100 Greatest Discoveries in Science Video Guide
Physics
KEY
Discovery #1. The Law of Falling Bodies (1604) Galileo Galilei overturns nearly 2,000 years of belief in Aristotle’s idea
that heavier bodies fall faster than lighter ones by proving that all bodies fall at the same rate.
What did Aristotle believe about the rate of falling objects?
Heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects.
How is air resistance a factor when testing the rate of falling objects?
Air resistance affects lighter objects more than heavier objects.
Why was Galileo’s challenge to Aristotle’s law a turning point in science?
It marked the beginning of testing the accepted laws of science through experimentation.
What happened when the feather and hammer were dropped on the moon where there is no air resistance?
Both objects hit the ground at the same time.
Discovery #2. Universal Gravitation (1666) Isaac Newton comes to the conclusion that all objects in the universe, from
apples to planets, exert gravitational attraction on each other.
What is the legend of Isaac Newton and the apple?
Newton saw an apple fall from a tree, but he wondered why the moon stayed in the sky. He came up with the idea
of gravity.
What is the law of universal gravitation?
All objects in the universe have their own gravitational force, so they “pull” on all other objects.
How are tides created on Earth?
Water in ocean near moon is pulled more than other water, causing a bulge in the water on that side.
Discovery #3. Laws of Motion (1687) Isaac Newton changes our understanding of the universe by formulating three laws
to describe the movement of objects. 1) An object in motion remains in motion unless an external force is applied to it. 2) The
relationship between an object's mass (m), its acceleration (a) and the applied force (F) is F = ma. 3) For every action there
is an equal and opposite reaction.
Why are Newton’s laws so important?
They help explain the motion of all objects.
What is Newton’s 1st law of motion?
Object in motion stays in motion.
What is Newton’s 2nd law of motion?
Force equals mass times acceleration.
What is Newton’s 3rd law of motion?
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Discovery #4. The Second Law of Thermodynamics (1824 – 1850) Scientists working to improve the efficiency of steam
engines develop an understanding of the conversion of heat into work. They learn that the flow of heat from higher to lower
temperatures is what drives a steam engine, likening the process to the flow of water that turns a mill wheel. Their work leads
to three principles: heat flows spontaneously from a hot to a cold body; heat cannot be completely converted into other forms
of energy; and systems become more disorganized over time.
_______ energy can be turned into the energy of _________.
Heat, motion
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
In any energy exchange, some energy is always wasted.
How much of the energy from gasoline is actually used to move the car and passengers? Where does the rest of it go?
About 20%; the rest goes to heating up pavement, tires, engine, etc.
Discovery #5. Electromagnetism (1807 – 1873) Pioneering experiments uncover the relationship between electricity and
magnetism and lead to a set of equations that express the basic laws governing them.
What did Michael Faraday do in 1831 that is now the basis of all generators?
He used a moving magnetic field to create electricity.
Why was Bill Nye safe inside the cage when it was hit by a lightning bolt?
The 1.5 million volts of electricity creates a magnet around the cage that pushes the electricity all around the outside
of the cage, and does not move to the inside of the cage.
How would the world be different without the work of Faraday and James Maxwell?
There would be no electricity, no radios, no TV, no cell phones, no satellites, no computers.
Discovery #6. Special Relativity (1905) Albert Einstein overthrows basic assumptions about time and space by describing
how clocks tick slower and distances appear to stretch as objects approach the speed of light.
How was Einstein’s view of time and space different than Newton’s view of time and space?
In Newton’s world, space and time are always separated and fixed. Einstein said that time and space are connected,
and not always the same.
Describe the “twin paradox.”
Send one twin into space on a rocket ship so he travels near the speed of light; when he returns he will be younger
than the twin left on Earth.
The ________ you move, the _______ time beats.
Faster, slower
Discovery #7. E = mc2 (1905) Or energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared. Albert Einstein's famous formula
proves that mass and energy are different manifestations of the same thing, and that a very small amount of mass can be
converted into a very large amount of energy. One profound implication of his discovery is that no object with mass can ever
go faster than the speed of light.
The _____ you move, the _______ you get.
Faster, heavier
What does each letter stand for in this equation?
E – energy
m – mass
c – speed of light
Why was this discovery so important in science?
It helped show us the potential power inside the atom.
