Eureka! (TV series)


Eureka! is a Canadian educational television series which was produced and broadcast by TVOntario in 1980 and 1981. The series was narrated by Billy Van, and featured a series of animated vignettes which taught physics lessons to children. It is currently available online.

Synopsis

Eureka! is a series of animated shorts that illustrate concepts in physics. Each program takes a simple and direct approach to the subject matter; while the basic concepts are explained in a voice-over, cartoon characters and a variety of animated objects demonstrate the principles on the screen. Constant review and reinforcement make the message clear; as a result, the study of physics becomes easy and accessible - even to viewers without a solid background in the subject. Basic formulae and concepts are introduced with a recap of what was learnt in the previous episode to build knowledge on a topic and create connections.

Production

Animation - Grafilm Productions Inc.
Design - Joe Meluck
Educational Consultants - John Kuropatwa, Paul Henshall, Bryan Kaufman, Ernie McFarland, Michael Broschart
Unit Manager - Vickie Gilchrist
Production Assistant - George Pyron

List of episodes

30 episodes were produced. All of the episodes are five minutes in length.

Unit 1: Force and Energy

  1. Inertia
  2. Mass
  3. Speed
  4. Acceleration I
  5. Acceleration II
  6. Gravity
  7. Weight vs Mass
  8. Work
  9. Kinetic Energy
  10. Potential Energy and Speed

    Unit 2: Simple Machines

  11. The Inclined Plane
  12. The Lever
  13. Mechanical Advantage and Friction
  14. The Screw and the Wheel
  15. The Pulley

    Unit 3: Heat and Temperature

  16. Molecules in Solids
  17. Molecules in Liquids
  18. Evaporation and Condensation
  19. Expansion and Contraction
  20. Measuring Temperature
  21. Temperature vs Heat

    Unit 4: The Conduction of Heat

  22. Atoms
  23. Electrons
  24. Conduction

    Unit 5: The Convection of Heat

  25. Volume and Density
  26. Buoyancy
  27. Convection

    Unit 6: The Radiation of Heat

  28. Heat as Energy
  29. Radiation Waves
  30. The Radiation Spectrum