Nigel Latta Blows Stuff Up — Season 1
Join Nigel Latta on a glass-breaking, free falling expedition! He shows Kiwis how the world works.
About this season
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be struck by lightning or be propelled by hurricane-speed winds? What is it really like inside a burning house? In this fun (and funny!) science series Nigel Latta subjects himself to a variety of 'don't try this at home' experiments to explore some of the more dramatic aspects of fundamental science.
Episodes (8)
1. Lightning
Aired 19 April 2015 • 24 min
When examining the origins of electricity, names like Andre Ampere, Georg Ohm or Benjamin Franklin and his kite come to mind. Nigel experiments with a cat and amber, electrical conductivity on a small child, and touching 100,000 volts.
2. Explosions
Aired 26 April 2015 • 24 min
The question is do real explosions differ from movie explosions. Nigel Latta goes on a mission to discover if he could still walk away in slow motion like an action movie hero.
3. Weather
Aired 3 May 2015 • 24 min
Walk or run in the rain - which gets you more wet. How windy is wind, and how cold is cold ?
4. Collisions
Aired 10 May 2015 • 24 min
Are all cars safe in a collision, or are there factors that can make them better or worse ? Nigel Latta investigates.
5. Fire
Aired 17 May 2015 • 24 min
What really happens in a house fire ? Nigel sets out to get the answer by setting a house on fire. The results are surprising.
6. Space
Aired 24 May 2015 • 24 min
Nigel wants to be the first New Zealander to make it into space. To do so he explores the fundamental physics of rocket science, and demonstrates the sometimes wayward nature of science.
7. Sound
Aired 31 May 2015 • 23 min
Breaking the sound barrier. A good excuse for Nigel to invent some crazy experiments, and break a few other things along the way. Using some clever models, including 150 school students with flags, he examines the fundamentals of sound.
8. Gravity
Aired 7 June 2015 • 24 min
Gravity is usually associated with names like Galileo and Isaac Newton. Nigel tests the fundamentals of gravity through some interesting and innovative experiments.