Ring of Truth Series: Gold, Noodles, and Hydrogen

Above, watch molten gold transform into gold leaf as it is beaten into thinner and thinner pieces while cold. This clip is from PBS’ six-part miniseries The Ring of Truth: An Inquiry Into How We Know What We Know – Atoms (1987). 

“It was the craftsmen who mastered the remarkable properties that go with specific materials. They were the first to journey towards the atom. The goldsmiths slowly refined their craft to take advantage of what gold alone could do…”

MIT astrophysicist and Institute Professor Philip Morrison narrated the series, which he co-wrote with his wife, noted art and science educator Phylis Morrison. Philip Morrison also narrated and wrote the script for Charles and Ray Eames’ Powers of Ten, a must-watch video for all ages.

Chef Kin Jing Mark demonstrates how to make super-thin noodles and helps introduce the principle of halving in this clip from the PBS miniseries The Ring of Truth: An Inquiry Into How We Know What We Know – Atoms (1987). MIT astrophysicist and professor Philip Morrison narrates:

If atoms exist in patterns in space, we should somehow be able to measure their size. We approach the division of matter by the attractive process of halving, and halving, and halving it again… Twelve foldings produced 4,096 fine noodles, and if Chef Mark could have stretched the dough 30 more times, the noodles would have reached atomic thickness.

Possibly the most well-known scientific formula on the planet, H2O is one of those terms that we see around all the time. We know that H2O means water, and that a water molecule is composed of two hydrogen (H) atoms & one oxygen (O) atom, but have we ever seen this formula proven?

Above, a clip from the 1987 miniseries The Ring of Truth: An Inquiry into How We Know What We Know, hosted by Philip Morrison, who wrote it with art and science educator Phylis Morrison. Watch as two units of hydrogen are combined with two units of oxygen over and over again. What happens every time?