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Transcript: Lightning
A group of young men appear doing a series of science experiments.
Phil is in her twenties, clean-shaven and with short curly dark blond hair. He wears gray trousers, a blue T-shirt and a yellow lab coat.
Phil says HAVE YOU EVER
DONE A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
AND WONDERED IT WOULD BE
LIKE IF YOU DID IT BIG?
I HAVE.
MY NAME IS PHIL
AND I TAKE YOUR EVERYDAY
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
AND DO THEM BIG.
Phil appears under the water, in a skydiving chamber and on a trolley.
Phil says THIS IS SCIENCE MAX!
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
The logo of the show appears. It’s a black and yellow triangle with an exploding element inside and a blue sign across that reads "Experiments at Large."
Voices shout SCIENCE MAX!
Clips from today’s show roll.
Phil says ON THIS EPISODE OF SCIENCE MAX,
I'M ON A QUEST TO HARNESS
THE POWER OF LIGHTNING.
ITS BALLOON-STICKING,
HOOP-LEVITATING,
HAIR-RAISING POWER
IS ALL THANKS TO
STATIC ELECTRICITY.
HOLD ON TO YOUR GROUNDING RODS,
THERE'S ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR.
ALL ON THIS EPISODE
OF SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
In the lab, Phil says GREETINGS SCIENCE MAXIMITES,
WELCOME TO SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
MY NAME IS PHIL,
AND TODAY ON SCIENCE MAX
WE'RE GOING TO BE
HARNESSING THE AWESOME POWER
OF LIGHTNING!
Lightning bolts light up the lab.
(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)
Phil says HOW ARE WE HARNESSING THE
POWER OF LIGHTNING, YOU ASK?
WITH!
THIS BALLOON.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING,
YOU'RE THINKING "PHIL,
WHAT'S SIMILAR BETWEEN A
BALLOON AND LIGHTNING?"
WELL, NOTHING RIGHT
NOW, BUT BEHOLD!
AS I USE THE POWER OF
STATIC ELECTRICITY!
AND RUB THE BALLOON!
ON MY HEAD.
BECAUSE BASICALLY
THAT'S HOW IT STARTS.
YOU SEE, WHEN I RUB
THIS BALLOON ON MY HEAD,
IT'S STEALING ELECTRONS FROM ME,
CREATING A POSITIVE
CHARGE IN MY HAIR
AND A NEGATIVE CHARGE
IN THE BALLOON.
AND THE INTERESTING
THING IS, YOU KNOW
THAT THINGS
WITH OPPOSITE CHARGES
ATTRACT EACH OTHER, RIGHT?
SOMETHING THAT HAS
A POSITIVE CHARGE
WILL ATTRACT NEGATIVE
THINGS, AND VICE VERSA.
BUT ANYTHING WITH A
CHARGE WILL ATTRACT
ANYTHING WITH A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
SEE ALL OF THESE
THINGS ON THE TABLE?
THEY ALL HAVE A NEUTRAL CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS THEY'VE
GOT EQUAL AMOUNTS
OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE.
RIGHT NOW, THIS
BALLOON IS BUILDING UP
A BIG NEGATIVE CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS IT WILL BE ATTRACTED
TO ALL OF THESE THINGS.
THIS CAN OF SCIENCE MAX SODA,
IT HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
THE BALLOON HAS
A NEGATIVE CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS THE CAN WILL BE
ATTRACTED TO THE BALLOON.
AND THIS PAPER IS
NEUTRALLY CHARGED,
WHICH MEANS THE PAPER WILL
BE ATTRACTED TO THE BALLOON.
AND IF YOU HOLD THE
NEGATIVELY CHARGED BALLOON
NEXT TO NEUTRALLY CHARGED SUGAR,
HAHA, SUGAR STORM!
He shakes the sugar off the balloon.
He says AND YOU PROBABLY,
WAIT, I DON'T WANT TO
GET SUGAR IN MY HAIR.
AND YOU PROBABLY
KNOW THIS TRICK.
IF YOU RUB A BALLOON
ON YOUR HEAD,
YOU CAN STICK IT ON THE WALL.
HAHA!
BUT WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS
HAVE TO DO WITH LIGHTNING?
WELL THE SAME THING IS GOING
ON WITH A LIGHTNING BOLT.
THE CLOUDS BECOME
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
AND THAT NEGATIVE CHARGE
WANTS TO EQUALIZE ITSELF
WITH THE GROUND, WHICH
IS NEUTRALLY CHARGED.
AND THAT LIGHTNING BOLT
IS THE ELECTRICITY JUMPING
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
AND YOU CAN SEE THIS YOURSELF.
IF YOU RUB A BALLOON
ON YOUR HEAD,
AND YOU PUT IT NEXT TO
SOMETHING METAL,
LIKE A DOORKNOB...
THERE'LL BE A SPARK.
BUT HERE'S ANOTHER THING
YOU COULD DO
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BALLOON.
The balloon pops.
Phil says WHICH I GUESS I DON'T ANYMORE.
RUB YOUR FEET, IF
YOU'RE WEARING SOCKS,
ON A CARPET, AND THEN
TURN OUT ALL THE LIGHTS,
AND TOUCH A DOORKNOB.
YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE A SPARK
JUMP FROM YOUR
FINGER TO THE DOOR.
THAT'S LIGHTNING
IN A VERY VERY SMALL FORM.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE
WANT TO DO TODAY
ON SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
MAX OUT LIGHTNING!
I THINK I'M GONNA GO TO
THE ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTER
AND ASK HEATHER HER ADVICE.
SHE REALLY KNOWS HER STUFF,
I'M GONNA GO SEE IF SHE'S BUSY.
COME ON.
He enters the portal and appears at the Ontario Science Centre.
Heather is in her twenties, with long wavy brown hair. She wears a white coat.
H says PHIL, YOU GOT
THE PORTAL FIXED.
Phil says WELL, IT'S NOT EXACTLY FIXED.
IT'S STILL GOT A COUPLE
BUGS THAT I'M IRONING OUT,
BUT I STOPPED COMING IN
10 FEET ABOVE THE FLOOR.
H says HEY.
Phil says SO THAT'S A STEP IN
THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
ANYWAY, HEATHER.
I'VE COME HERE
BECAUSE I WANT TO ASK
YOUR ADVICE ON SOMETHING.
H says YEAH, FOR SURE.
Phil says AWESOME.
SO WHAT I AM DOING IS
CREATING LIGHTNING.
SO THIS IS WHERE
I'M AT RIGHT NOW.
SO THIS IS A BALLOON.
I BLOW UP THE BALLOON,
AND THEN I RUB IT ON MY HEAD,
AND IT CREATES A
STATIC CHARGE, RIGHT?
JUST LIKE IN A
LIGHTNING BOLT BETWEEN
THE CLOUDS AND THE GROUND.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF...
He lets go of the balloon and it deflates.
Phil says I WAS WONDERING IF YOU
COULD HELP ME MAYBE
MAX THAT OUT, AND I THOUGHT
THE PERFECT PLACE TO START
WOULD BE A LARGER BALLOON.
H says OOH, RIGHT ON, ACTUALLY
YEAH, I LIKE THIS.
I'VE GOT A BIG BALLOON,
IF YOU JUST GIVE ME A SECOND.
Phil says SURE.
She climbs up a stairway and says ALRIGHT, CATCH?
Phil says YEAH.
ALRIGHT, GIANT BALLOON!
SO WHAT I FIGURED IS I'LL JUST
START RUBBING IT ON MY HEAD,
AND THEN WE COULD MAYBE STICK
IT TO THE WALL OR SOMETHING?
H says YEAH.
I THINK INSTEAD OF
A WALL, WE CAN EVEN
TRY ON THIS WHITEBOARD HERE.
Phil says OH, OKAY, GREAT.
H says KEEP RUBBING.
Phil says I'M RUBBING. OKAY READY?
H says YEAH.
Phil says WE'RE GOING.
H says AND...
The balloon does not stick to the board.
Phil says SO THAT UM,
THAT DIDN'T EXACTLY WORK.
Heather says NOT QUITE, YEAH.
Phil says BOTH OF US RUBBING OUR
HEADS ON THE BALLOON!
H says OKAY.
Phil says AND, GO!
He tries again and the balloon falls.
Phil says WOW.
THAT WAS A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING.
H says WELL, WE'VE GOT A
REALLY HEAVY BALLOON HERE.
Phil says AND I FEEL LIKE OUR
HEADS ARE ONLY THIS BIG,
SO WE CAN'T COVER AS MUCH
SURFACE AREA OF THE BALLOON.