Discovery #8. Quantum Theory (1900 – 1935) To describe the behavior of subatomic particles, a new set of natural laws
is developed by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrodinger. A quantum leap is defined as the
change of an electron within an atom from one energy state to another. This change happens all at once, not gradually.
Why was there a crisis in physics around 1900?
New phenomenon were being discovered that went against Newton’s laws. Energy was coming out of nothing;
particles were coming out of nothing.
What are “quanta”?
packets of energy
Atoms are _________; atoms are ___________; and there are _______________ involved in them.
Waves, particles, uncertainties
Discovery #9. The Nature of Light (1704 – 1905) Thought and experimentation by Isaac Newton, Thomas Young and
Albert Einstein lead to an understanding of what light is, how it behaves, and how it is transmitted. Newton uses a prism to
split white light into its constituent colors and another prism to mix the colors into white light, proving that colored light
mixed together makes white light. Young establishes that light is a wave and that wavelength determines color. Finally,
Einstein recognizes that light always travels at a constant speed, no matter the speed of the measurer.
What did the ancient people think the universe was made of?
Earth, air, fire, and water
What was Newton’s main contribution to the understanding of light?
He found out that white light is really made up of all of the colors of the rainbow. He thought that light was made of
tiny particles.
How did Thomas Young understand light?
Light was a wave.
How did Einstein contribute to the understanding of light?
“Duality” – light acts like both a particle and a wave.
Discovery #10. The Neutron (1935) James Chadwick discovers neutrons, which, together with protons and electrons
comprise the atom. This finding dramatically changes the atomic model and accelerates discoveries in atomic physics.
How many atoms fit into a single grain of sand?
72 quintillion!
What is the “plum-pudding” model of the atom?
Electrons were spread throughout the inside of the atom.
What happened when Ernest Rutherford shot alpha particles at a sheet of gold? How did this discovery change the
understanding of the structure of the atom?
He thought the particles would go straight through the gold, but some of the particles bounced straight back off the
foil. He realized that there must be some part of the atom that is very dense, the nucleus.
Why was James Chadwick’s discovery of the neutron so important?
Neutrons were used as bullets to split the atom, leading to the nuclear age.
Discovery #11. Superconductors (1911 – 1986) The unexpected discovery that some materials have no resistance to the
flow of electricity promises to revolutionize industry and technology. Superconductivity occurs in a wide variety of materials,
including simple elements like tin and aluminum, various metallic alloys and certain ceramic compounds.
What happens in a particle accelerator?
Subatomic particles are accelerated to nearly the speed of light and then smashed into each other.
What happens to the electrical resistance of a metal when it is at very low temperatures?
As you lower temperature, resistance goes down smoothly; at about 4 K, the resistance drops to almost zero.
What is the “holy grail” of superconductors, and why would this discovery be so important?
To find material that is a superconductor at room temperature; everything that uses electricity would be much more
efficient.
Discovery #12. Quarks (1962) Murray Gell-Mann proposes the existence of fundamental particles that combine to form
composite objects such as protons and neutrons. A quark has both an electric and a "strong" charge. Protons and neutrons
each contain three quarks.
What did Murray Gell-Mann propose that protons and neutrons are made of?
3 quarks each
How did scientists first “see” quarks?
Experiments where electrons were scattered off protons
Discovery #13. Nuclear Forces (1666 – 1957) Discoveries of the basic forces at work on the subatomic level lead to the
realization that all interactions in the universe are the result of four fundamental forces of nature — the strong and weak
nuclear forces, the electromagnetic force and gravitation.
What are the 4 fundamental forces of nature?
Gravity, electromagnetism, strong force, weak force
What does the strong nuclear force do? The weak nuclear force?
The strong nuclear force holds the nucleus force together. The weak nuclear force causes radioactive decay.
What is the “theory of everything”? Has anyone developed a successful “theory of everything”?
The theory of everything would unite all four forces into one super-force that existed at the beginning of time. No
one has yet developed a successful “theory of everything.”
100 Greatest Discoveries in Science Video Guide
Astronomy
1. The Planets Move (2000 B.C. – 500 B.C.) A thousand years of observations reveal that there are stars that move in the
sky and follow patterns, showing that the Earth is part of a solar system of planets separate from the fixed stars.
Why is the Venus tablet of Amozogania important?
