(chimes ring) Magic is creating the illusion that you can defy the laws of nature.

(mystical music) -(upbeat music) -(children laugh) (children laugh) (upbeat music continues) Oh, wow.

(children laugh) ♪ Hey ♪ (children laugh) (Steve mumbles) (upbeat music continues) (chimes ring) (children laugh) (chimes ring) (children laugh) (Steve mumbles) (mystical music) (children laugh) (upbeat music) Oh wow.

-(children laugh) -Oh, wow.

[Group] Ooh.

[Child] Wow.

(children laugh) [Group] Wow!

-Oh, wow.

-(group cheers) (mystical music) [Narrator] Magic is creating the illusion that you can defy the laws of nature.

Science is the study of how the natural world works.

This is science.

-(group cheers) -(upbeat music) Raindrops, raindrops, raindrops.

Oh!

Hi, there.

Have you ever walked around in the rain?

Have you ever sipped on crocodile tears?

Or taken a shower in dinosaur spit?

No?

Well, think again.

Come with me while we explore the water on our amazing planet Earth.

Earth is known as the water planet.

Almost 3/4 of our planet is covered in water.

Earth is the only planet in our solar system with water on its surface.

Scientists suspect that other planets and their moons may have water under their surfaces.

For today, we're going to stay here on Earth.

Home sweet home.

All the water on our planet has a name.

Is it Janet?

Fred?

Sylvia?

Gertrude?

No.

It's hydrosphere.

Scientists calculate that the hydrosphere has been a part of our planet since it was a little bitty baby (baby cries) and will be here as long as Earth hangs around.

During this four and a half billion years or so, our hydrosphere has likely changed very little.

All the water that is here on Earth today is the same water that has been here for over four billion years, and it is the same water that will be around as long as Earth exists.

I'll bet you've heard of the water cycle, condensation, precipitation, evaporation.

Condensation, precipitation, evaporation.

Do you see the pattern?

During condensation, water molecules rise and then clump together to form clouds.

Why?

When the molecules get cooler up in the sky, their energy slows down and they get closer together, just like the water drops that form on the outside of a cold drink.

That's condensation.

Eventually, those clumps get heavy and fall to the ground as precipitation.

The rain forms puddles, or joins lakes or oceans, or seeps into the ground.

Water on Earth's surface evaporates and rises into the atmosphere.

Why?

The sun warms up the water molecules, which gives them energy.

They spread apart and become less dense and rise up, up, up and away.

Those evaporated water molecules condense in the air to form clouds.

And this happens over and over and over again.

The cycle just goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on again.

Water is a really fascinating substance because it can exist as a solid.

[Voiceover] Hmm?

Liquid.

[Voiceover] Huh?

And gas.

[Voiceover] Gas?

These are called states of matter.

This is all three states of matter in the same place at the same time.

Over time, water never really goes away.

It just changes its state of matter.

That's what we mean by cycle.

Because of the water cycle, one molecule of water could be drunk by a dinosaur, leave the dinosaur body through its breath, through the atmosphere in a giant cloud, rain down and seep into the ground, and eventually end up in your ice cubes.

That same water you just got out of your kitchen faucet may be some of the same water that George Washington brushed his teeth with.

Let's talk about the water that is with us today, specifically the fresh water.

[Voiceover] Oh, yeah!

Let's begin by locating fresh water.

[Voiceover] Boink, boink, boink.

Is fresh water here in the oceans?

No, because that's salt water.

You and I can drink fresh water.

We can't drink salty ocean water.

Some of Earth's fresh water is in your body.

-[Voiceover] Huh?

-That's right.

You are part of the hydrosphere.

Your body is made up of about 71% of water, very much like the Earth.

(water splashes) You have water in your brain, your lungs, your skin, even your bones.

Fresh water is necessary for us to live.

In fact, every living thing needs water.

Every living thing is made of cells, and every living cell contains water.

Hmm.

Where else can we find fresh water besides in living things?

[Voiceover] Boink, boink, boink Fresh water is found in rivers, ponds, streams, wetlands, aquifers, glaciers, lakes, and groundwater.

That sounds like a lot of water, right?

But of all the water on Earth fresh water makes up only about 3%.

[Voiceover] Huh?

If this beaker held all of the water on Earth, this much, this much would be the fresh water.

Not only that, but most of the fresh water on our planet is actually frozen.

About 60% of our fresh water is locked up in ice.

This is the water that is locked up in ice.

Most of it is in glaciers.

This is the remaining non-frozen fresh water on Earth.

Let's talk about glaciers.

A glacier is a huge chunk of frozen water, ice, snow, rocks, and sediment that moves slowly down a slope due to its own weight.

Glaciers don't usually melt away, but when seasons change, some of its water melts.

This provides streams that are necessary for lots of wildlife.

Hmm.

What would happen if all of our glaciers melted.

Every coastal city on the planet would flood.

We need our glaciers, not only for the streams they create, but for their ability to regulate climate.

The continuous trickle of their waters into our oceans contributes to ocean currents, which affect climate.

And glaciers reflect sunlight, which helps keep our planet's temperature at the sweet spot for living things here on Earth.

