0:00:03 > 0:00:07Get ready to become Epic @ Science!
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Welcome to your scientific fix of epicness.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19In just 15 minutes, you will know how to think like an epic scientist.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20By the end of this show,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23you will ask questions about the world around you,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25perform simple tests,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27collect and analyse data,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29be accurate,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33look for patterns and this kid will show you why you shouldn't be
0:00:33 > 0:00:35afraid to make mistakes.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39So let's do this, it's time to start thinking scientifically.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42The first thing you need to do is start asking questions.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45We've got epic mathematician
0:00:45 > 0:00:49and science fan Rachel Riley to show you how it's done.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51What have you got for us, Rachel?
0:00:51 > 0:00:55I'm about to show you an experiment that will hopefully answer
0:00:55 > 0:00:58- this question - what is sound? - Don't know, Rachel. Science us up.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01For this experiment you are going to need...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09But how is all that stuff going to tell us what sound is?
0:01:09 > 0:01:13First, take a good length of clingfilm.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18That ought to do it. Now stretch it over the bowl...
0:01:18 > 0:01:22really tightly, like the skin of a drum.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Next, make an indent in the centre of the clingfilm
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and put a pinch of hundreds and thousands.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35Let's see what happens if I play the sprinkles a little bit of music.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Probably nothing!
0:01:37 > 0:01:38MUSIC PLAYS
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Ahhhhh! They are dancing. But why?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45We can clearly see that the hundreds
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and thousands were moving around and that's because the sound was
0:01:48 > 0:01:52causing lots of tiny vibrations in the air called sound waves.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54It's these sound waves that travel to the hundreds
0:01:54 > 0:01:56and thousands, making them dance.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00So we asked the question and used an experiment to answer it.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03So let's Epic-icise things.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08I want to see if a really loud operatic voice can smash this glass.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Now we're talking, Rachel.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Every glass has something called a resonance frequency.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14That's the frequency that will make
0:02:14 > 0:02:17- that glass vibrate the most. - I am with you.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20You can find the glass's resonant frequency by flicking it like this.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22PING! Careful.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24The note that rings back to you is
0:02:24 > 0:02:26- that glass's resonant frequency. - Got you.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30So for this experiment Rachel has got some scientific equipment,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33an opera singer and a ping-pong ball.
0:02:33 > 0:02:34Obvs!
0:02:34 > 0:02:38As soon as Andrea hits the glass's resonant frequency,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40the glass will vibrate and make
0:02:40 > 0:02:43the ping-pong ball bounce, just like the hundreds and thousands.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47But will the glass vibrate enough to smash?
0:02:48 > 0:02:51SHE SINGS NOTE
0:02:56 > 0:03:00So, we asked the question and found out that sound is made up of lots
0:03:00 > 0:03:04of vibrations called sound waves and they can be pretty powerful.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09And that is why to be scientific you need to ask questions.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Thanks, Rachie. That's the first lap of scientific epicness over.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Next it's all about performing simple tests.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20We've got an epic scientist to show you how.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Hi, I'm Jon and I'm going to show you a really simple test
0:03:23 > 0:03:24that you can do at home.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28How to make a pH indicator with a red cabbage.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32All right, John, what is a pH indicator?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35A pH indicator tells us whether something is acidic or alkaline.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39A red cabbage contains a purple pigment called anthocyanin.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44This changes colour when it is in the presence of an acid
0:03:44 > 0:03:45or an alkali.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I'm in, how do you make it?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Cut half of your cabbage into small chunks.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52This will make it easier to blend.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Put your cabbage into the blender and add enough water to cover it.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Let's get blending.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Mmmmm, lovely cabbage!
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The coffee filter paper will help to remove some of the sediment.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Now you've got your juice, it's time to let loose.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15The pH scale goes from 0 to 14.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Solutions at a pH seven are neutral.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22Anything above seven is an alkaline and anything below seven is acidic.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27First up, I am going to try a bit of lemon juice. There we go.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29A reaction has occurred.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- It's turned red!- Next up, vinegar. Here we go.
0:04:33 > 0:04:34Vinegar is red too.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Let's see what happens with the water. Not much.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Average, as might be expected.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46- Bicarbonate of soda.- It's turning blue.- All-purpose cleaner.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- Even more blue. - Some of this cream cleaner.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- It's like a bluey green. - That's a beautiful colour.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Let's try our bleach.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Yeah, don't mess with bleach without a grown-up.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It's kind of gone an orangey yellow.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01What does all this mean?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Over here we have our acid and as we move over here,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07we get more alkaline, from blues, turquoise,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11greens and over to yellow for the bleach.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And that's how to make a pH indicator using a red cabbage.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Thanks, JC.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Two films down and we now know
0:05:19 > 0:05:21to ask questions and perform simple tasks.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26The next tip for scientific epicness is to make mistakes. Confused?