It’s the earliest record of a planet moving.
Describe the Greeks’ model of the solar system.
Planets move around the Earth.
2. The Earth Moves (1543) Nicolaus Copernicus places the sun, not the Earth, at the center of the solar system.
How was Nicolaus Copernicus’s model of the solar system different than the Greeks’ model?
The sun is the center of the solar system, and the Earth circled the sun like other planets.
Why was it so hard for people to accept his theory?
It didn’t feel like the Earth was moving.
3. Planetary Orbits Are Elliptical (1605 – 1609) Johannes Kepler devises mathematical laws that successfully and
accurately predict the motions of the planets in elliptical orbits.
How was Johannes Kepler’s model of the solar system different than the models of Copernicus and the Greeks?
Planets did not move in circular orbits as Copernicus and the Greeks thought, but rather in an elliptical orbit.
Why was Kepler’s model so important?
It was the first system to accurately predict the movement of the planets.
4. Jupiter Has Moons (1609 – 1612) Galileo Galilei discovers that Jupiter has moons like the Earth, proving that
Copernicus, not Ptolemy, is right. Copernicus believes that Earth is not unique, but instead resembles the other planets, all of
which orbit the sun.
What were some of the things first seen by Galileo Galileo with his new telescope?
Mountains on the moon, star clusters of the Milky Way, Jupiter’s moons
How did Galileo’s discovery of Jupiter’s moons support Copernicus’s model of the solar system?
If moons could orbit Jupiter, then Earth could orbit the sun.
5. Halley's Comet Has a Predictable Orbit (1705 – 1758) Edmund Halley proves that comets orbit the sun like the planets
and successfully predicts the return of Halley's Comet. He determines that comets seen in 1531 and 1607 are the same object
following a 76-year orbit. Halley's prediction is proven in 1758 when the comet returns. Unfortunately, Halley had died in
1742, missing the momentous event.
What did people in the Middle Ages believe about the appearance of a comet?
It meant that something bad was going to happen.
Edmund Halley studied the orbits of comets and predicted that a particular comet (now named Halley’s Comet) would return
in the year _____ and every _____ years after that.
1758, 76
Why Halley’s Comet a milestone discovery in astronomy?
A superstitious belief was replaced with a rational understanding of the universe.
6. The Milky Way Is a Gigantic Disk of Stars (1780 – 1834) Telescope-maker William Herschel and his sister Carolyn
map the entire sky and prove that our solar system resides in a gigantic disk of stars that bulges in the center called the Milky
Way. Herschel's technique involves taking a sample count of stars in the field of view of his telescope. His final count shows
more than 90,000 stars in 2,400 sample areas. Later studies confirm that our galaxy is disk-shaped, but find that the sun is
not near the center and that the system is considerably larger than Herschel's estimation.
What did William Herschel find as he counted the stars in particular sections of the sky?
First he found the planet Uranus. He also found that the Milky Way was much larger than people knew.
How did this discovery change the study of astronomy?
Our solar system is just an island in a huge universe.
7. General Relativity (1915 – 1919) Albert Einstein unveils his theory of general relativity in which he proposes that mass
warps both time and space, therefore large masses can bend light. The theory is proven in 1919 by astronomers using a solar
eclipse as a test.
Why did the orbit of Mercury puzzle Einstein and other scientists?
Mercury’s orbit could not be correctly predicted by Newton’s Laws of motion.
How can a trampoline help to explain the theory of general relativity?
A bowling ball in the middle sinks in the trampoline, and a marble will orbit around the bowling ball because the
trampoline is pushing the marble in certain directions. This shows that a large mass warps space (and time).
How did observations taken during a solar eclipse help to prove Einstein’s theory of general relativity?
Pictures taken before, during, and after an eclipse show that light from stars was bent as the light passes by the Sun.
8. The Universe Is Expanding (1924 – 1929) Edwin Hubble determines the distance to many nearby galaxies and discovers
that the farther they are from us, the faster they are flying away from us. His calculations prove that the universe is
expanding.
The “white nebulae” found by William Herschel turned out to be what we call today _________.
galaxies
A shift toward the blue end of the spectrum in the color of a star showed the star was moving _____________________; a
shift toward the red end of the spectrum in the color of a star showed the star was moving _______________________.
closer to Earth, away from Earth
Edwin Hubble found that almost all stars showed a _____-shift, meaning that the universe is _________________.
red, expanding
Measuring backwards from the expansion led astronomers to propose the _____________ theory where a huge explosion
started the universe expanding.
