Skyscrapers Nina and the Neurons

# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go

# Ask Nina for some help Cos she's got a science show

# She makes sense of her senses While helping all her fans

# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue

-# Fingers

-Fingers

-# Eyes

-Eyes

-# Ears

-Ears

-# Nose

-Nose

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Luke, he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch

# Ollie sniffs out smells and scents and Belle, she hears so much

# Bud is Ollie's brother He helps us with our taste

# They're Nina's little Neurons and they're coming to your place

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue

-# Fingers

-Fingers

-# Eyes

-Eyes

-# Ears

-Ears

-# Nose

-Nose

-# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

-Yeah!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Oh, yeah! #

Do-do-do. Oh, hello there. I'm just unpacking my yummy shopping.

I've got some juicy oranges, some ripe tomatoes

and some tins of baked beans. Oh, no! Oh, dear!

I think the heavy tins have squashed my bread. Oh, dear.

I'm sure it'll still make a lovely sandwich.

BEEPING

Oh, I hear a beep, I see a flash, I wonder what they're going to ask.

-BOTH: Hi, Nina.

-Hi.

We've got a question for you.

How do we build skyscrapers so high?

That's a great question.

How do we build skyscrapers so high?

Well, skyscrapers are extremely tall buildings that are built

right up into the sky, which is how they get their name.

But how do we build them so high?

Why don't you come down to my workshop and we'll investigate.

See you soon, Nina. Bye.

Bye. Well, I'm going to need some help to answer this one

and I know just who to ask.

OK, Neurons, time to get to work.

MUSIC PLAYS

Neurons at the ready, Nina.

OK, today's question is, how do we build skyscrapers so high?

Which Neuron do you think would be useful in helping us

find the answer?

It's Felix and Luke.

ALL: Go, Felix, go, Luke!

Go, Felix, go, Luke! Go, Felix, go, Luke!

Today's question is, how do we build skyscrapers so high?

Well, by looking, we can see how tall skyscrapers are and by

touching, we can feel the strong, heavy materials they're made from.

So, Luke and Felix will be busy today, but stand by, Neurons.

I've a feeling I may need help from all of you.

Right, I need to get the workshop

ready before the experimenters arrive.

Sophia likes playing with dolls' houses.

Samuel loves drawing,

but they both want to know, how do we build skyscrapers so high?

So, today, for one day only, Sophia and Samuel become the experimenters.

-Hi, guys.

-BOTH: Hi, Nina.

Welcome to my workshop and thank you for your great question.

How do we build skyscrapers so high?

Well, let's start by having a look at these buildings.

-What do you notice about them?

-They're tall.

They're pointy at the top.

Yes, busy cities have lots of skyscrapers

because there's not a lot of space on the ground,

but there's lots of space in the sky to build upwards.

But just how easy is it to keep building higher and higher?

Well, let's do an experiment to find out.

-ALL:

-Whoop-woo, an experiment!

We're ready, Nina.

We're going to see how high we can build our very own skyscraper.

Let's start at the bottom.

So this is our ground floor, so we need the next floor.

So, Samuel, would you like to put the next floor on for us? And as you

can see, there's pillars underneath there that hold up the floor.

Let go.

Hey, not bad at all, Samuel. Excellent work.

OK, Sophia, would you like to bring your floor next? That's good.

They're doing great. It's certainly getting taller.

OK, now I'll put my floor on.

Oh!

Oh, dear!

I think we've got a little problem.

-What's happened to the bottom of our skyscraper?

-It's squashed.

Yes, the top floors have squashed the bottom floor.

-Now, why do you think that happened?

-Because the blocks were too heavy.

Yes, the higher we built our skyscraper,

the heavier it got on top and the bottom floor got squashed.

Oh, so the taller a skyscraper is, the heavier it gets?

That's right, Felix.

Each floor has to be able to hold the weight of all the floors

above it.

Real skyscrapers are made of extremely strong concrete and steel,

but there is a way to build a skyscraper higher

without making it heavier.

I think we need to do an experiment to find out more -

and let's go somewhere really busy.

Oh, goody. I love this bit. I wonder where Nina is taking us.

-Nina said it's somewhere really busy.

-Bees are busy.

-Maybe we're going to see a beehive.

-Bees? I'm busy like a bee. Buzz!

I don't hear any bees, but it does sound quite noisy.

So, here we are, experimenters, in the busy city of London.

So, your question was, how do we build skyscrapers so high?

And this magnificent skyscraper that we can see behind us

is one of the tallest in the world and it's called the Shard.

Wow, it's so tall, Nina.

How would you describe the shape of the building?

-It's very pointy, Nina.

-It's like a big, funny pointy hat.

Now, let's do an experiment to find out why pointy at the top is

a good shape for skyscrapers.

Now, we each have a block of modelling clay

and we're going to pretend that these are tall skyscrapers.

I think we should check that they're all the same height,

-first of all. Are they the same?

-Yes.

-Excellent.

Now, let's check if they're the same weight.