FORTUNATELY, YOU CAN ALSO
BUILD UP A STATIC CHARGE
BY RUBBING A BALLOON
ON A SWEATER,
OR, IF YOUR BALLOON IS GIANT,
RUBBING SWEATERS ON THE BALLOON.
BUT EVEN THAT
DIDN'T WORK SO WELL.
I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IS COME UP WITH A
BETTER WAY TO CREATE
A DIFFERENCE OF CHARGE.
H says YEAH YEAH, LET'S
FORGET ABOUT THE BALLOON.
Phil says DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE?
H says I HAVE SOMETHING ELSE,
REALLY AWESOME HERE
AT THE SCIENCE CENTER,
YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT?
Phil says YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
SHOULD WE TAKE THE
SWEATER AND THE BALLOONS,
OR SHOULD WE LEAVE THEM HERE? -
H says WE'LL LEAVE THEM HERE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says YEAH.
The logo of the show appears.
Phil says SO HERE'S HOW
STATIC ELECTRICITY WORKS.
NORMALLY, EVERYTHING
HAS EQUAL NUMBERS
OF POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE CHARGES.
THAT'S WHEN THINGS ARE SAID
TO HAVE A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
BUT WHEN YOU RUB
A BALLOON ON YOUR HEAD,
THE BALLOON DEVELOPS MORE
NEGATIVE CHARGE THAN POSITIVE
BECAUSE IT PULLS SOME
ELECTRONS FROM YOUR HAIR.
THE SAME THING HAPPENS
IN CLOUDS DURING A STORM.
THE CLOUD DEVELOPS
A NEGATIVE CHARGE
WHEN WATER MOLECULES START
BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER.
A LIGHTNING BOLT HAPPENS
WHEN THE NEGATIVE CHARGE
IN THE CLOUD GETS SO BIG,
THE ATTRACTION TO THE
POSITIVE CHARGE IN THE GROUND
GETS STRONG ENOUGH THAT THE
ELECTRONS CAN MAKE THE JUMP
ALL THE WAY FROM THE
CLOUD TO THE GROUND,
AND YOU GET LIGHTNING.
An animation illustrates the description on a white board.
Phil says HEATHER AND I TRIED TO MAX
OUT THE STATIC ON A BALLOON,
BUT A BIG, HEAVY BALLOON JUST
DOESN'T HOLD THE SAME CHARGE.
THAT DIDN'T EXACTLY WORK.
BUT WE'RE ONLY INTERESTED IN
MAXING OUT THE STATIC CHARGE,
AND HEATHER KNOWS
JUST WHAT TO USE.
WOW.
SO THIS IS THE ONTARIO SCIENCE
CENTER ELECTRICITY SHOW.
H says YES.
Phil says OKAY SO, WHERE'S
THE ELECTRICITY PART?
H says THE ONE WE'RE GONNA BE
PLAYING WITH IS RIGHT THERE.
Phil says SO THE GIANT MUSHROOM!
Heather says YEAH, WELL, IT
DOES LOOK LIKE A MUSHROOM.
Phil says WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME
SORT OF ELECTRICITY SALAD.
H says ALRIGHT, HEAD ON UP ONTO
THAT PLATFORM RIGHT THERE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says AND I NEED YOU TO PUT ONE
HAND ON THAT SILVER BALL, YES.
SO THE WAY IT WORKS...
Phil says NOTHING IS HAPPENING.
H says PATIENCE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says ONCE I TURN IT ON,
WHEN I ENGAGE IT,
THIS IS GOING TO STEAL
YOUR NEGATIVE CHARGE,
SO IT'S GONNA STEAL
YOUR ELECTRONS,
SO IF IT STEALS ELECTRONS,
YOU'RE GONNA BE
POSITIVELY CHARGED.
Phil says SO IT'LL MAKE
ME MORE POSITIVE.
H says EVEN MORE POSITIVE.
Phil says YAY! WOOHOO!
I AM POSITIVE!
H says HERE WE GO.
The machine makes Phil’s hair stand on end.
Phil says OOH!
(LAUGHS)
THIS MACHINE IS CALLED A
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR,
AND IT PULLS THE NEGATIVE CHARGE
AWAY FROM THE
PERSON TOUCHING IT.
Heather takes her turn with the machine.
Phil laughs at her hair.
Phil says THAT IS GREAT!
INSTEAD OF HAVING EQUAL AMOUNTS
OF POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE CHARGES,
YOU BECOME POSITIVELY CHARGED.
WOOHOO, SCIENCE HAIR!
YEAH!
Phil now wears a dark blond wing with longer hair.
He says LIKE WHEN YOU TRY TO
PUT TWO POSITIVE ENDS
OF MAGNETS NEXT TO EACH OTHER,
EACH HAIR ON YOUR HEAD
STARTS TO REPEL THE OTHERS
AND BE REPELLED FROM YOUR HEAD.
SCIENCE HAIR!
DUDE! WOOHOO!
SO YOUR HAIR STANDS UP.
WOOHOO!
I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING.
SO THIS IS MORE OF A MACHINE
TO GENERATE HAIR STANDING UP,
BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE LIGHTNING.
H says OH, WELL ACTUALLY,
I HAVE A DEMONSTRATION
IN MY BACK POCKET.
THIS IS GONNA HELP US.
Phil says OKAY.
H says TO CREATE LIGHTNING.
THIS IS OUR GROUNDING ROD.
She holds a metal stick with a ball on one end.
Phil says IT IS MY SCEPTER OF SCIENCE!
H says AND SO WE'RE GONNA
USE THIS TO CONTINUOUSLY
PROVIDE THAT NEGATIVE CHARGE.
Phil says THAT'S WHY IT'S PLUGGED IN.
H says THAT'S WHY IT'S PLUGGED
INTO THE GROUND, YEAH.
Phil says OKAY.
H says SO THEN IF YOU TOUCH IT
TO THAT METAL BALL, GOT IT?
NOT TO EXCITING, RIGHT?
SO PULL AWAY, AND
LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
A charge can be seen.
Phil says WHOA!
THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
THE VAN DE GRAAFF CREATES
A POSITIVE CHARGE,
THE ROD HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
WHEN THE DIFFERENCE
BECOMES BIG ENOUGH,
THE CHARGE JUMPS THE GAP.
BEHOLD, I HAVE THE
POWER OF LIGHTNING!
(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)
(BEEP)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Phil says SO IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE POSITIVE AND THE NEGATIVE
IS WHAT WE WANT WHEN WE WANT
TO MAKE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
Heather says ABSOLUTELY.
Phil says SO IS THERE
SOMETHING WE CAN USE
TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?
LARGE DIFFERENCE OF CHARGE?
H says YEAH, I THINK I
HAVE JUST THE THING.
YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT?
Phil says ABSOLUTELY.
H says ALRIGHT.
Phil says OKAY, LET'S GO.
The logo of the show shatters the screen.
Music plays as a neon science appears with the caption "Sal’s Science Shop."
Sal is in his twenties, clean-shaven and with short side parted dark blond hair. He wears glasses, jeans, an orange shirt and a green blazer.
Sal says SO YOU WOULD LIKE
TO MOVE ELECTRICITY
FROM HERE TO THERE.
WELL WHAT YOU NEED, MY
FRIEND, IS A CONDUCTOR.
Sal appears dressed at an orchestra conductor.
He says ALRIGHT, A LITTLE MORE
ARPEGGIO THIS TIME.
NO, NOT THAT KIND OF CONDUCTOR.
He now appears as a train conductor and says ALL ABOARD!
He says NO, NOT THAT KINDA
CONDUCTOR EITHER.
(BUZZER)
THIS KINDA CONDUCTOR.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING,
YOU'RE THINKING HEY, THAT'S
JUST A PIECE OF METAL.
WELL THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT'S CAUSE YOU'RE SMART.
THIS IS A CIRCUIT.
ELECTRICITY FLOWS FROM THIS
BATTERY, ALONG THE WIRES,
AND INTO THE LIGHT BULB.
"BUT SAL," YOU CLEVERLY OBSERVE.
"THE LIGHT BULB IS NOT LIT."
THIS IS TRUE.
THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE
A GAP IN THE CIRCUIT,
AND AIR IS NOT A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
IS METAL A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY?
LET US FIND OUT.
He connects the wires to the piece of metal and the bulb lights up.
He says AHAHA!
METAL IS A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
He now tries with other elements.
He says WHAT ABOUT WOOD?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS HORSESHOE?
IT IS A GOOD CONDUCTOR.
WILL THIS SANDWICH
CONDUCT ELECTRICITY?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS PLASTIC FISH?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS PICKLE?
NO, PICKLE IS NOT
A GOOD CONDUCTOR.
(BUZZER)
THAT'S WHY WE MAKE
ELECTRICAL WIRES
OUT OF COPPER
AND NOT PICKLES.