Big Bang
9. The Center of the Milky Way Emits Radio Waves (1932) Karl Jansky invents radio astronomy and discovers a strange
radio-emitting object at the center of the Milky Way. Jansky was conducting experiments on radio wavelength interference
for his employer, Bell Telephone Laboratories, when he detected three groups of static; local thunderstorms, distant
thunderstorms and a steady hiss-type static. Jansky determines that the static is coming from an unknown source at the center
of the Milky Way by its position in the sky.
What did Karl Jansky’s static observations end up showing at the middle of the Milky Way galaxy?
A black hole
How were Jansky’s observations the start of a new kind of astronomy?
He was the first to use radio waves (which can’t be seen) to study astronomy.
10. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (1964) Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson discover cosmic microwave
background radiation, which they suspect is the afterglow of the big bang. Their measurements, combined with Edwin
Hubble's earlier finding that the galaxies are rushing away, make a strong case for the big bang theory of the birth of the
universe.
What were Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias trying to measure with the spare microwave antenna?
They wanted to measure the temperature of the gas halo around the Milky Way galaxy.
How is the steady state theory of the universe different than the Big Bang theory?
The steady state theory said that the universe had no beginning or end, and is always expanding.
How did the work of Wilson and Penzias help to support the Big Bang theory?
The “extra” 3-4 degrees measured by Wilson and Penzias showed energy that was left over from the Big Bang
theory.
11. Gamma-Ray Bursts (1969 – 1997) The two-decade-long mystery of gamma-ray bursts is solved by a host of
sophisticated ground-based and orbiting telescopes. Gamma-ray bursts are short-lived bursts of gamma-ray photons, which
are the most energetic form of light and are associated with nuclear blasts. At least some of the bursts have now been linked
with distant supernovae — explosions marking the deaths of especially massive stars.
Contrast the understanding of gamma ray bursts in the 1960’s with today’s understanding of gamma ray bursts.
In the 1960’s scientists believed that gamma ray bursts were caused by supernova explosions. Today we believe
that gamma ray bursts are very powerful and may have caused past extinctions on the Earth.
Why was it so hard to study gamma ray bursts?
They happened so fast that they were over before scientists could get a telescope focused on that area of space.
12. Planets Around Other Stars (1995 – 2004) Astronomers find a host of extrasolar planets as a result of improved
telescope technology and prove that other solar systems exist, although none as yet resembles our own. Astronomers are able
to detect extrasolar planets by measuring gravitational influences on stars.
How do scientists look for planets orbiting other stars? Why can’t scientists look for the planet itself?
To find another planet, you watch the star to see if it wobbles (using the Doppler effect) due to the planet’s
gravitational pull on the star. Scientists don’t look for the planets because they don’t create their own light and are
very dim.
How many “extra solar” planets (planets outside our solar system) have been found so far?
Around 130
What qualities would a planet need to support life?
The star the planet orbits should be similar to our sun; the planet needs to have a temp that allows liquid water.
13. The Universe Is Accelerating (1998 – 2000) Unexpectedly, astronomers find that instead of slowing down due to the
pull of gravity, the expansion of the universe at great distances is accelerating. If these observations are correct and the
trend continues, it will result in the inability to see other galaxies. A new theory of the end of the universe based on this
finding has been called the "big rip."
Why is the discovery that the universe expansion is speeding up so important?
The acceleration of the universe expansion doesn’t fit with our current understanding of how the universe works.
What is one possible explanation for the accelerating universe expansion?
There may be some type of “dark energy” that causes the universe to expand faster and faster.
100 Greatest Discoveries in Science Video Guide
Chemistry
Discovery #1. Oxygen (1770s) Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen; later, Antoine Lavoisier clarifies the nature of elements.
Priestley produces oxygen in experiments and describes its role in combustion and respiration. Then, by dissolving fixed air
in water, he invents carbonated water. Priestley, oblivious to the importance of his discovery, calls the new gas
"dephlogisticated air." Lavoisier gives oxygen its name and correctly describes its role in combustion. Lavoisier then works
with others to devise a chemical nomenclature, which serves as the basis of the modern system.
