Making Stuff video clip

This 10 minute long segment on materials properties is a rough cut of material for a show called "Making Stuff" by NOVA.  With Mark Eberhart of Colorado School of Mines providing the technical information, the clip shows examples of how material properties influence behavior of materials.  The first part of the clip shows how toughness and strength of steel help protect passengers in vehicles.  Since this was demonstrated by crashing multiple cars demolition derby-style, it was pretty fun to watch.  The next segment was even better.  The lab at MIT's Strobe Alley was used to film bullets shooting through multiple materials and demonstrating different failure mechanism.  If you are looking for way to distract yourself, I suggest taking a look at the high-speed photography images from this MIT lab.  C'mon, you can spare a moment for a look into Harold Edgerton's pioneering work and the activities it spawned.

Shows like "Making Stuff" are a good way to engage non-scientists with scientific concepts.  For anyone who teaches courses on mechanics of materials, clips like this are a good way to capture the interest of students before proceeding with the mathematical details that might fill your lecture.  You can find more information at www.mrs.org/makingstuff.

Saniya