YOU KNOW, IN CASE
YOU WERE WONDERING.
He eats the pickle.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)
The logo of the show appears with the caption "Max Fax!"
Phil now holds a piece of wood with a branch-like pattern.
He says LIGHTNING BOLTS MAKE
INTERESTING PATTERNS.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE ELECTRICITY
IS SEARCHING FOR A WAY
TO GET FROM ONE
SIDE TO THE OTHER.
BUT IT'S HARD TO SEE THE
PATTERNS OF LIGHTNING BOLTS
BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN SO FAST.
FORTUNATELY, USING
THE POWER OF SCIENCE,
WE CAN OBSERVE THESE
PATTERNS FOR OURSELVES
IN A MOTION WE CAN PERCEIVE.
I'M GOING TO USE ELECTRICITY
TO RECREATE A
LIGHTNING BOLT PATTERN.
I'VE GOT TWO NAILS IN
A PIECE OF WOOD HERE,
AND I'M GOING TO ATTACH
ELECTRICAL LEADS TO BOTH NAILS.
NOW, THE ELECTRICITY
WANTS TO GO FROM THAT SIDE
TO THAT SIDE, BUT IT CAN'T.
IT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE WOOD,
AND WOOD IS NOT A VERY GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
NOW, THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.
I NEED A SPECIAL MACHINE
EVEN TO PULL THIS OFF.
SO THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT
SOMETHING YOU WANT
TO TRY AT HOME.
IN FACT, I'M GONNA
STAND WAY BACK HERE
WHEN I TURN IT ON.
He turns the power on and the current starts making curling patterns in the wood.
He says LIKE WATER, ELECTRICITY TRIES
TO FIND THE EASIEST ROUTE
TO GET FROM ONE
PLACE TO ANOTHER.
BUT SOMETIMES THAT
INVOLVES BRANCHING OUT
UNTIL THE RIGHT
CONNECTION IS MADE.
LIGHTNING BOLTS
DO THE SAME THING
WHEN THEY BRANCH OUT BETWEEN
THE CLOUDS AND THE GROUND.
FINALLY, THERE'S A SPOT
WHERE THE BRANCHES MEET,
AND THE CIRCUIT
COMPLETES ITSELF.
THEN THE ELECTRICITY
FOLLOWS THIS ONE PATH,
IGNORING ALL THE OTHERS.
AND THERE YOU GO.
WE JUST WATCHED A LIGHTNING
BOLT HAPPEN IN SLOW MOTION.
HAHA, SCIENCE.
(music plays)
Phil says BACK TO OUR MAIN EXPERIMENT,
WHERE HEATHER AND
I ARE ON A QUEST
TO USE STATIC ELECTRICITY TO
RECREATE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
OUR EXPERIMENTS WITH THE
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR
HAD SOME HAIR-RAISING RESULTS,
BUT HEATHER HAS ANOTHER
EXPERIMENT SHE WANTS TO SHOW ME.
H says THIS IS JACOB'S LADDER.
She shows him two pieces of copper wires vertically attached to two poles of a generator.
Phil says OH, SO THIS IS ANOTHER
WAY TO MAKE LIGHTNING.
H says YES.
Phil says LIGHTNING!
LET'S DO IT.
A says ALL RIGHT.
Phil says HOW DO WE GET IT TO GO?
H says ALRIGHT, SO WE
WANT TO TURN IT ON.
Phil says BEHOLD!
OH, TURN IT ON, OKAY.
GO!
OOH, LOOK AT THAT.
(PHIL LAUGHING)
The current visibly climbs up the wires.
H says YOU CAN ACTUALLY
SEE THAT LIGHT
CLIMBING UP BETWEEN
THE TWO COPPER WIRES.
Phil says THAT'S WHY YOU CALL
IT JACOB'S LADDER,
BECAUSE IT'S GOT THE
RUNGS OF THE LADDER.
Heather says YEAH.
BETWEEN THESE TWO POINTS,
THERE'S A REALLY GREAT
CHARGE DIFFERENCE, RIGHT?
Phil says OKAY, SO WHAT'S
THE DIFFERENCE?
H says 10,000 VOLTS.
Phil says 10,000 VOLTS,
AND VOLTS IS HOW YOU MEASURE
THE DIFFERENCE IN CHARGE.
H says EXACTLY.
Phil says WHY DOES IT GO UP?
H says SO IT GOES UP BECAUSE,
RATHER THAN JUST STAYING
AT THE CLOSEST POINT,
IS BECAUSE WE'RE
HEATING UP THE AIR.
Phil says OH, SO HOT AIR RISES.
H says HOT AIR RISES.
Phil says AND IT TAKES
THE ELECTRICITY WITH IT?
SO IF WE COOLED THE
AIR, IT WOULDN'T GO UP?
H says IT WOULDN'T
IMMEDIATELY GO UP, YEAH.
Phil says AND THERE IT GOES, THEN
IT HEATS BACK UP AGAIN.
H says YEAH.
Phil says THAT'S NEAT!
OKAY, SO, WE'VE GOT A
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR,
WE GOT A JACOB'S LADDER,
ARE THERE ANY OTHER DEVICES
THAT MAKE LIGHTNING LIKE THIS?
H says OOH, YEAH, THERE'S OTHER
THINGS LIKE THE TESLA COIL...
Phil says HEY, I HAVE A TESLA COIL.
H says YOU HAVE A TESLA COIL?
Phil says I DO, I'VE GOT ONE AT THE LAB,
I'VE JUST NEVER KNOWN
HOW TO HOOK IT UP.
H says I CAN HELP WITH THAT, YEAH.
Phil says REALLY?
OKAY, LET'S DO IT,
LET'S GO BACK TO THE LAB.
H says ALRIGHT, WELL, YEAH, NO YEAH.
Phil says I'LL TURN THAT OFF, OKAY.
H says YEAH, SAVE THE ELECTRICITY.
The logo of the show appears.
Phil says BY NOW YOU'RE
PROBABLY AN EXPERT
ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RUB
A BALLOON ON YOUR HEAD, RIGHT?
THE BALLOON BECOMES
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
WHICH MEANS IT WILL ATTRACT
ANYTHING OF AN OPPOSITE CHARGE,
OR ANYTHING POSITIVE,
OR ANYTHING THAT IS
NEUTRALLY CHARGED.
LIKE, WELL, LIKE ME.
LOOK AT THE HAIRS ON MY ARM
WHEN I BRING THE BALLOON CLOSE.
WHOA.
The hairs stand on end.
He says YOU SEE, THE NEUTRAL
CHARGE IN MY BODY
IS BEING ATTRACTED TO THE
NEGATIVE CHARGE IN THE BALLOON.
SO IF SOMETHING IS
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU
BRING SOMETHING ELSE
NEGATIVELY CHARGED NEARBY?
WELL, THEY'LL REPEL EACH OTHER.
AND HERE'S AN
EXPERIMENT YOU CAN DO
TO MAKE SOMETHING FLY
USING STATIC ELECTRICITY.
YOU'LL NEED A
BALLOON, A SWEATER,
SCISSORS, AND A PLASTIC BAG
OUT OF THE THINNEST
PLASTIC YOU CAN FIND.
FOLD THE BAG UP AND
CUT OFF THE BOTTOM.
YOU DON'T WANT THAT PART.
THEN CUT ANOTHER
STRIP FROM THE BACK.
THIS WILL GIVE YOU
A HOOP OF PLASTIC.
I FIND IT WORKS BETTER IF YOU
BREAK IT AND TIE IT AGAIN.
LIE IT FLAT AND RUB
IT WITH THE SWEATER.
THIS WILL GIVE IT
A NEGATIVE CHARGE.
YOU'LL KNOW YOU'VE
GOT ENOUGH OF A CHARGE
WHEN IT REALLY WANTS
TO STICK TO THE TABLE.
THEN TAKE YOUR BALLOON
AND RUB THE SWEATER
ON THE BALLOON
TO CHARGE IT UP.
BECAUSE BOTH THE BALLOON AND
THE HOOP HAVE NEGATIVE CHARGES,
THEY REPEL EACH OTHER.
THEN PUT THEM TOGETHER,
AND IT WILL REPEL!
AND YOU CAN GET THE
HOOP TO LEVITATE.
The plastic ring floats above the balloon.
Phil says HAHA, A FLOATING BAG, WHOA,
OF STATIC CHARGE!
BUT HERE'S THE THING.
YOU NEED TO KEEP IT
AWAY FROM YOUR BODY,
BECAUSE IF YOU GET CLOSE,
THE BAG WILL STICK TO YOU,
BECAUSE YOU'RE NEUTRALLY CHARGED
AND THE BAG IS
NEGATIVELY CHARGED.
PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?
WELL, LET'S MAX IT OUT!
He takes a bigger balloon and repeats the experiment.
He laughs and says MAXED OUT FLOATING STATIC RING!
YEAH!
LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT!
OH NO!
The plastic rings sticks to the camera lens.
He says OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
OH WELL.
IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED.
I GOTTA CHARGE THIS UP AGAIN.
The logo of the show appears.
(BEEP)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Now Buster appears in his kitchen. He has short wavy dark blond hair and wears a striped shirt and a red apron.
He says BEING A CHEF IS
MY ABSOLUTE PASSION.
AND COOKING UP
SCIENCE RECIPES
IS MY SPECIALTY.
I'M BUSTER BEAKER, AND THIS
IS COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
The logo of the show appears: an orange oval with an image of a flask and the caption "Cooking with science."
(APPLAUSE)
Buster says OH, HELLO.
I DIDN'T SEE YOU THERE.
MY NAME'S BUSTER BEAKER,
AND WELCOME TO
COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE,
I'VE SPILLED THE SALT.
OH NO, LOOK AT ME,
I'VE SPILLED THE SALT.
OH, THERE'S SALT
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL, RIGHT?
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO
IS CLEAN UP THE SALT,
PUT IT BACK IN THE CONTAINER.
BUT OH NO, I'VE ALSO
SPILLED PEPPER ON THE SALT.
BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT,
WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO CAREFULLY SEPARATE THIS OUT.
BUT NO, OH DEAR, LOOK,
THE PEPPER AND THE SALT
ARE ALL MIXED TOGETHER,
WHAT DO I DO?
WELL, HERE'S HOW
YOU CAN SAVE THE DAY
USING THE POWER OF SCIENCE.
ALL YOU NEED IS A CLOTH
AND A PLASTIC SPOON.
(BEEP)
LIKE THIS ONE HERE.
JUST RUB THE PLASTIC
SPOON ON A CLOTH,
AND YOU'LL BE CHARGING IT UP
WITH A NEGATIVE CHARGE
OF STATIC ELECTRICITY.
IF IT'S GOT A NEGATIVE CHARGE,
IT WILL ATTRACT ANYTHING
THAT HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
JUST LIKE THE SALT AND PEPPER.
BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
HOW WILL WE SEPARATE THEM?
WELL HERE'S THE
ANSWER, MY FRIENDS.
PEPPER IS LIGHTER THAN SALT.
OBSERVE.
IF YOU HOLD THE
SPOON HIGH ENOUGH,
THE PEPPER WILL BE ATTRACTED,
AND MAKE THE JUMP UP TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE SPOON.
BUT NOT THE SALT, AS LONG AS
YOU'VE GOT IT HIGH ENOUGH UP.
BECAUSE THE SALT IS HEAVIER,
YOU HAVE TO BRING
THE SPOON CLOSER,
WHICH WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO.
AND IF YOU TAP IT
OFF TO THE SIDE,
YOU'LL MAKE A NICE
LITTLE PILE OF PEPPER,
AND THERE YOU GO,
SEPARATING PEPPER FROM SALT
USING THE POWER OF SCIENCE.
(APPLAUSE)
THANKS FOR WATCHING
COOKING WITH SCIENCE,
I'M BUSTER BEAKER.
He hits a pot full of vegetables off the table.
(LAUGHTER)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Phil says HEATHER AND I
HAVE BEEN ON A QUEST
TO RECREATE LIGHTNING
USING STATIC ELECTRICITY.
WE'VE GONE FROM BALLOONS
TO A VAN DE GRAAFF
TO JACOB'S LADDER, EACH MORE
LIGHTNINGY THAN THE LAST.
FINALLY, HEATHER
SUGGESTS WE USE A...
H says TESLA COIL.
Phil says OH, IS THIS NAMED
AFTER NIKOLA TESLA?
Heather says YEAH,
HE INVENTED IT.
A picture of Nikola Tessa appears.
Phil says OH, ONE OF THE FOUNDING
FATHERS OF ELECTRICITY, RIGHT?
I LOVE NIKOLA TESLA,
HE'S COOL.
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
H says SO THE WAY THIS WORKS
IS IT IS A STEP-UP TRANSFORMER,
MEANING WE TAKE A LOWER VOLTAGE
AND BRING IT UP AND RAMP IT UP
TO A MUCH HIGHER VOLTAGE.
Phil says OKAY, SO NORMAL
VOLTAGE IS 120 VOLTS,
THAT'S WHENEVER
WE HAVE A NORMAL,
PLUG-IN SOCKET?
H says TYPICALLY WE'RE GETTING
IT OUT OF, YEAH, EXACTLY.
AND WE'RE GONNA RAMP THAT
UP TO REALLY HIGH AMOUNTS,
UPWARDS OF 25,000,
MAYBE EVEN 250,000.
Phil says WOW.
H says VOLTS, YEAH.
Phil says THAT'S A LOT.
H says AND ALL THAT CHARGE BUILD-UP,
WE'RE GONNA SEE SOMETHING
PRETTY AMAZING HAPPEN.
Phil says OKAY.
H says YOU WANT TO SEE IT?
Phil says YES.
WE STAND BACK HERE, RIGHT?
H says YEAH.
LET'S CHECK IT OUT.
AND...
(LOUD ELECTRIC SOUND)
She touches button and an electric charge is sent to a metal rod.
Phil says WHOA!
A TESLA COIL BUILDS UP A CHARGE,
WHICH JUMPS THROUGH THE AIR
TO THIS NEUTRAL ROD,
JUST LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
WE MADE A LIGHTNING BOLT!
THAT TOTALLY JUMPED A LONG WAY.
THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
They high-five.
Heather says THAT WAS
A REALLY GOOD ONE.
Phil says SO CAN YOU CONTROL IT?
Heather says YEAH.
Phil says OKAY, SHOW ME.
H says WANNA SEE? ALRIGHT.
I'M GOING TO LOWER MY FREQUENCY.
Phil says OKAY.
H says LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
(LOWER-PITCHED ELECTRONIC SOUND)
Different patterns of bolt are sent to the rod.
Phil says OH, THAT'S AMAZING.
OH, IT'S LIKE A
SCATTERED LIGHTNING BOLT.
OH WAIT A MINUTE, SO YOU
CAN PLAY DIFFERENT NOTES?
He says PLAY DIFFERENT NOTES.
Phil says I NEED FIVE MINUTES, HOLD ON.
H says OKAY.
He brings a tool basket full of tools and wires.
Phil says OKAY.
ALL I NEED IS FIVE MINUTES.
YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING,
IF YOU CAN MAKE,
HOLD THAT FOR A SECOND?
IF YOU CAN MAKE
DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES,
THAT MEANS YOU CAN MAKE
DIFFERENT NOTES, RIGHT?
H says RIGHT.
Phil says SO, OH, I DON'T NEED
THAT EITHER, HOLD THAT.
AH. THAT'S NOT WHAT I NEED.
OKAY, ONE MORE THING,
CAN I GET THAT HAMMER?
YEAH. OKAY.
READY TO GO.
H says SO WHAT IS THIS?
Phil says WHEN YOU TOLD
ME THE TESLA COIL
COULD PLAY DIFFERENT
FREQUENCIES,
I THOUGHT WE COULD
MAKE DIFFERENT NOTES
COME OUT OF THE TESLA COIL,
SO I PROGRAMMED IT
TO PLAY THE NOTES
OF THE SCIENCE MAX THEME SONG.
H says WHAT?
Phil says YEAH! YOU WANT TO HEAR?
H says YEAH!
Phil says LET'S TRY IT.
(ELECTRONIC MUSIC)
YEAH!
SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
LIGHTNING BOLT!
H says CREATED LIGHTNING!
Phil says WE CREATED LIGHTNING!
WOOHOO!
LIGHTNING DANCE!
(DISSONANT ELECTRONIC MUSIC)
Phil tries to play music with the Tesla coil and keeps missing the notes.
He says NO.
He bangs his head on the table and says I GIVE UP.
Producer, Phil McCordic.
Directed by, Chris Chilco.
Canada Media Fund.
Rocket Fund.
With the participation of the Government of Ontario.
With the participation of The Canadian Film and Video Tax Credit.
Produced in association with TVO Kids.
Breakthrough.
Maximite 2 Productions Incorporated, copyrights 2016.
Phil is in her twenties, clean-shaven and with short curly dark blond hair. He wears gray trousers, a blue T-shirt and a yellow lab coat.
Phil says HAVE YOU EVER
DONE A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
AND WONDERED IT WOULD BE
LIKE IF YOU DID IT BIG?
I HAVE.