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Watch and learn.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Science has given us some of the best inventions ever.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35But did you know that not every brilliant invention came about
0:05:35 > 0:05:37on purpose?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40A lot of them came about completely by accident.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44And that is the next aspect of being an epic scientist. Don't believe me?
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Here are three epic scientific inventions discovered
0:05:48 > 0:05:49completely by mistake.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53At three, it is matches.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57In 1826, British scientist John Walker was mixing a healthy
0:05:57 > 0:06:00combo of antimony sulphide, potassium chlorate,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03starch and gum with a big stick.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Annoyingly for him, his stick developed a lump on the end.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10When he tried to scrape the lump off, it created a spark
0:06:10 > 0:06:11and then a flame.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Without realising, he had accidentally
0:06:14 > 0:06:16and pretty dangerously invented the match.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22At two, it's artificial sweeteners.
0:06:22 > 0:06:28In 1879, Russian scientist Constantin Fahlberg had been
0:06:28 > 0:06:32busy in an American lab handling a variety of different chemicals.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33At the end of the day
0:06:33 > 0:06:37he was so eager to eat his meal, he forgot to wash his hands. Tut-tut.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41He noticed that the bread of his sandwich was sweet tasting,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44even though no sugar had been used to make it.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48It turns out that the mix of chemicals on his hands had sweetened
0:06:48 > 0:06:51the food and he had accidentally invented food sweeteners.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54On a serious note, don't go licking chemicals, guys.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59And at one, it's ping, the microwave.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04In 1945, American scientist Percy Spencer was tinkering with
0:07:04 > 0:07:06the parts from a radar machine
0:07:06 > 0:07:10when he noticed a brown stain in the pocket of his trousers.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12Thankfully for him
0:07:12 > 0:07:16the stain turned out to be from a chocolate bar that had melted.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Percy realised that microwaves could be used to cook food.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23His trousers' loss was our snacky gain.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27So, to be an epic scientist, don't be afraid to make mistakes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Thanks, chaps.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31We're halfway there.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Three more films to go and the next is about being accurate.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38To show you how important it is we've got the epic baker,
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Nikki Lilly.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I'm Nikki and I am going to show you how being accurate can make
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- the perfect cake.- I love cake.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48What has that got to do with science?
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Baking is pretty much one really yummy science experiment.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Too little or too much of one ingredient and your entire
0:07:54 > 0:07:56bake can be ruined.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01So how does a Junior Bake Off champion make the perfect
0:08:01 > 0:08:02sponge cake?
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Measure out your sugar and butter accurately, that's 125g each.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Perfect. And the butter.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Nearly there. Perfect.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Now for a perfect whisk.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Chuck in two eggs, another whisk, a teaspoon of baking powder.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- In that goes.- Flour in and fold.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Perfect.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Pop the mixture in your tin
0:08:30 > 0:08:35and bake 180 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37That's how you make the perfect sponge,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40but Nikki also made three other cakes
0:08:40 > 0:08:42to show what happens when you are not accurate.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45Double the eggs.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47In this cake, it has too much protein in it
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and also sets rubbery like this.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55That's not all.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57It also smells pretty bad.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Double the flour.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The gluten set too quickly and it's gone super, super hard,
0:09:05 > 0:09:06as you can tell.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Gluten is formed when flour mixes with liquid.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Too much flour = too much gluten = hard cake.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16Eurgh. I do not like that.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20That is very, very dry and has lost all its flavour.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Double the baking powder.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28It rises and then sinks in the middle, like a crater.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Too much baking powder creates too much carbon dioxide which
0:09:31 > 0:09:34will make your cake rise too quickly and then collapse.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38It tastes very, very acidic because of the baking powder.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41PING! Oh! Perfect cake is ready.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Time to see how it should be done.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49It's brown on the outside, fluffy on the inside and...
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Hm, it tastes amazing and that's why being accurate is so important.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Thanks, Nikki.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Lesson learned, be accurate if you want an epic cake.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02On to the next epic-ilicious science fact
0:10:02 > 0:10:06and this is all about collecting and analysing data.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07Hi, I'm Catie.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I'm going to show you how to collect
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and analyse data to become an epic rally driver.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Yes! Who doesn't want to be a rally driver?!
0:10:16 > 0:10:18And Catie is one of the best.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Epic!
0:10:22 > 0:10:25What has the scientific principle of analysing
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and collecting data got to do with rallying?
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Rally roads can be pretty much anywhere in the world
0:10:30 > 0:10:33so it's really important before a rally that we
0:10:33 > 0:10:36can collect data and analyse every aspect of the course.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Ah!
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Without analysing the data, you could crash.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42So how do we stop that from happening?
