Of the 26 half-hour programs which make up this telecourse produced by the Annenberg/CPB Project, we took a look at two: the opener The World of Chemistry and #7 The Periodic Table. To the average student, of course, chemistry is about as palatable as a slug sandwich, but the producers of this series have really taken advantage of the video medium to make chemistry both exciting and interesting. In the opener, viewers learn that chemistry virtually inhabits the world: in our bodies, our homes, our universe. And, of course, in our food. As Paul Kinsella notes, foodwise "it is better to eat more bent molecules than straight molecules." Various scientists discuss their respective fields in chemistry, and eye-catching professional commercials illustrate the many ways in which chemistry pervades our lives. In The Periodic Table, viewers learn what it is, where it came from, how it's changed, and how it's used. And they learn all of these things in colorfully visual ways. Don Showalter, a crazy (but knowledgeable) scientist has a great time demonstrating various chemical principles in the lab and out in the field-baseball field, that is. Showalter recruits a team of boys to act out the principles of energy, by having the boys represent the electrons of different molecules which are shown at various energy levels (bleacher steps). And Dr. Gerry Fine shows how the periodic table is crucial to glassmaking, in determining the strengths of different grades of glass. Entertaining and instructive, this series will certainly benefit high school students, but it is also highly recommended for public libraries. (See THE WESTERN TRADITION for availability.)
The World Of Chemistry
(1988) 26 programs, 30 m. each on 13 videocassettes. $29.95 per tape (or $350 for the entire series). Annenberg/CPB Project. Public performance rights included. Vol. 4, Issue 7
The World Of Chemistry
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