Subjects: Physics

In this outstanding program, teacher Spiro Liacos uses fantastic animations and amazing visuals to delve into every aspect of reflection, mirrors, and the virtual-3D mirror world that mirrors create. What is reflection? How do mirrors reflect light differently to everything else and how do they form images? In what way are mirror images different to two-dimensional photos? How does our ability to see in 3D affect the way we see images in mirrors? Can animals see things in mirrors? And how do periscopes work? These questions, and many more, are answered in this entertaining and informative program, which finishes with Spiro presenting a range of optical illusions and magic tricks which all incorporate mirrors. You’ll never look into a mirror in the same way again.

In Shedding Light on Curved Mirrors, presenter Spiro Liacos uses clear, real-life examples and superb animations to explain how and why convex and concave mirrors are so useful. Following a brief recap on reflection in flat mirrors, Spiro shows how convex mirrors are used in a wide variety of safety applications. He then describes how concave mirrors produce images, and explains the uses of concave reflectors in things like headlights, satellite dishes and solar cookers. The program comes with a set of excellent practical activities and question sheets which keep students engaged in their learning for multiple lessons.

With brilliant visuals, engaging explanations, and outstanding animations, science teacher Spiro Liacos leads students from the swimming pool into space and from the depths of the ocean to the end of the rainbow for a fascinating look into refraction and total internal reflection. The basic theory of these two phenomena is covered and then numerous examples are given of how each phenomenon affects us. With excellent teacher notes, well-laid-out question sheets and two practical activities, this is not just a fantastic video, it’s also a series of fantastic lessons for your students.

Shedding Light on Lenses is the fourth video in the phenomenal Shedding Light series. Conveniently broken up into nine sections, Science teacher Spiro Liacos uses fantastic visuals and animations to explain how convex and concave lenses produce images in a wide variety of situations. After a quick recap on refraction, Spiro illustrates how magnifying glasses work and how projectors produce giant images on giant cinema screens. He then looks into, quite literally, a tuna fish’s eye to show how our eyes work. After explaining how concave lenses produce images, he discusses how spectacles help people who have vision defects. The first bonus feature takes a fun look at slow motion, fast motion and stop motion, and the second bonus feature, aimed at more advanced students, covers the mathematics of lenses and image formation. The program comes with fantastic activity sheets which will help students to learn the content and to develop new skills in drawing ray diagrams.

Join presenter Spiro Liacos as he looks into all things colour! What is colour? How can objects have different colours when the light shining on them is white? How is coloured light produced? What happens when we mix coloured light? How does a TV produce a picture? Why, for example, is green paint produced when you mix yellow and blue paint? How do we produce the colours in photos and magazines? What is light? How do our eyes and brain see colour? What is colour blindness? Can animals see colours like we do? This video is the perfect introduction to the science of colour and how we perceive it.