(Music plays)

An animated clip shows a big orange X on a blue background. It explodes and letters and numbers come out of it in all directions and float around.

Mathemagician Eric appears on screen. He’s in his mid-twenties. He has short dark brown hair and a beard. He wears a red T-shirt with the show’s logo, blue jeans and red Tennis shoes.

The screen turns red and the logo of the show appears next. It reads "MathXplosion." Meanwhile, cones, cubes and dices float around it.

Kids voices sing a song with lyrics that go
WHAT A HIT
IT'S NOT A TRICK
IT'S MATHXPLOSION
JUST FOR YOU
COOL AND NEW
MATHXPLOSION!

The episode starts with Eric standing in a workroom. The lights are out and only a dimmed light illuminates Eric’s hand. He uses his hand to make the shadow of a dog and he hears it bark.

The light are up and he wears a strange grey hat and is surrounded by strange-looking clocks.

Eric says DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN
TELL TIME WITHOUT A CLOCK?
NO KIDDING.
AND NO WORRIES, YOU DON'T
NEED TO WEAR A GOOFY HAT.
WELL, UNLESS YOU WANT TO.
ALL YOU NEED
IS A SUNDIAL.
THEY USE SHADOWS CAST BY
THE SUN TO TELL THE TIME.
IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE MAGIC,
BUT IT REALLY WORKS.
CHECK IT OUT.

A clock ticks. Eric moves closer to take a closer look but he doesn’t see the small bird.

He says WHERE'S THE CUCKOO?

(music plays)

He plays with a red piece of fabric that flips around. Magically, he reveals a small bird in a cage.

He says AW, THERE YOU
ARE, CUCKOO.
LET'S GO CHECK IT OUT.

Next, Eric gets ready for a new project.

He appears in a park, on a sunny day, holding a structure that has a squared base and a cylinder in the middle.

He says SUNDIALS ARE PRETTY SIMPLE.
THEY USE SHADOWS TO TELL TIME.
HOW COOL IS THAT?
SO YOU NEED A BASE, SOMETHING
THAT CASTS A SHADOW,
AND OF COURSE A SUNNY DAY.
I'VE ATTACHED THIS EMPTY
PAPER TOWEL ROLL TO
THIS CARDBOARD BASE
AND, MY FRIENDS, WE ARE
NOW GOOD TO GO.

He places the sundial on the grass. The reflection of the sun indicates the time.

He says AS THE SUN'S POSITION IN THE
SKY CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE
DAY, THE LENGTH AND POSITION
OF SHADOWS CHANGE, TOO.
SO, YOU KNOW WHAT TIME
OF THE DAY IT IS BY
CHECKING THE SHADOW
ON THE SUNDIAL.
SUNDIALS USUALLY STAY
IN ONE LOCATION.
SINCE MINE IS PORTABLE,
I HAVE TO PICK A SPOT,
LIKE THAT TREE OVER THERE,
AND ALWAYS BRING IT BACK
TO THE SAME LOCATION
AND POSITION.
THE ANGLES HAVE TO
BE EXACTLY THE SAME.

The selected tree blinks in blue as he looks at it.

Next, he says NEXT, I'LL MARK WHERE
THE SHADOW FALLS
AT DIFFERENT
TIMES OF THE DAY.
IT'S 8 O'CLOCK NOW, AND
THE SHADOW FALLS HERE.

Eric makes a line in the current time indicated by the sundial.

He continues
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE
IN THE WORLD, THE SUN RISES
IN THE MORNING, IS
HIGHEST AT NOON,
AND ITS POSITION KEEPS
MOVING THROUGHOUT THE DAY
UNTIL IT SETS
IN THE EVENING.
AT 10 O'CLOCK THIS
MORNING THE SHADOW WAS HERE.
AT NOON THE
SHADOW WAS HERE.
AT 2 AND 4 IN THE AFTERNOON,
THE SHADOWS WERE HERE...

A small clip shows Eric sleepy sitting by a tree.

He continues
THEN HERE.
WHEN I PUT THE SUNDIAL IN
EXACTLY THE SAME PLACE
AND POSITION TOMORROW
I'LL KNOW WHAT TIME
IT IS FROM THE POSITION
OF THE SHADOW.

(music plays)

Now, Eric comes back to check on the working of the sundial.

He says ALRIGHT, LET'S
CHECK THIS OUT.
PERFECT.
THE SHADOW SAYS 10 O'CLOCK.
AND, YUP, 10 O'CLOCK.
WHAT A BRIGHT IDEA.

He checks the time using his cellphone. It matches. Eric draws a circle and colours it inside. He taps on it and a new clip plays. The video shows a series of kids and their shadows. Next, an animated clip features a cartoon of Eric in the park with the sun above him. He looks at his shadow.

He says CHECK THIS OUT.
YOUR OWN SHADOW IS
SHAPED LIKE A PERSON.
TO GET THE BEST SILHOUETTE,
FACE YOUR SHADOW WITH
LIGHT BEHIND YOU.
SHADOWS LOOK DIFFERENT AT
DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY.
THEY SHRINK AT LUNCHTIME
AND STRETCH IN THE AFTERNOON.
THEY CHANGE THE
SAME WAY EVERY DAY,
AND THAT'S WHY WE CAN
USE THEM TO TELL TIME.

Eric appears back in the workroom.

He says WELL, THERE
YOU HAVE IT.
YOU CAN BUILD A SIMPLE SUNDIAL
YOURSELF TO SEE HOW IT WORKS.
TELLING TIME WITH
SHADOWS AND THE SUN,
IT'S NOT MAGIC...
IT'S MATH.

A big explosion brings the show’s logo back on the screen.

(music plays)

The end credits roll.

Produced by GAPC Entertainment in association with TVOKids.

Copyright GAPC Entertainment (MathPlosion) Incorporated, 2016.