Ancient Greek philosophers believed that there were four basic elements. What were they? Which one was underlying
element that was responsible for the make-up of everything in the world?
Earth, air, fire, and water; air was the single substance responsible for the make-up of everything.
Describe Joseph Priestley’s famous experiment that showed a new kind of “air” or gas.
He heated a mercury compound and collected the gas produced by heating.
How did Antoine Lavoisier expand on Priestley’s discoveries?
He recreated Priestley’s experiment, but measured the masses of the substances. He called the gas that was emitted
“oxygen”.
Discovery #2. Atomic Theory (1808) John Dalton provides a way of linking invisible atoms to measurable quantities like
the volume of a gas or mass of a mineral. His atomic theory states that elements consist of tiny particles called atoms. Thus, a
pure element consists of identical atoms, all with the same mass, and compounds consist of atoms of different elements
combined together.
What was John Dalton’s great discovery?
Dalton discovered atomic weights, then developed the atomic theory that explained the relationship between atoms
and the elements.
Discovery #3. Atoms Combine Into Molecules (1811 onward) Italian chemist Amedeo Avogadro finds that the atoms in
elements combine to form molecules. Avogadro proposes that equal volumes of gases under equal conditions of temperature
and pressure contain equal numbers of molecules.
Why were the results of Joseph Gay-Lussac’s experiments so surprising?
When equal volumes of different gases were combined, he ended up with twice as much gas as he expected.
How did Amadeo Avogadro help to make sense of Gay-Lussac’s results?
He realized that gases are not made of single atoms, but rather made of molecules (groups of atoms).
Discovery #4. Synthesis of Urea (1828) Friedrich Woehler accidentally synthesizes urea from inorganic materials, proving
that substances made by living things can be reproduced with nonliving substances. Until 1828, it was believed that organic
substances could only form with the help of the "vital force" present in animals and plants.
What was the 19th century view of organic substances?
Somehow they were different and inorganic molecules could not be used to make organic molecules.
How did Friedrich Woehler’s production of urea help to change the views of scientists about organic molecules?
Organic substances can be made from inorganic molecules. Both inorganic and organic substances are both made of
the same thing – atoms.
Discovery #5. Chemical Structure (1850s) Friedrich Kekule figures out the chemical structure of benzene, bringing the
study of molecular structure to the forefront of chemistry. He writes that after years of studying the nature of carbon-carbon
bonds, he came up with the ring shape of the benzene molecule after dreaming of a snake seizing its own tail. The unusual
structure solves the problem of how carbon atoms can bond with up to four other atoms at the same time.
How was the structure of benzene different than the structure of most other chemicals being studied at the time of Friedrich
Kekule?
Benzene’s carbon atoms weren’t linked in a chain, but rather in a ring.
The study of carbon-containing compounds is called ________ chemistry.
organic
Why is the discovery of the benzene structure so important?
It opens up many new possibilities for chemical structures for new drugs and medicines.
Discovery #6. Periodic Table of the Elements (1860s – 1870s) Dmitry Mendeleyev realizes that if all of the 63 known
elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic weight, their properties are repeated according to certain periodic
cycles. He formulates the periodic table of the elements and predicts the existence of elements that have not yet been
discovered. Three of those elements are found during his lifetime: gallium, scandium and germanium.
How did Mendeleev come up with his periodic table of elements?
He made cards with info on each known element, and then arranged them in 7 vertical columns with elements in a
column being similar to one another.
Why did Mendeleev get credit for the periodic table instead of the German chemist Lothar Meyer?
Mendeleev made risky predictions about new elements on the periodic table.
Discovery #7. Electricity Transforms Chemicals (1807 – 1810) Humphry Davy finds that electricity transforms chemicals.
He uses an electric pile (an early battery) to separate salts by a process now known as electrolysis. With many batteries he is
able to separate elemental potassium and sodium in calcium, strontium, barium and magnesium.
How did Humphry Davy use electricity to study the chemical make-up of potash?
He melted potash, then ran an electrical current through the melted potash, producing pure potassium.
Why is electrochemistry so important?
It led to the aluminum industry, production of semi-conductors, solar panels, LED displays, and rechargeable
batteries.
Discovery #8. Atoms Have Signatures of Light (1850s) Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen find that each element
absorbs or emits light at specific wavelengths, producing specific spectra.
