Rough Science - Series 6: Colorado Science in the Wilderness (6 Parts)

Synopsis

Rough Science 6 Pack includes the 6 full TV programmes from the series.

1) POWER - In the first in the new series of Rough Science, at their high altitude base in the Rocky Mountains, the team attempt to make the old mill a little more hospitable - they’ve got to supply the rickety old building with gas and electricity. In just three days they have to use natural resources to generate their own power and produce their own gas.

2) SAFETY - This time the team are tackling two environmental hazards: fire and pollution. Fire is a major hazard here and the challenge is to build a carbon-dioxide fire extinguisher. The basis of the extinguisher is a simple reaction of baking soda plus acid, which fizzes up to create the gas they want. They have to find a way to clean up the polluted water flowing out of an old mine.

3) MOUNTAINS - The Rough Science base this year sits on the slopes of Mount Kendall. In this programme, the challenge is getting to know the peak very well - working out how high it is and how much it weighs - not just the part we can see sticking up above the Mill, but the root of the mountain too, right down to the bottom of the crust. There’s a lot of maths to combine with some canny field geology to pull this one off - in a unique collaboration of botany and geology.

4) CLEAN - In this programme, the team’s challenge is to get themselves and their clothes clean. They have to build a washing machine from scratch, it’s a task that stretches their ingenuity to the limit. The solution is a top-loader made from a bucket, a bicycle wheel, some tennis balls and an old power drill. They also go in search of a plant that will provide the washing soap.

5) MINE - The team have to detect radioactive rocks and flammable gases. They explore a wet dark mine using the gas detector and a reliable light source. They decide to make a cloud chamber using a jam jar. They hope to see the trail of destruction caused by radioactive particles. Will the cloud chamber manage to detect radioactive rocks?

6) PHOTOGRAPH - The team’s ultimate challenge is to take a memento of the mill and send it, by air, along a valley to Kate. They decide to take a silver-nitrate photograph while the other scientists hope to make hydrogen balloons to send the image. They hope that some of the rock taken from the mine they explored will contain enough silver for their photograph

Series

Rough Science Series 5, Xs018

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2006

Year of production

2006

Notes

Open University series XS018. Broadcast on BBC2 from .

Documentation

Related website: www.open2net/science/roughscience

Subjects

Science

Keywords

applied science

Credits

Contributor

Kathy Sykes

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£15.00

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

180 minutes

Year

2011

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk

Online Retailer

Name

Open University Bespoke DVD - Clips & Bits

Web

http://www.ouwcb.co.uk/index.html External site opens in new window