Derek Muller’ videos that include naïve conceptions
Derek Muller earned a doctorate in Physics Education Research at the University of Sydney. His doctoral research shows that videos can be effective tools for learning. His Ph.D. dissertation is entitled "Designing Effective Multimedia for Physics Education." You can download it at
As a follow-up to his dissertation work, Muller created and distributed a series of videos via the web under the label of VERITASIUM. These can be viewed on YouTube.
His YouTube website is On that website, his playlists are organized by misconceptions, experiments, etc. -- rather than concepts. I find it helpful to organize his videos by concept, for class use, so I made a list of almost 60 of his basic videos as of April 2012. They are useful for middle school and high school students, and adults. I find them delightful: good-humored, insightful, thought-provoking. – Jane Jackson
HIS MOTIVATION AND EXPERTISE:
Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos
MATTER:
Atomic Theory (the first Veritasium video by Derek Muller)
Atoms and Isotopes
What Is Water Made Of?
States of Matter
Supercooled Water - Explained!
Where Do Trees Come From?
Are You Lightest In The Morning? (Daily Weight Fluctuations)
Candle Trick
How To Make Graphene
Grape + Microwaves = Plasma
FORCE AND MOTION, NEWTON’S LAWS:
What is a Force?
The Forces On You (Introducing Normal Force)
The Difference Between Mass and Weight
Egg Experiment to Demonstrate Inertia
Why Does The Earth Spin?
Inertia (Why Earth Spins Part 2)
Three Incorrect Laws of Motion
Best Film on Newton's Third Law. Ever.
What Is Gravity?
Why Does the Moon Orbit Earth?
Is There Gravity In Space? (Why Are Astronauts Weightless?)
Calculating Gravitational Attraction
Misconceptions About Falling Objects
Eye Tracking and Acceleration
Galileo the Scientific Parrot
(somewhat more complex physics)
How To Curve A Baseball Or Swing A Cricket Ball
The Magnus Force
Spool Trick Part 1
Spinning Tube Trick
Spinning Tube Trick Explained
(He has more videos on AP-B & C level mechanics; not included here.)
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE CONNECTIONS:
How Far Away is the Moon? (The Scale of the Universe)
How long does it take for the earth to go around the sun?
What causes the seasons?
Eclipses vs Phases Of The Moon
How Old Is The Earth?
Where Did The Earth Come From?
SCIENTIFIC NOTATION:
Scientific Notation - Explained!
Scientific Notation - Example
ENERGY SOURCES, NUCLEAR RADIATION:
What Powers Australia?
How Damaging is Radiation?
Radiation vs Radioactive Atoms
Types of Radiation
PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE:
Comparing Temperatures
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Why Is Ice Slippery?
Regelation of Ice
Regelation Part 2
Regelation Comparison
Fire Syringe (pressure & temperature)
AIR PRESSURE:
Imploding Drum
World's Longest Vertical Straw
WAVES:
Sound + Fire = Rubens' Tube
LIGHT:
Deceptive Shadows (an image of the sun)
THE SPEED OF LIGHT IS THE UNIVERSAL CONSTANT:
Can We Go the Speed of Light? (The Principle of Relativity)
CHEMISTRY CONNECTIONS:
What Is Chemistry?
JJ Thomson's Plum Pudding Model of the Atom
Cathode Rays Lead to Thomson's Model of the Atom
Atomic Rant
THE BOTTOM LINE:
A Human Being Is A Part Of The Whole
This document is at
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