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Physics (25)
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BatterySylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Battery uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain: Why do we get a charge out of batteries? -
Electromagnetic RadiationSylvain Charbonneau 2001 1 minWhat do X-rays, microwaves and light have in common? Part of the Science Please! collection for children.
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The Force of WaterClaude Cloutier 1998 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, The Force of Water uses archival footage, animated illustration and amusing narration to explain the Archimedes principle, of why some things float and others sink.
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GravitySylvain Charbonneau 2001 1 minWhat keeps us down to earth? This clip from Science Please! answers the question.
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HerzbergJohn McAulay 1979 18 minGerhard Herzberg, winner of a Nobel Prize in 1971, is a molecular spectroscopist. This film shows Dr. Herzberg in his laboratory at the National Research Council in Ottawa where, with the aid of highly sophisticated instruments, he tracks down elusive bits of matter that are the keys to discovering what the planets, stars and the universe are made of.
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The Little Men of ChromagnonFrancine Desbiens 1971 8 minIn this short animated film, little elf-like creatures emerging from 3 circles painted red, yellow and blue discover the primary colours and their combinations. When they venture into a circle of another colour they find that they, too, change colour. So, how do we make green again?
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LightningSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Lightning uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain: What causes the electrical discharge we see as lightning?
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M.C. Escher: Sky and Water 1Gayle Thomas 1998 3 minThis short animation mixes traditional and computer animation to explore one of M.C. Escher's most famous works, the woodcut Sky and Water I (1938). Accompanied by a stunning soundtrack, this mesmerizing film playfully explores and deconstructs the optical illusion within one of the Dutch artist's most recognizable pieces. This film has no dialogue.
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Meta Pre PtolemyRachel Peters 2006 2 minIn this whimsical animated short, filmmaker Rachel Peters asks: "what if the laws of physics suddenly ceased to apply?" Peters explores this question through the tale of a man and his two goldfish as they prepare for the end of the world. Technique: drawn animation, digitally coloured and composited.
Produced as part of the third edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship. -
Mirrors of TimeJean-Jacques Leduc 1990 23 minThis short animated film delves into the mysteries of time: how calendars came to be; why the seasons change; why the year is divided into days, etc. From Babylon to 16th-century Europe, this film presents the history of the measurement of time.
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MagnetsSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Magnets uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain: North Pole, South Pole... what's the big attraction?
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Operation LeverSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Operation Lever uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain how a lever increases force.
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Quiet ZoneDavid Bryant & Karl Lemieux 2015 14 minCombining elements of documentary, film essay and experimental film, filmmakers Karl Lemieux and David Bryant (Godspeed You Black Emperor!) take us deep into the world of those who suffer from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Stubbornly defying traditional genres, Quiet Zone weaves together an unusual story in which sound and image distort reality to make the distress of these “wave refugees” palpable.
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Slippery Ice!Claude Cloutier 1999 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Slippery Ice! uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain why we slip on ice.
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The Strangest DreamEric Bednarski 2008 1 h 29 minThis is the story of Joseph Rotblat, the only nuclear scientist to leave the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government’s secret program to build the first atomic bomb. His was a decision based on moral grounds.
The film retraces the history of nuclear weapons, from the first test in New Mexico, to Hiroshima, where we see survivors of the first atomic attack. Branded a traitor and spy, Rotblat went from designing atomic bombs to researching the medical uses of radiation. Together with Bertrand Russell he helped create the modern peace movement, and eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Featuring interviews with contemporaries of Rotblat and passionate public figures including Senator Roméo Dallaire, The Strangest Dream demonstrates the renewed threat of nuclear weapons and encourages hope through the example of morally engaged scientists and citizens. -
Sound Is VibrationSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Sound Is Vibration uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain what is the sound.
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Science Please! Part 12001 15 minThe Science Please! collection uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain various scientific discoveries and phenomena.
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The State of the MatterSylvain Charbonneau 2000 1 minA clip in the Science Please collection, The State of the Matter uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain how temperature affects the state of matter.
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Science Please! Part 22001 15 minThe Science Please! collection uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain various scientific discoveries and phenomena.
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The Wonderful World of ColourClaude Cloutier 1999 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, The Wonderful World of Colour uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain how the cones of the retina enable us to perceive the spectrum of colours.
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Wheel Meets FrictionClaude Cloutier 1998 1 minA clip in the Science Please! collection, Wheel Meets Friction uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain how the invention of the ball bearing reinvented the wheel.