We're going to pop these onto the scales you've got

in front of you. Mine says 500g.

-What does yours say?

-500g.

-500g.

500g. Brilliant.

So we all have skyscrapers that are the same height and weight.

Now, can you think of a way we could make the skyscrapers

taller without adding any more clay?

-Make them pointy.

-Hey, that is a great idea.

I'll tell you what, I'll keep my skyscraper the same,

but you guys, try and make your skyscrapers pointy.

Go for it.

And, remember, it's just the top we're trying to make pointy.

Ha-ha, it looks like they're making sausages.

Skyscraper sausages, Bud?

Let's get them upright and have a closer look at them.

Hey, well, they're definitely thin at the top and they are...

-BOTH: Pointy.

-Yes, they are pointy.

Now, I think we should check to see if you've made them taller

-than my skyscraper. Do you think they're taller?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

So, by changing their shape to pointy at the top,

you've made your skyscrapers taller.

-I wonder if they still weigh the same. What do you think?

-Yes.

You do? Well, let's see.

Why don't we put our skyscrapers back onto the scales?

-OK, well mine still says 500g. Are yours still 500g?

-Yes.

So they still weigh the same.

Lots of skyscrapers like the Shard get thinner at the top,

so they can be taller without adding much weight.

Now, what do you notice about the walls of the Shard?

-They're made of glass.

-Yes, they're made of glass.

Lots of skyscrapers have glass walls, but glass isn't

as strong as concrete or steel, so how does it hold up all that weight?

I think we need to have a closer look at the Shard.

Let's go, experimenters.

We're inside the Shard looking out. What do you think, experimenters?

-It's cool.

-It's high.

Oh, I feel we could touch the sky.

All this glass gives us a great view, but I wonder, how can

these glass walls hold up such a tall building?

-Now, can you tell me what this is?

-It's a pillar, Nina.

It is a pillar.

Samuel, can you remember what pillars were for in our very

-first experiment?

-They held up the floors.

That's right and here in the Shard, there are lots of pillars

and there's also a really big pillar over there. Can you see it?

Do you see that wall?

That wall is actually a gigantic concrete pillar that goes

right through the middle of the building and it's called the core.

Core? Like an apple core? Oh, I love apples.

It is a bit like an apple core, Bud, because it runs through the middle.

And the core and the pillars are doing a really important job,

and our next experiment will help to explain.

So, for this experiment, you each have your very own

pretend skyscrapers.

Now, have a look between the cardboard floors.

-What can you see?

-Pillars.

-Yes, pillars.

There are lots of cardboard pillars and you can even see the really

big pillar going through the middle of the building that all the floors

are joined to.

And this is just like the core that we saw in here.

Now, before we test our skyscrapers, we need to finish them off,

so, guys, can you pop the roof on for me, please?

That's it.

OK, making sure it's nice and level.

Now, to properly test these skyscrapers,

I want you guys to stand on them.

OK, ready for this? Hold my hand and I'll walk you up.

Hey, look at that.

Wow, your skyscrapers are holding up your whole weight, just

like a real skyscraper holds up the weight of all the floors above it.

-Now, do your skyscrapers have any walls?

-No.

-That's right.

So, we know that the walls aren't holding up your weight.

All your weight is being held up by the pillars and the core.

They spread the weight out across the floors of the building.

That means that in skyscrapers like this,

the walls can be built of something that isn't so strong.

Like beautiful glass.

Exactly, Luke, just like the glass walls of the Shard.

So, your question was, how do we build skyscrapers so high?

And I think we've answered it.

The higher a skyscraper gets, the heavier it gets.

By making it pointy, the top floors will be lighter.

So we can build even higher.

The strong core is made of concrete and steel.

The pillars and the core support all the floors, so the walls

can be made of something that's not as strong, like glass.

So I hope that's answered your question.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina. Bye.

-You're welcome. Bye.

If you want to know more about the science that's all around us,

go to the Nina section on the CBeebies website. Have fun.

# Super structures Super structures

# Super structures, super structures, super structures

# Some of them are tall

# Some of them are wide

-# They're bumpy, lumpy, wriggly too

-Wriggly too

# Some of them are strong

# Some of them are small

-# Windy, whirly, whooshy too

-All around... #

Look over here.

# Build it, stack it, pile it up

-# Come on, let's get building

-Building, building, building.

# Raise it, hold it, make it stick

# Come on, let's get building

# Come on, let's get building

# Some of them are cosy warm

# Some of them are chilly

-# Keep us safe and hide us too

-Hide us too

# Some of them are just for fun or help us to stay dry

# They're underground and high up too

-Look around.

-Over here.

# Build it, stack it, pile it up

-# Come on, let's get building

-Building

-Building

-Building

# Raise it, hold it, make it stick

# Come on, let's get building

# Come on, let's get building. #

And remember, there are super structures everywhere.

Whether they're big or small, wide or tall, we can all get building.

-See you again soon. Bye.

-ALL: Bye.