What new elements were discovered by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirkoff using their newly built spectroscope?
Cesium and rubidium
How did Bunsen and Kirkoff figure out that there was sodium in the sun?
They used their spectroscope to look at sunlight, and found that two of the lines exactly matched the lines produced
by sodium in a Bunsen burner.
How is spectroscopy used today in astronomy?
It’s used to study the atmospheres of planets, to look for water, and to look for signs of life.
Discovery #9. The Electron (1897) J.J. Thomson discovers that the negatively charged particles emitted by cathode ray
tubes are smaller than atoms and part of all atoms. He calls these particles, now known as electrons, "corpuscles."
What did J.J. Thomson find out about the electron in 1897?
He found out it was very, very small compared to known atoms.
How did a magnetic field affect the beam of electrons in the cathode ray tube?
The stream of electrons would bend when a magnet was brought near, showing that electrons had mass.
What did Ernest Rutherford later discover about the atom?
He found that the nucleus of the atom has the positive charge in the atom, as well as most of the mass of the atom.
Discovery #10. Electrons for Chemical Bonds (1913 onward) Niels Bohr publishes his model of atomic structure in which
electrons travel in specific orbits around the nucleus, and the chemical properties of an element are largely determined by
the number of electrons in its atoms' outer orbits. This paves the way to an understanding of how electrons are involved in
chemical bonding.
Describe Gilbert Lewis’s model of the behavior of atoms.
He explained that electrons were in shells around the nucleus; each shell has a limited number of electrons.
Compounds form when 2 elements give up or accept electrons from their outer shells.
Why was Lewis’s theory such an important breakthrough?
It allowed scientists to create millions of new compounds.
Discovery #11. Radioactivity (1890s – 1900s) Marie and Pierre Curie discover and isolate radioactive materials. After
chemically extracting uranium from uranium ore, Marie notes the residual material is more "active" than the pure uranium.
She concludes that the ore contains, in addition to uranium, new elements that are also radioactive. This leads to the
discovery of the elements polonium and radium.
What did Henri Becquerel’s experiments show about uranium?
He found out that uranium was a mineral that produced radioactive rays.
What 2 new elements were isolated by Marie and Pierre Curie in their search for radioactive material?
Polonium and radium
How did Marie Curie’s experiments lead to her death?
She died from leukemia caused by radioactive poisoning.
What are the names given by Ernest Rutherford to the 3 types of energy given off when radioactive elements decay (fall
apart)?
Alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays
How has radioactivity been helpful for us?
Medical imaging, treatment for tumors, method to calculate age of earth, power source for space craft to explore
solar system, smoke detectors
Discovery #12. Plastics (1869 and 1900s) John Wesley Hyatt formulates celluloid plastic for use as a substitute for ivory in
the manufacture of billiard balls. Celluloid is the first important synthetic plastic and is used as a substitute for expensive
substances such as ivory, amber, horn and tortoiseshell. Later, Leo Baekeland invents hardened plastics, specifically
Bakelite, a synthetic substitute for the shellac used in electronic insulation.
What is a plastic?
Plastics are polymers.
What are polymers?
Polymers are long-chains of carbon atoms.
What are the advantages of plastics?
Plastics can be molded, they can be very strong, they can be woven into fibers to make clothing.
Discovery #13. Fullerenes (1985) Robert Curl, Harold Kroto and Rick Smalley discover an entirely new class of carbon
compound with a cage-like structure. This leads to the discovery of similar tube-like carbon structures. Collectively, the
compounds come to be called buckminsterfullerenes, or fullerenes. The molecules are composed entirely of carbon and take
the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, tube or ring. Named for Richard Buckminster Fuller, the architect who created the
geodesic dome, they are sometimes called "buckyballs" or "buckytubes."
What did Richard Smalley, Harold Kroto, and Robert Curl discover that led to their Nobel prize?
They discovered a special form of carbon atoms called “bucky balls”.
What are some of the unique properties of bucky tubes?
They are stronger than steel or diamonds, but they can be stretched to great lengths.
What are some of the potential uses of bucky tubes?
Electrical cables that are lightweight and conduct electricity better than copper.
What is nanotechnology?
Building things from “scratch” (atoms and molecules) that are stronger and more precise than what we have now