MY NAME IS PHIL
AND I TAKE YOUR EVERYDAY
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
AND DO THEM BIG.
Phil appears under the water, in a skydiving chamber and on a trolley.
Phil says THIS IS SCIENCE MAX!
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
The logo of the show appears. It’s a black and yellow triangle with an exploding element inside and a blue sign across that reads "Experiments at Large."
Voices shout SCIENCE MAX!
Clips from today’s show roll.
Phil says ON THIS EPISODE OF SCIENCE MAX,
I'M ON A QUEST TO HARNESS
THE POWER OF LIGHTNING.
ITS BALLOON-STICKING,
HOOP-LEVITATING,
HAIR-RAISING POWER
IS ALL THANKS TO
STATIC ELECTRICITY.
HOLD ON TO YOUR GROUNDING RODS,
THERE'S ELECTRICITY IN THE AIR.
ALL ON THIS EPISODE
OF SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE.
In the lab, Phil says GREETINGS SCIENCE MAXIMITES,
WELCOME TO SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
MY NAME IS PHIL,
AND TODAY ON SCIENCE MAX
WE'RE GOING TO BE
HARNESSING THE AWESOME POWER
OF LIGHTNING!
Lightning bolts light up the lab.
(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)
Phil says HOW ARE WE HARNESSING THE
POWER OF LIGHTNING, YOU ASK?
WITH!
THIS BALLOON.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING,
YOU'RE THINKING "PHIL,
WHAT'S SIMILAR BETWEEN A
BALLOON AND LIGHTNING?"
WELL, NOTHING RIGHT
NOW, BUT BEHOLD!
AS I USE THE POWER OF
STATIC ELECTRICITY!
AND RUB THE BALLOON!
ON MY HEAD.
BECAUSE BASICALLY
THAT'S HOW IT STARTS.
YOU SEE, WHEN I RUB
THIS BALLOON ON MY HEAD,
IT'S STEALING ELECTRONS FROM ME,
CREATING A POSITIVE
CHARGE IN MY HAIR
AND A NEGATIVE CHARGE
IN THE BALLOON.
AND THE INTERESTING
THING IS, YOU KNOW
THAT THINGS
WITH OPPOSITE CHARGES
ATTRACT EACH OTHER, RIGHT?
SOMETHING THAT HAS
A POSITIVE CHARGE
WILL ATTRACT NEGATIVE
THINGS, AND VICE VERSA.
BUT ANYTHING WITH A
CHARGE WILL ATTRACT
ANYTHING WITH A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
SEE ALL OF THESE
THINGS ON THE TABLE?
THEY ALL HAVE A NEUTRAL CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS THEY'VE
GOT EQUAL AMOUNTS
OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE.
RIGHT NOW, THIS
BALLOON IS BUILDING UP
A BIG NEGATIVE CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS IT WILL BE ATTRACTED
TO ALL OF THESE THINGS.
THIS CAN OF SCIENCE MAX SODA,
IT HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
THE BALLOON HAS
A NEGATIVE CHARGE,
WHICH MEANS THE CAN WILL BE
ATTRACTED TO THE BALLOON.
AND THIS PAPER IS
NEUTRALLY CHARGED,
WHICH MEANS THE PAPER WILL
BE ATTRACTED TO THE BALLOON.
AND IF YOU HOLD THE
NEGATIVELY CHARGED BALLOON
NEXT TO NEUTRALLY CHARGED SUGAR,
HAHA, SUGAR STORM!
He shakes the sugar off the balloon.
He says AND YOU PROBABLY,
WAIT, I DON'T WANT TO
GET SUGAR IN MY HAIR.
AND YOU PROBABLY
KNOW THIS TRICK.
IF YOU RUB A BALLOON
ON YOUR HEAD,
YOU CAN STICK IT ON THE WALL.
HAHA!
BUT WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS
HAVE TO DO WITH LIGHTNING?
WELL THE SAME THING IS GOING
ON WITH A LIGHTNING BOLT.
THE CLOUDS BECOME
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
AND THAT NEGATIVE CHARGE
WANTS TO EQUALIZE ITSELF
WITH THE GROUND, WHICH
IS NEUTRALLY CHARGED.
AND THAT LIGHTNING BOLT
IS THE ELECTRICITY JUMPING
FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
AND YOU CAN SEE THIS YOURSELF.
IF YOU RUB A BALLOON
ON YOUR HEAD,
AND YOU PUT IT NEXT TO
SOMETHING METAL,
LIKE A DOORKNOB...
THERE'LL BE A SPARK.
BUT HERE'S ANOTHER THING
YOU COULD DO
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BALLOON.
The balloon pops.
Phil says WHICH I GUESS I DON'T ANYMORE.
RUB YOUR FEET, IF
YOU'RE WEARING SOCKS,
ON A CARPET, AND THEN
TURN OUT ALL THE LIGHTS,
AND TOUCH A DOORKNOB.
YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE A SPARK
JUMP FROM YOUR
FINGER TO THE DOOR.
THAT'S LIGHTNING
IN A VERY VERY SMALL FORM.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE
WANT TO DO TODAY
ON SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
MAX OUT LIGHTNING!
I THINK I'M GONNA GO TO
THE ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTER
AND ASK HEATHER HER ADVICE.
SHE REALLY KNOWS HER STUFF,
I'M GONNA GO SEE IF SHE'S BUSY.
COME ON.
He enters the portal and appears at the Ontario Science Centre.
Heather is in her twenties, with long wavy brown hair. She wears a white coat.
H says PHIL, YOU GOT
THE PORTAL FIXED.
Phil says WELL, IT'S NOT EXACTLY FIXED.
IT'S STILL GOT A COUPLE
BUGS THAT I'M IRONING OUT,
BUT I STOPPED COMING IN
10 FEET ABOVE THE FLOOR.
H says HEY.
Phil says SO THAT'S A STEP IN
THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
ANYWAY, HEATHER.
I'VE COME HERE
BECAUSE I WANT TO ASK
YOUR ADVICE ON SOMETHING.
H says YEAH, FOR SURE.
Phil says AWESOME.
SO WHAT I AM DOING IS
CREATING LIGHTNING.
SO THIS IS WHERE
I'M AT RIGHT NOW.
SO THIS IS A BALLOON.
I BLOW UP THE BALLOON,
AND THEN I RUB IT ON MY HEAD,
AND IT CREATES A
STATIC CHARGE, RIGHT?
JUST LIKE IN A
LIGHTNING BOLT BETWEEN
THE CLOUDS AND THE GROUND.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF...
He lets go of the balloon and it deflates.
Phil says I WAS WONDERING IF YOU
COULD HELP ME MAYBE
MAX THAT OUT, AND I THOUGHT
THE PERFECT PLACE TO START
WOULD BE A LARGER BALLOON.
H says OOH, RIGHT ON, ACTUALLY
YEAH, I LIKE THIS.
I'VE GOT A BIG BALLOON,
IF YOU JUST GIVE ME A SECOND.
Phil says SURE.
She climbs up a stairway and says ALRIGHT, CATCH?
Phil says YEAH.
ALRIGHT, GIANT BALLOON!
SO WHAT I FIGURED IS I'LL JUST
START RUBBING IT ON MY HEAD,
AND THEN WE COULD MAYBE STICK
IT TO THE WALL OR SOMETHING?
H says YEAH.
I THINK INSTEAD OF
A WALL, WE CAN EVEN
TRY ON THIS WHITEBOARD HERE.
Phil says OH, OKAY, GREAT.
H says KEEP RUBBING.
Phil says I'M RUBBING. OKAY READY?
H says YEAH.
Phil says WE'RE GOING.
H says AND...
The balloon does not stick to the board.
Phil says SO THAT UM,
THAT DIDN'T EXACTLY WORK.
Heather says NOT QUITE, YEAH.
Phil says BOTH OF US RUBBING OUR
HEADS ON THE BALLOON!
H says OKAY.
Phil says AND, GO!
He tries again and the balloon falls.
Phil says WOW.
THAT WAS A WHOLE LOT OF NOTHING.
H says WELL, WE'VE GOT A
REALLY HEAVY BALLOON HERE.
Phil says AND I FEEL LIKE OUR
HEADS ARE ONLY THIS BIG,
SO WE CAN'T COVER AS MUCH
SURFACE AREA OF THE BALLOON.
FORTUNATELY, YOU CAN ALSO
BUILD UP A STATIC CHARGE
BY RUBBING A BALLOON
ON A SWEATER,
OR, IF YOUR BALLOON IS GIANT,
RUBBING SWEATERS ON THE BALLOON.
BUT EVEN THAT
DIDN'T WORK SO WELL.
I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO
IS COME UP WITH A
BETTER WAY TO CREATE
A DIFFERENCE OF CHARGE.