0:10:42 > 0:10:45In a rally, every driver needs a co-driver. Today mine is Hannah.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- Hi, Hannah.- It's Hannah's job in a race to tell me exactly what
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- the course is like up ahead. - Let's get collecting data.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Hannah and I are going to drive the course to collect
0:10:53 > 0:10:55all the information.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58We are then going to turn this into what rally drivers call pace notes.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01REVVING
0:11:03 > 0:11:06On the recce we can see the road and we can judge which angle
0:11:06 > 0:11:09the corner is and mark it in our pace notes.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13My preferred system is using 1-6, so one being really slow
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and six being really fast. Right, three.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20I would say that is more of a two myself.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22We also mark things like if it is a tarmac track or
0:11:22 > 0:11:26gravel on the road or if there is ice or water.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Four, loose, over a small crest.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32TYRES SCREECH
0:11:32 > 0:11:36OK. Collect data and make pace notes, got it. What is next?
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Now you have collected all your data, it is time to analyse it.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I do it by re-watching the footage and comparing it with what
0:11:42 > 0:11:46we've written down to make sure that our pace notes are 100% correct.
0:11:46 > 0:11:47When you analyse your data,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50you have to be willing to change it if necessary.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Originally, I saw this corner as a four, but decided after
0:11:53 > 0:11:56watching this footage that I'm going to change it to a three.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58So, step one.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- Go on a tour of the course and collect your data.- Right, three.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Next, analyse it, check that your data stacks up with the footage.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13When you are happy, it's race time!
0:12:13 > 0:12:15REVVING
0:12:17 > 0:12:18Left, five.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Pace notes are allowing co-driver Hannah to tell Katie which
0:12:22 > 0:12:24- turns are coming up...- Right, four.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28..well before they have even reached them.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Flat right, five.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Braking to left...
0:12:33 > 0:12:34Left, four, past the crest.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Right, four.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40So, thanks to all that data, it means that they can go really,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43really fast.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46And that's why collecting and analysing data won't just make
0:12:46 > 0:12:49you an epic rally driver, it will make you an epic scientist too.
0:12:50 > 0:12:51Thanks, Catie.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56OK, it's time for our final scientific wedge of epic myths
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and this is all about looking for patterns.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01To show you how, we've got scientist Fran Scott.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Hi, I'm Fran and I'm going to show you why in science
0:13:05 > 0:13:07looking for patterns is so important,
0:13:07 > 0:13:12but to do that I'm going to show you how to make an epic rocket.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Blast off!
0:13:14 > 0:13:17You need a two litre drink bottle,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19a cork that fits in the end...
0:13:21 > 0:13:23But how does all that make a rocket?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Vinegar is an acid and bicarbonate of soda is a base.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31When they mix together they create a gas called carbon dioxide
0:13:31 > 0:13:34and if you do this in a bottle with a cork,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38then this CO2 builds up and up until the bottle fires off into the sky.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- OK, can we make rockets now? - To make your rocket,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48you add your vinegar to the two litre bottle like this.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Then you need to roll 50g of bicarbonate of soda in a paper
0:13:54 > 0:13:56towel, really tightly.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00When you have done that, add the bicarbonate of soda to the
0:14:00 > 0:14:05vinegar and then put the cork in as fast as you can.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07OK, it's launch time.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Whoa! That's epic!
0:14:11 > 0:14:15That was pretty cool, but I do think we can do better.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16It's now time to look for patterns
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and Fran has got different containers of vinegar to see
0:14:19 > 0:14:23how much of it makes the most epic rocket. And they're off.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24250, good start.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27500, can't beat it.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30750 takes the lead. We come to 1,000 and it is massive.
0:14:34 > 0:14:351,250, ah!
0:14:35 > 0:14:381,500, that is really poor.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41So we have fired our rockets and we've had a look at the pattern
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and the pattern tells us that for our two litre bottle,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48it goes highest when it has one litre of vinegar in it,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50so when it's about half full.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's all about the amount of liquid in the bottle.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Too little vinegar and there is not enough push to launch the rocket.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Too much vinegar
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and the bottle is too heavy to be lifted off the ground.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08So let's see what happens when we do this on an epic scale.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Please be a big rocket, please be a big rocket, please be a big rocket.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It's a big rocket!
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Fran is using the same ratio of vinegar as in the little rocket.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22This should make it truly epic!
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- We have liftoff!- Hoo, hoo!
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Did you see that? That is how you make an epic rocket.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Thanks, Fran.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Who knew that spotting patterns could be such fun?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Sorry about your rocket.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45That's it. We're done.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49You can now think like an epic scientist and ask questions,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53perform simple tests, make mistakes,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57be accurate, analyse data
0:15:57 > 0:15:58and look for patterns.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Now go forth and be an Epic Scientist!