Light My Fire
- By Anna Rothschild
- Posted 12.15.11
- NOVA
The ability of the elements to change phase—to transform from a solid to a liquid to a gas—is a perfect set-up for romantic comedy. Watch the story of an unlikely laboratory love affair, and learn about one of the basic properties of matter in the process.
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Transcript
Comic Science
First...the science (this will only take a second).
All elements on Earth can be found in one of three states, called "phases":
- solid
- liquid
- gas
Elements can change from one phase to another based on the temperature and pressure of the environment.
And now...the joke!
A small piece of sodium living in a test tube fell in love with his neighbor, a Bunsen burner.
Sodium: Bunsen, my love! I melt whenever I see you.
Bunsen: Oh, it's just a phase you're going through.
The End
Credits
PRODUCTION CREDITS
- Video short produced by
- Anna Rothschild
- Original Footage
- © WGBH Educational Foundation 2011
Image
- (sodium and flame)
- © WGBH Educational Foundation 2011
Related Links
-
Hunting the Elements
A two-hour special from the producers of "Making Stuff"
-
It's Elemental
In this interactive periodic table, explore the elements and their properties and abundances.
-
An Elemental Quiz
Test your knowledge of chemistry basics and trivia.
-
Island of Stability
A nuclear chemist aims to create entirely new elements to add to the periodic table.