H says YEAH YEAH, LET'S
FORGET ABOUT THE BALLOON.
Phil says DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE?
H says I HAVE SOMETHING ELSE,
REALLY AWESOME HERE
AT THE SCIENCE CENTER,
YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT?
Phil says YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
SHOULD WE TAKE THE
SWEATER AND THE BALLOONS,
OR SHOULD WE LEAVE THEM HERE? -
H says WE'LL LEAVE THEM HERE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says YEAH.
The logo of the show appears.
Phil says SO HERE'S HOW
STATIC ELECTRICITY WORKS.
NORMALLY, EVERYTHING
HAS EQUAL NUMBERS
OF POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE CHARGES.
THAT'S WHEN THINGS ARE SAID
TO HAVE A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
BUT WHEN YOU RUB
A BALLOON ON YOUR HEAD,
THE BALLOON DEVELOPS MORE
NEGATIVE CHARGE THAN POSITIVE
BECAUSE IT PULLS SOME
ELECTRONS FROM YOUR HAIR.
THE SAME THING HAPPENS
IN CLOUDS DURING A STORM.
THE CLOUD DEVELOPS
A NEGATIVE CHARGE
WHEN WATER MOLECULES START
BUMPING INTO EACH OTHER.
A LIGHTNING BOLT HAPPENS
WHEN THE NEGATIVE CHARGE
IN THE CLOUD GETS SO BIG,
THE ATTRACTION TO THE
POSITIVE CHARGE IN THE GROUND
GETS STRONG ENOUGH THAT THE
ELECTRONS CAN MAKE THE JUMP
ALL THE WAY FROM THE
CLOUD TO THE GROUND,
AND YOU GET LIGHTNING.
An animation illustrates the description on a white board.
Phil says HEATHER AND I TRIED TO MAX
OUT THE STATIC ON A BALLOON,
BUT A BIG, HEAVY BALLOON JUST
DOESN'T HOLD THE SAME CHARGE.
THAT DIDN'T EXACTLY WORK.
BUT WE'RE ONLY INTERESTED IN
MAXING OUT THE STATIC CHARGE,
AND HEATHER KNOWS
JUST WHAT TO USE.
WOW.
SO THIS IS THE ONTARIO SCIENCE
CENTER ELECTRICITY SHOW.
H says YES.
Phil says OKAY SO, WHERE'S
THE ELECTRICITY PART?
H says THE ONE WE'RE GONNA BE
PLAYING WITH IS RIGHT THERE.
Phil says SO THE GIANT MUSHROOM!
Heather says YEAH, WELL, IT
DOES LOOK LIKE A MUSHROOM.
Phil says WE'RE GONNA MAKE SOME
SORT OF ELECTRICITY SALAD.
H says ALRIGHT, HEAD ON UP ONTO
THAT PLATFORM RIGHT THERE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says AND I NEED YOU TO PUT ONE
HAND ON THAT SILVER BALL, YES.
SO THE WAY IT WORKS...
Phil says NOTHING IS HAPPENING.
H says PATIENCE.
Phil says OKAY.
H says ONCE I TURN IT ON,
WHEN I ENGAGE IT,
THIS IS GOING TO STEAL
YOUR NEGATIVE CHARGE,
SO IT'S GONNA STEAL
YOUR ELECTRONS,
SO IF IT STEALS ELECTRONS,
YOU'RE GONNA BE
POSITIVELY CHARGED.
Phil says SO IT'LL MAKE
ME MORE POSITIVE.
H says EVEN MORE POSITIVE.
Phil says YAY! WOOHOO!
I AM POSITIVE!
H says HERE WE GO.
The machine makes Phil’s hair stand on end.
Phil says OOH!
(LAUGHS)
THIS MACHINE IS CALLED A
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR,
AND IT PULLS THE NEGATIVE CHARGE
AWAY FROM THE
PERSON TOUCHING IT.
Heather takes her turn with the machine.
Phil laughs at her hair.
Phil says THAT IS GREAT!
INSTEAD OF HAVING EQUAL AMOUNTS
OF POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE CHARGES,
YOU BECOME POSITIVELY CHARGED.
WOOHOO, SCIENCE HAIR!
YEAH!
Phil now wears a dark blond wing with longer hair.
He says LIKE WHEN YOU TRY TO
PUT TWO POSITIVE ENDS
OF MAGNETS NEXT TO EACH OTHER,
EACH HAIR ON YOUR HEAD
STARTS TO REPEL THE OTHERS
AND BE REPELLED FROM YOUR HEAD.
SCIENCE HAIR!
DUDE! WOOHOO!
SO YOUR HAIR STANDS UP.
WOOHOO!
I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING.
SO THIS IS MORE OF A MACHINE
TO GENERATE HAIR STANDING UP,
BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE LIGHTNING.
H says OH, WELL ACTUALLY,
I HAVE A DEMONSTRATION
IN MY BACK POCKET.
THIS IS GONNA HELP US.
Phil says OKAY.
H says TO CREATE LIGHTNING.
THIS IS OUR GROUNDING ROD.
She holds a metal stick with a ball on one end.
Phil says IT IS MY SCEPTER OF SCIENCE!
H says AND SO WE'RE GONNA
USE THIS TO CONTINUOUSLY
PROVIDE THAT NEGATIVE CHARGE.
Phil says THAT'S WHY IT'S PLUGGED IN.
H says THAT'S WHY IT'S PLUGGED
INTO THE GROUND, YEAH.
Phil says OKAY.
H says SO THEN IF YOU TOUCH IT
TO THAT METAL BALL, GOT IT?
NOT TO EXCITING, RIGHT?
SO PULL AWAY, AND
LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
A charge can be seen.
Phil says WHOA!
THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
THE VAN DE GRAAFF CREATES
A POSITIVE CHARGE,
THE ROD HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
WHEN THE DIFFERENCE
BECOMES BIG ENOUGH,
THE CHARGE JUMPS THE GAP.
BEHOLD, I HAVE THE
POWER OF LIGHTNING!
(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)
(BEEP)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Phil says SO IT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE POSITIVE AND THE NEGATIVE
IS WHAT WE WANT WHEN WE WANT
TO MAKE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
Heather says ABSOLUTELY.
Phil says SO IS THERE
SOMETHING WE CAN USE
TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN?
LARGE DIFFERENCE OF CHARGE?
H says YEAH, I THINK I
HAVE JUST THE THING.
YOU WANT TO CHECK IT OUT?
Phil says ABSOLUTELY.
H says ALRIGHT.
Phil says OKAY, LET'S GO.
The logo of the show shatters the screen.
Music plays as a neon science appears with the caption "Sal’s Science Shop."
Sal is in his twenties, clean-shaven and with short side parted dark blond hair. He wears glasses, jeans, an orange shirt and a green blazer.
Sal says SO YOU WOULD LIKE
TO MOVE ELECTRICITY
FROM HERE TO THERE.
WELL WHAT YOU NEED, MY
FRIEND, IS A CONDUCTOR.
Sal appears dressed at an orchestra conductor.
He says ALRIGHT, A LITTLE MORE
ARPEGGIO THIS TIME.
NO, NOT THAT KIND OF CONDUCTOR.
He now appears as a train conductor and says ALL ABOARD!
He says NO, NOT THAT KINDA
CONDUCTOR EITHER.
(BUZZER)
THIS KINDA CONDUCTOR.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING,
YOU'RE THINKING HEY, THAT'S
JUST A PIECE OF METAL.
WELL THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT'S CAUSE YOU'RE SMART.
THIS IS A CIRCUIT.
ELECTRICITY FLOWS FROM THIS
BATTERY, ALONG THE WIRES,
AND INTO THE LIGHT BULB.
"BUT SAL," YOU CLEVERLY OBSERVE.
"THE LIGHT BULB IS NOT LIT."
THIS IS TRUE.
THAT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE
A GAP IN THE CIRCUIT,
AND AIR IS NOT A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
IS METAL A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY?
LET US FIND OUT.
He connects the wires to the piece of metal and the bulb lights up.
He says AHAHA!
METAL IS A GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
He now tries with other elements.
He says WHAT ABOUT WOOD?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS HORSESHOE?
IT IS A GOOD CONDUCTOR.
WILL THIS SANDWICH
CONDUCT ELECTRICITY?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS PLASTIC FISH?
NOPE.
(BUZZER)
WHAT ABOUT THIS PICKLE?
NO, PICKLE IS NOT
A GOOD CONDUCTOR.
(BUZZER)
THAT'S WHY WE MAKE
ELECTRICAL WIRES
OUT OF COPPER
AND NOT PICKLES.
YOU KNOW, IN CASE
YOU WERE WONDERING.