Not too hot, not too cold.

[Voiceover] Papa Bear, Papa Bear, this planet is just right.

Compared to all of the water on Earth, our available fresh water is not much more than a drop.

And where is this available fresh water located?

Most of the water that is not frozen is stored deep underground.

If you dig a well, you might tap into the water table.

Dig deeper and you get to the groundwater.

So the water there is stored in huge porous rocks called aquifers.

Aquifers are huge, rocky underground reservoirs of water.

Rocks may not look like sponges, but believe it or not, rocks are porous.

That means they can hold water.

Aquifers are our largest source of drinking water.

Not only that, but their water is pure and clean.

Aquifers act as giant filters.

Thanks to aquifers, groundwater is usually potable.

Potable means safe to drink.

[Voiceover] Oh, yeah.

Sadly, if we're not careful, even the water in aquifers can become polluted.

They can become contaminated by human-made things like landfills, fertilizers, and chemicals.

So don't go around drinking any old water you find in the ground.

Let's review what we have learned.

Fresh water makes up only 3% of our Earth's water.

Glaciers contain most of our fresh water, which is trapped in ice.

Aquifers hold most of the unfrozen fresh water on Earth.

That means that all of the fresh water we see in rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and swamps is only a teeny tiny bit of the fresh water on Earth.

Looks can be deceiving.

With so little fresh water on the planet and the fact that every living thing needs fresh water to live, it sure seems like taking good care of our water should be important.

How can we help the health of our hydrosphere?

To keep our water clean, be careful about how you throw things away.

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Never throw away batteries.

Recycle them.

Think about what you do with your trash.

Don't litter.

Pick up litter when you see it.

And make sure all of your trash is properly disposed of.

That way, trash won't end up in our fresh water.

We can all use less plastic.

Those plastic straws and plastic water bottles, well, they break down into microplastics, and those can end up in our water.

Choose paper over plastic.

If you do use plastic, be sure to put it in a recycle bin when you're finished with it.

Even though you may live in a place where clean drinking water flows right out of your faucet, over a billion people on our planet do not have access to clean drinking water.

It's important that we do not waste our fresh water.

You can conserve water by taking shorter showers, or turning the water off when you're not using it.

Hmm.

How many ways can you think of to use less water?

It all comes down to the three Rs, reduce, reuse, and recycle.

[Group] Yeah!

Practicing the three Rs will help our hydrosphere, our hydrosphere, which helps all living things.

Whether you're swimming in a lake, drinking a nice cold glass of ice water, or, or sitting near a camel in a hot and dry barren desert, you are connected to the hydrosphere by the cells in your body, the air around you, and even the water underground.

So next time raindrops fall on your head, remember that every molecule of that water has made an incredible journey, and that journey continues as long as our amazing Earth exists.

(chimes ring) (beeping) (upbeat music) The boy that cried wolf, do you know this story?

There once was a boy who was responsible for keeping this sheep safe in his town.

He thought it would be funny to lie to the townspeople, telling them he'd seen a wolf.

Wolves liked to eat sheep.

So he ran to the town and he told the townspeople that he'd seen a wolf.

The townspeople left their jobs and came running to help, but there was no wolf.

The boy laughed and laughed.

The boy thought it would be funny to do it again and again and again.

Each time it happened, he just laughed and laughed and laughed.

But one day, there really was a wolf.

The boy ran to the town and yelled to the townspeople that there really was a wolf, but they would not believe him and would not come help.

All the boy's sheep were eaten.

Telling the truth matters.

Being honest matters.

Be honest.

Tell the truth.

(chimes ring) Magic is creating the illusion that you can defy the laws of nature.

(mystical music) -(upbeat music) -(children laugh) ♪ Hey ♪ -(upbeat music continues) -(children laugh) ♪ Hey ♪ -(upbeat music continues) -(children laugh) (chimes ring) -(children laugh) -[Child] Whoa!

Wow!

(chimes ring) Wow!

[Child] Did you see that?

(children laugh) (chimes ring) (children laugh) (chimes ring) (children laugh) [Voiceover] Oh, no.

(children laugh) (group cheers) [Narrator] Magic is creating the illusion that you can defy the laws of nature.

Science is the study of how the natural world works.

This is science.

-(upbeat music) -[Group] Yeah!

(cheers) Anything that causes a push or a pull is a force.

Anything that causes motion or stops motion is a force.

Or anything that deforms an object is a force.

There are two types of forces, contact force and non-contact force.

Today, we're going to talk about non-contact forces.

There are basically three types of non-contact forces, gravitational, magnetic, and electrostatic force.

Non-contact forces act on objects without physically touching them.

Non-contact forces are pretty cool.

Gravity pulling skydivers towards the Earth is a non-contact force.

And magnets picking up paperclips is a non-contact force.

Ever drag your feet across the rug and then get a shock from your doorknob?

This is a great example of electrostatic force.

It is a non-contact force.

Gravity is a non-contact force that pulls two objects towards towards each other.

Look around.

Do you see everything that is not floating away?

That is because of gravity.

Gravity is a non-contact force.

The gravity of the Earth is constantly pulling everything down.

