The Joy of Science

Science is humanity's greatest achievement. It ranges from the study of the universe itself to the smallest particles of matter contained within it - and everything in between. It explores everything from the big bang to theories about the end of the universe. If you want to better understand our physical world, as most of us do, gaining a basic understanding of science itself is profoundly important - yet many are intimidated by the breathtaking scope of such an endeavor. Now an award-winning science teacher has taken out the intimidation, harnessing that breathtaking scope into a series of 60 exciting, comprehensive, and accessible lectures that let you explore and understand the wealth of ideas, discoveries, and principles in all of the physical and biological sciences. You learn that understanding science comes from understanding not only its component disciplines - each of which has its own theories, pioneers, problems, and fundamental questions - but of knowing how these disciplines work with one another to create an entire mosaic of human knowledge. The lectures have been crafted to make those relationships crystal-clear, with an integrated approach that takes you through all of the major disciplines that fall under the umbrella of "science," including physics, chemistry, Earth science, geophysics, and biology. Each lecture covers one of the 60 fundamental principles of the scientific world - offering you new knowledge and insight into topics such as the scientific method, gravitation, atoms, the big bang, plate tectonics, volcanoes, proteins, ecosystems, and electricity.

All Lectures:
1. The Nature of Science
2. The Scientific Method
3. The Ordered Universe
4. Celestial and Terrestrial Mechanics
5. Newton's Laws of Motion
6. Universal Gravitation
7. The Nature of Energy
8. The First Law of Thermodynamics
9. The Second Law of Thermodynamics
10. Entropy
11. Magnetism and Static Electricity
12. Electricity
13. Electromagnetism
14. The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Part I
15. The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Part II
16. Relativity
17. Atoms
18. The Bohr Atom
19. The Quantum World
20. The Periodic Table of the Elements
21. Introduction to Chemistry
22. The Chemistry of Carbon
23. States of Matter and Changes of State
24. Phase Transformations and Chemical Reactions
25. Properties of Materials
26. Semiconductors and Modern Microelectronics
27. Isotopes and Radioactivity
28. Nuclear Fission and Fusion Reactions
29. Astronomy
30. The Life Cycle of Stars
31. Edwin Hubble and the Discovery of Galaxies
32. The Big Bang
33. The Ultimate Structure of Matter
34. The Nebular Hypothesis
35. The Solar System
36. The Earth as a Planet
37. The Dynamic Earth
38. The Plate Tectonics Revolution
39. Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Plate Motions Today
40. Earth Cycles - Water
41. The Atmospheric Cycle
42. The Rock Cycle
43. What Is Life?
44. Strategies of Life
45. Life's Molecular Building Blocks
46. Proteins
47. Cells - The Chemical Factories of Life
48. Gregor Mendel, Founder of Genetics
49. The Discovery of DNA
50. The Genetic Code
51. Reading the Genetic Code
52. Genetic Engineering
53. Cancer and Other Genetic Diseases
54. The Chemical Evolution of Life
55. Biological Evolution - A Unifying Theme of Biology
56. The Fact of Evolution - The Fossil Record
57. Charles Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selection
58. Ecosystems and the Law of Unintended Consequences
59. The Ozone Hole, Acid Rain, and the Greenhouse Effect
60. Science, the Endless Frontier