He eats the pickle.
(UPBEAT ROCK MUSIC)
The logo of the show appears with the caption "Max Fax!"
Phil now holds a piece of wood with a branch-like pattern.
He says LIGHTNING BOLTS MAKE
INTERESTING PATTERNS.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE ELECTRICITY
IS SEARCHING FOR A WAY
TO GET FROM ONE
SIDE TO THE OTHER.
BUT IT'S HARD TO SEE THE
PATTERNS OF LIGHTNING BOLTS
BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN SO FAST.
FORTUNATELY, USING
THE POWER OF SCIENCE,
WE CAN OBSERVE THESE
PATTERNS FOR OURSELVES
IN A MOTION WE CAN PERCEIVE.
I'M GOING TO USE ELECTRICITY
TO RECREATE A
LIGHTNING BOLT PATTERN.
I'VE GOT TWO NAILS IN
A PIECE OF WOOD HERE,
AND I'M GOING TO ATTACH
ELECTRICAL LEADS TO BOTH NAILS.
NOW, THE ELECTRICITY
WANTS TO GO FROM THAT SIDE
TO THAT SIDE, BUT IT CAN'T.
IT HAS TO GO THROUGH THE WOOD,
AND WOOD IS NOT A VERY GOOD
CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY.
NOW, THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.
I NEED A SPECIAL MACHINE
EVEN TO PULL THIS OFF.
SO THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT
SOMETHING YOU WANT
TO TRY AT HOME.
IN FACT, I'M GONNA
STAND WAY BACK HERE
WHEN I TURN IT ON.
He turns the power on and the current starts making curling patterns in the wood.
He says LIKE WATER, ELECTRICITY TRIES
TO FIND THE EASIEST ROUTE
TO GET FROM ONE
PLACE TO ANOTHER.
BUT SOMETIMES THAT
INVOLVES BRANCHING OUT
UNTIL THE RIGHT
CONNECTION IS MADE.
LIGHTNING BOLTS
DO THE SAME THING
WHEN THEY BRANCH OUT BETWEEN
THE CLOUDS AND THE GROUND.
FINALLY, THERE'S A SPOT
WHERE THE BRANCHES MEET,
AND THE CIRCUIT
COMPLETES ITSELF.
THEN THE ELECTRICITY
FOLLOWS THIS ONE PATH,
IGNORING ALL THE OTHERS.
AND THERE YOU GO.
WE JUST WATCHED A LIGHTNING
BOLT HAPPEN IN SLOW MOTION.
HAHA, SCIENCE.
(music plays)
Phil says BACK TO OUR MAIN EXPERIMENT,
WHERE HEATHER AND
I ARE ON A QUEST
TO USE STATIC ELECTRICITY TO
RECREATE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
OUR EXPERIMENTS WITH THE
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR
HAD SOME HAIR-RAISING RESULTS,
BUT HEATHER HAS ANOTHER
EXPERIMENT SHE WANTS TO SHOW ME.
H says THIS IS JACOB'S LADDER.
She shows him two pieces of copper wires vertically attached to two poles of a generator.
Phil says OH, SO THIS IS ANOTHER
WAY TO MAKE LIGHTNING.
H says YES.
Phil says LIGHTNING!
LET'S DO IT.
A says ALL RIGHT.
Phil says HOW DO WE GET IT TO GO?
H says ALRIGHT, SO WE
WANT TO TURN IT ON.
Phil says BEHOLD!
OH, TURN IT ON, OKAY.
GO!
OOH, LOOK AT THAT.
(PHIL LAUGHING)
The current visibly climbs up the wires.
H says YOU CAN ACTUALLY
SEE THAT LIGHT
CLIMBING UP BETWEEN
THE TWO COPPER WIRES.
Phil says THAT'S WHY YOU CALL
IT JACOB'S LADDER,
BECAUSE IT'S GOT THE
RUNGS OF THE LADDER.
Heather says YEAH.
BETWEEN THESE TWO POINTS,
THERE'S A REALLY GREAT
CHARGE DIFFERENCE, RIGHT?
Phil says OKAY, SO WHAT'S
THE DIFFERENCE?
H says 10,000 VOLTS.
Phil says 10,000 VOLTS,
AND VOLTS IS HOW YOU MEASURE
THE DIFFERENCE IN CHARGE.
H says EXACTLY.
Phil says WHY DOES IT GO UP?
H says SO IT GOES UP BECAUSE,
RATHER THAN JUST STAYING
AT THE CLOSEST POINT,
IS BECAUSE WE'RE
HEATING UP THE AIR.
Phil says OH, SO HOT AIR RISES.
H says HOT AIR RISES.
Phil says AND IT TAKES
THE ELECTRICITY WITH IT?
SO IF WE COOLED THE
AIR, IT WOULDN'T GO UP?
H says IT WOULDN'T
IMMEDIATELY GO UP, YEAH.
Phil says AND THERE IT GOES, THEN
IT HEATS BACK UP AGAIN.
H says YEAH.
Phil says THAT'S NEAT!
OKAY, SO, WE'VE GOT A
VAN DE GRAAFF GENERATOR,
WE GOT A JACOB'S LADDER,
ARE THERE ANY OTHER DEVICES
THAT MAKE LIGHTNING LIKE THIS?
H says OOH, YEAH, THERE'S OTHER
THINGS LIKE THE TESLA COIL...
Phil says HEY, I HAVE A TESLA COIL.
H says YOU HAVE A TESLA COIL?
Phil says I DO, I'VE GOT ONE AT THE LAB,
I'VE JUST NEVER KNOWN
HOW TO HOOK IT UP.
H says I CAN HELP WITH THAT, YEAH.
Phil says REALLY?
OKAY, LET'S DO IT,
LET'S GO BACK TO THE LAB.
H says ALRIGHT, WELL, YEAH, NO YEAH.
Phil says I'LL TURN THAT OFF, OKAY.
H says YEAH, SAVE THE ELECTRICITY.
The logo of the show appears.
Phil says BY NOW YOU'RE
PROBABLY AN EXPERT
ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RUB
A BALLOON ON YOUR HEAD, RIGHT?
THE BALLOON BECOMES
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
WHICH MEANS IT WILL ATTRACT
ANYTHING OF AN OPPOSITE CHARGE,
OR ANYTHING POSITIVE,
OR ANYTHING THAT IS
NEUTRALLY CHARGED.
LIKE, WELL, LIKE ME.
LOOK AT THE HAIRS ON MY ARM
WHEN I BRING THE BALLOON CLOSE.
WHOA.
The hairs stand on end.
He says YOU SEE, THE NEUTRAL
CHARGE IN MY BODY
IS BEING ATTRACTED TO THE
NEGATIVE CHARGE IN THE BALLOON.
SO IF SOMETHING IS
NEGATIVELY CHARGED,
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU
BRING SOMETHING ELSE
NEGATIVELY CHARGED NEARBY?
WELL, THEY'LL REPEL EACH OTHER.
AND HERE'S AN
EXPERIMENT YOU CAN DO
TO MAKE SOMETHING FLY
USING STATIC ELECTRICITY.
YOU'LL NEED A
BALLOON, A SWEATER,
SCISSORS, AND A PLASTIC BAG
OUT OF THE THINNEST
PLASTIC YOU CAN FIND.
FOLD THE BAG UP AND
CUT OFF THE BOTTOM.
YOU DON'T WANT THAT PART.
THEN CUT ANOTHER
STRIP FROM THE BACK.
THIS WILL GIVE YOU
A HOOP OF PLASTIC.
I FIND IT WORKS BETTER IF YOU
BREAK IT AND TIE IT AGAIN.
LIE IT FLAT AND RUB
IT WITH THE SWEATER.
THIS WILL GIVE IT
A NEGATIVE CHARGE.
YOU'LL KNOW YOU'VE
GOT ENOUGH OF A CHARGE
WHEN IT REALLY WANTS
TO STICK TO THE TABLE.
THEN TAKE YOUR BALLOON
AND RUB THE SWEATER
ON THE BALLOON
TO CHARGE IT UP.
BECAUSE BOTH THE BALLOON AND
THE HOOP HAVE NEGATIVE CHARGES,
THEY REPEL EACH OTHER.
THEN PUT THEM TOGETHER,
AND IT WILL REPEL!
AND YOU CAN GET THE
HOOP TO LEVITATE.
The plastic ring floats above the balloon.
Phil says HAHA, A FLOATING BAG, WHOA,
OF STATIC CHARGE!
BUT HERE'S THE THING.
YOU NEED TO KEEP IT
AWAY FROM YOUR BODY,
BECAUSE IF YOU GET CLOSE,
THE BAG WILL STICK TO YOU,
BECAUSE YOU'RE NEUTRALLY CHARGED
AND THE BAG IS
NEGATIVELY CHARGED.
