S1.E43 ∙ Velocity and TimeEinstein is motivated to perfect the central ideas of physics, resulting in a new understanding of the meaning of space and time.
S1.E44 ∙ Energy, Momentum, and MassThe new meaning of space and time make it necessary to formulate a new mechanics.
S1.E45 ∙ Temperature and the Gas LawHot discoveries about the behavior of gases make the connection between temperature and heat.
S1.E47 ∙ EntropyThe Carnot engine, part two, with profound implications for the behavior of matter and the flow of time through the universe.
S1.E48 ∙ Low TemperaturesWith the quest for low temperatures came the discovery that all elements can exist in each of the basic states of matter.
S1.E49 ∙ The AtomA history of the atom, from the ancient Greeks to the early 20th century, and a new challenge for the world of physics.
S1.E50 ∙ Particles and WavesEvidence that light can sometimes act like a particle leads to quantum mechanics, the new physics.