logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
4m 58s

BrainStuff Classics: How Do We Define th...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

The kilogram used to be measured against an agreed-upon chunk of metal stored in France, but no longer. Learn the new measure of this standard unit of measurement in today's classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/math-concepts/kilogram-is-dead-meet-kilogram-20.htm

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Feb 23
How Did the Penn Center Become a Civil Rights Sanctuary?
In South Carolina, the first school for formerly enslaved people during the Civil War shifted to become a center for social activism during the Civil Rights movement, and stands today as a landmark of African American culture and history. Learn more about the Penn Center in this ... Show More
9m 53s
Feb 21
BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Cramming the Worst Way to Study?
Cramming for a test or other deadline may give you decent short-term results, but research shows it sacrifices long-term comprehension and memory. Learn why study methods like spacing and interleaving are better in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https: ... Show More
5m 55s
Feb 20
How Can We Separate Ninja Fact from Ninja Fiction?
Over a few hundred years, real stories about secretive agents developed into the legend of the ninja. Learn how this myth captured the world's imagination -- and about the work being done at the world's first International Ninja Research Center -- in this episode of BrainStuff, b ... Show More
7m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
What's the smallest unit of measurement?
Let’s say you want to measure something really, really, really tiny. How do you do that? With inches? Centimeters? Millimeters? What if it’s so tiny you can’t even see it? Particle physicist Jessica Esquivel helps us solve this teeny tiny mystery!Got a question that seems too big ... Show More
4m 53s
Apr 2023
How do we measure the gravitational constant?
Daniel and Jorge talk about the number that controls the strength of gravity and why it's so hard to measure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
48m 36s
Sep 2021
Ep: 89 ”Quantum Information” Chiara Marletto‘s ”The Science of Can & Can‘t” Ch 4 readings and discussion
As the title suggests: this is about Quantum Information. It is “Quantum Information Theory” to be more precise. Now physics is sometimes regarded as strange by people who know little about it. And even for people who know a little more about it - well they might regard quantum p ... Show More
1h 15m
Jul 2013
David Munns, “A Single Sky: How an International Community Forged the Science of Radio Astronomy” (MIT Press, 2012)
How do you measure a star? In the middle of the 20thcentury, an interdisciplinary and international community of scientists began using radio waves to measure heavenly bodies and transformed astronomy as a result. David P. D. Munns‘s new book charts the process through which radi ... Show More
1h 9m
May 2022
Can the human eye see a single photon?
Daniel and Katie talk about the physics of color and whether the eyeball is a quantum measurement device. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
1h 12m
Sep 2006
Lecture 2: Astronomical Numbers
Before we can begin our exploration of astronomy, we need to develop a common language for notating large numbers, and introduce the basic units of length, mass, and time that we will use throughout the quarter. We will first re-introduce the basic metric system, explaining how t ... Show More
43m 29s
Sep 2022
Reading minds using brain scans, with Kenneth Norman, PhD
The idea of a machine that can read your thoughts sounds more like science fiction than actual science. But in recent years, it’s come closer to reality. Kenneth Norman, PhD, of Princeton University, talks about how scientists decode thoughts from patterns of brain activity, what ... Show More
41m 28s
Mar 2024
Quantum Computing
What's quantum computing? It's not just for scientists anymore! Discover how this mind-bending tech could change everything from medicine to cybersecurity. Find the full article and more on https://englishpluspodcast.com/quantum-computing-unlocking-the-future-of-tech-and-your-wor ... Show More
3m 58s
Jan 2010
How should we measure obesity?
<p>In this episode of Stuff Mom Never Told You, Molly and Cristen take a look at current ways of measuring obesity. They discuss the most common formula, Body Mass Index (BMI), in detail, from its origins to its flaws.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="http ... Show More
20m 3s
Apr 2022
How should we measure cleverness?
<p>The team at CrowdScience have spent years answering all sorts of listener questions, which must make them pretty smart, right? IN this week’s episode, that assumption is rigorously tested as Marnie Chesterton and the team pit their wits against a multitude of mindbending puzzl ... Show More
44m 4s