PRETTY COOL, RIGHT?
WELL, LET'S MAX IT OUT!
He takes a bigger balloon and repeats the experiment.
He laughs and says MAXED OUT FLOATING STATIC RING!
YEAH!
LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT!
OH NO!
The plastic rings sticks to the camera lens.
He says OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
OH WELL.
IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED.
I GOTTA CHARGE THIS UP AGAIN.
The logo of the show appears.
(BEEP)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Now Buster appears in his kitchen. He has short wavy dark blond hair and wears a striped shirt and a red apron.
He says BEING A CHEF IS
MY ABSOLUTE PASSION.
AND COOKING UP
SCIENCE RECIPES
IS MY SPECIALTY.
I'M BUSTER BEAKER, AND THIS
IS COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
The logo of the show appears: an orange oval with an image of a flask and the caption "Cooking with science."
(APPLAUSE)
Buster says OH, HELLO.
I DIDN'T SEE YOU THERE.
MY NAME'S BUSTER BEAKER,
AND WELCOME TO
COOKING WITH SCIENCE.
LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE,
I'VE SPILLED THE SALT.
OH NO, LOOK AT ME,
I'VE SPILLED THE SALT.
OH, THERE'S SALT
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL, RIGHT?
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO
IS CLEAN UP THE SALT,
PUT IT BACK IN THE CONTAINER.
BUT OH NO, I'VE ALSO
SPILLED PEPPER ON THE SALT.
BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT,
WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO CAREFULLY SEPARATE THIS OUT.
BUT NO, OH DEAR, LOOK,
THE PEPPER AND THE SALT
ARE ALL MIXED TOGETHER,
WHAT DO I DO?
WELL, HERE'S HOW
YOU CAN SAVE THE DAY
USING THE POWER OF SCIENCE.
ALL YOU NEED IS A CLOTH
AND A PLASTIC SPOON.
(BEEP)
LIKE THIS ONE HERE.
JUST RUB THE PLASTIC
SPOON ON A CLOTH,
AND YOU'LL BE CHARGING IT UP
WITH A NEGATIVE CHARGE
OF STATIC ELECTRICITY.
IF IT'S GOT A NEGATIVE CHARGE,
IT WILL ATTRACT ANYTHING
THAT HAS A NEUTRAL CHARGE.
JUST LIKE THE SALT AND PEPPER.
BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.
HOW WILL WE SEPARATE THEM?
WELL HERE'S THE
ANSWER, MY FRIENDS.
PEPPER IS LIGHTER THAN SALT.
OBSERVE.
IF YOU HOLD THE
SPOON HIGH ENOUGH,
THE PEPPER WILL BE ATTRACTED,
AND MAKE THE JUMP UP TO
THE BOTTOM OF THE SPOON.
BUT NOT THE SALT, AS LONG AS
YOU'VE GOT IT HIGH ENOUGH UP.
BECAUSE THE SALT IS HEAVIER,
YOU HAVE TO BRING
THE SPOON CLOSER,
WHICH WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO.
AND IF YOU TAP IT
OFF TO THE SIDE,
YOU'LL MAKE A NICE
LITTLE PILE OF PEPPER,
AND THERE YOU GO,
SEPARATING PEPPER FROM SALT
USING THE POWER OF SCIENCE.
(APPLAUSE)
THANKS FOR WATCHING
COOKING WITH SCIENCE,
I'M BUSTER BEAKER.
He hits a pot full of vegetables off the table.
(LAUGHTER)
A slate appears with the caption "Please stand by."
Phil says HEATHER AND I
HAVE BEEN ON A QUEST
TO RECREATE LIGHTNING
USING STATIC ELECTRICITY.
WE'VE GONE FROM BALLOONS
TO A VAN DE GRAAFF
TO JACOB'S LADDER, EACH MORE
LIGHTNINGY THAN THE LAST.
FINALLY, HEATHER
SUGGESTS WE USE A...
H says TESLA COIL.
Phil says OH, IS THIS NAMED
AFTER NIKOLA TESLA?
Heather says YEAH,
HE INVENTED IT.
A picture of Nikola Tessa appears.
Phil says OH, ONE OF THE FOUNDING
FATHERS OF ELECTRICITY, RIGHT?
I LOVE NIKOLA TESLA,
HE'S COOL.
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
H says SO THE WAY THIS WORKS
IS IT IS A STEP-UP TRANSFORMER,
MEANING WE TAKE A LOWER VOLTAGE
AND BRING IT UP AND RAMP IT UP
TO A MUCH HIGHER VOLTAGE.
Phil says OKAY, SO NORMAL
VOLTAGE IS 120 VOLTS,
THAT'S WHENEVER
WE HAVE A NORMAL,
PLUG-IN SOCKET?
H says TYPICALLY WE'RE GETTING
IT OUT OF, YEAH, EXACTLY.
AND WE'RE GONNA RAMP THAT
UP TO REALLY HIGH AMOUNTS,
UPWARDS OF 25,000,
MAYBE EVEN 250,000.
Phil says WOW.
H says VOLTS, YEAH.
Phil says THAT'S A LOT.
H says AND ALL THAT CHARGE BUILD-UP,
WE'RE GONNA SEE SOMETHING
PRETTY AMAZING HAPPEN.
Phil says OKAY.
H says YOU WANT TO SEE IT?
Phil says YES.
WE STAND BACK HERE, RIGHT?
H says YEAH.
LET'S CHECK IT OUT.
AND...
(LOUD ELECTRIC SOUND)
She touches button and an electric charge is sent to a metal rod.
Phil says WHOA!
A TESLA COIL BUILDS UP A CHARGE,
WHICH JUMPS THROUGH THE AIR
TO THIS NEUTRAL ROD,
JUST LIKE A LIGHTNING BOLT.
WE MADE A LIGHTNING BOLT!
THAT TOTALLY JUMPED A LONG WAY.
THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
They high-five.
Heather says THAT WAS
A REALLY GOOD ONE.
Phil says SO CAN YOU CONTROL IT?
Heather says YEAH.
Phil says OKAY, SHOW ME.
H says WANNA SEE? ALRIGHT.
I'M GOING TO LOWER MY FREQUENCY.
Phil says OKAY.
H says LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
(LOWER-PITCHED ELECTRONIC SOUND)
Different patterns of bolt are sent to the rod.
Phil says OH, THAT'S AMAZING.
OH, IT'S LIKE A
SCATTERED LIGHTNING BOLT.
OH WAIT A MINUTE, SO YOU
CAN PLAY DIFFERENT NOTES?
He says PLAY DIFFERENT NOTES.
Phil says I NEED FIVE MINUTES, HOLD ON.
H says OKAY.
He brings a tool basket full of tools and wires.
Phil says OKAY.
ALL I NEED IS FIVE MINUTES.
YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING,
IF YOU CAN MAKE,
HOLD THAT FOR A SECOND?
IF YOU CAN MAKE
DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES,
THAT MEANS YOU CAN MAKE
DIFFERENT NOTES, RIGHT?
H says RIGHT.
Phil says SO, OH, I DON'T NEED
THAT EITHER, HOLD THAT.
AH. THAT'S NOT WHAT I NEED.
OKAY, ONE MORE THING,
CAN I GET THAT HAMMER?
YEAH. OKAY.
READY TO GO.
H says SO WHAT IS THIS?
Phil says WHEN YOU TOLD
ME THE TESLA COIL
COULD PLAY DIFFERENT
FREQUENCIES,
I THOUGHT WE COULD
MAKE DIFFERENT NOTES
COME OUT OF THE TESLA COIL,
SO I PROGRAMMED IT
TO PLAY THE NOTES
OF THE SCIENCE MAX THEME SONG.
H says WHAT?
Phil says YEAH! YOU WANT TO HEAR?
H says YEAH!
Phil says LET'S TRY IT.
(ELECTRONIC MUSIC)
YEAH!
SCIENCE MAX,
EXPERIMENTS AT LARGE,
LIGHTNING BOLT!
H says CREATED LIGHTNING!
Phil says WE CREATED LIGHTNING!
WOOHOO!
LIGHTNING DANCE!
(DISSONANT ELECTRONIC MUSIC)
Phil tries to play music with the Tesla coil and keeps missing the notes.
He says NO.
He bangs his head on the table and says I GIVE UP.
Producer, Phil McCordic.
Directed by, Chris Chilco.
Canada Media Fund.
Rocket Fund.
With the participation of the Government of Ontario.
With the participation of The Canadian Film and Video Tax Credit.
Produced in association with TVO Kids.
Breakthrough.
Maximite 2 Productions Incorporated, copyrights 2016.
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