That's a force.

You can't see it, but it's a force, and it's very powerful.

You know though, it's not just the Earth that has gravity.

Everything that has mass has gravity as well.

That means you're pulling the Earth towards you.

At the same time, it's pulling you towards it.

All objects have gravity, but because of their increased mass, bigger objects have way more.

Our personal gravity doesn't even come close to actually affecting the Earth.

In fact, on Earth, there isn't anything that's even close to as big as the planet, so its gravity is really all we feel.

Like it does with everything, the Earth's gravity is trying to pull us towards its center.

Drop a ball and it falls to the ground.

Why?

The force that's making it happen is gravity.

That's a force, and it is a non-contact force.

When you jump, you return to ground.

Why?

Gravity!

Did you know that the sun's gravitational force keeps the Earth and all other solar system planets in a fixed orbit?

And it does this thanks to gravity.

Gravity is a non-contact force.

Magnetism is another non-contact force that most of us have used quite a bit.

If you've ever stuck something to the front of a refrigerator using a magnet, you've used magnetism.

Magnetism only works though if the object it's pushing or pulling against is made with certain types of metal, such as iron or nickel.

A magnet is an object that produces a magnetic field.

Magnetic fields are invisible lines of force that exit from what we call a magnet's north pole and reenter it at what we call the south pole.

Magnetic fields are amazing, and you can study them more and more and more and there will still be more cool stuff to learn about them.

But we can say this for sure.

Magnetic fields are generated by the movement of charged electrons within the atoms that make up the magnetic material.

Those individual electrons each create tiny magnetic fields which combine with all of the other individual electrons to create a larger field.

Magnetic force and magnets are used in the modern world all the time.

Magnets are used in MRI scans of the body.

Magnets are used in compasses, recycling, and even maglev trains.

Magnets, magnetic force, a non-contact force, is even used to collect metals, like nails or pieces of steel things that farm animals have accidentally eaten.

Surprisingly, farmers often use cow magnets to get rid of metal the animal has accidentally swallowed, (cow moos) which happens more often than you might imagine.

The farmer gets the magnet into the cow, sheep, or goat's tummy, and the metals stick to it.

And it passes out of the stomach into the intestine, and finally, exits the body with the animal's feces.

This can keep the metal from hurting the animal further.

Two magnets will either pull together, or they will push each other apart and never stick together.

I love magnets.

Magnetism is a non-contact force.

A third type of non-contact force is electrostatic force.

Electrostatic force is very similar to the gravitational force or gravity.

The difference here is that gravitational force acts between masses and an electrostatic force acts between two charged bodies.

They are charged with electrical energy.

The word static actually means stationary or unchanging.

So static electricity is an electrical charge that is not moving.

It builds up in one place and stays there.

You can't see static electricity, but you can see how it affects the objects that hold it or come near it.

Static electricity is governed by charges on particles.

They are either positive protons or negative electrons.

Similar charges, like two positives or two negatives, repel or push away from each other.

Opposite charges, a positive and a negative, attract or pull towards each other.

If you rub a comb on your clothes and then hold it near tiny pieces of paper, you'll see the bits of paper standing on their end, attracted to the comb.

We are made of tiny positive, and negative, and neutral particles.

The opposite charges attract each other and like charges repel.

This is the result of the electrostatic forces.

Examples of electrostatic force, a non-contact force, include plastic wrap sticking to your hand after you remove it from the package, balloons being attracted to each other when rubbed against your hair.

Interestingly, even printer copiers use the electrostatic force.

Negatively charged powders spread over the surface.

It then adheres through electrostatic attraction to the positively charged image areas on the paper.

Forces are amazing, and they are at work all the time even when you are sitting still.

Non-contact forces include gravity, magnetism, and electrostatic force.

♪ Non-contact forces include ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ And don't you forget ♪ ♪ Electrostatic force, yeah ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ Gravity ♪ ♪ Magnetism ♪ ♪ And don't you forget ♪ -♪ Electrostatic force, yeah ♪ -(group cheers) There are both non-contact forces and contact forces.

They push.

They pull.

They move things.

They change the speed and direction of things.

And they even change the shape of things.

Anything that causes a push or a pull is a force.

Anything that causes motion or stops motion is a force.

Or anything that deforms an object is a force.

Non-contact forces act on objects without physically touching them.

Whether it be a contact force or a non-contact force, may the forces always be with you.

Contact and non-contact forces, are they.

Forces are they.

And now, something silly.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) [Group] Yeah!

(cheers) The Earth is a non-contact sport.

(chuckles) (crew laughs) [Crew] Did I say sport?

If you'd like to suffer a little bit, we can see if you've got any nails in you.

(laughs) I thought we just said it was static, didn't we?

Let's take that again because that wasn't good science.

[Crew] And non-contact if your parachute doesn't go.

Until you splat.

Is a non-contact sport.

(laughs) (mumbles) [Crew] And gas.

(Steve laughs) And gas.

(laughs) As our amazing Earth continues.

That's not right.

Is a non-contact force.

(laughs) I've got it!

Quiet!

You people are messing with an artist here.

[Crew] Is a non-contact force.

Is a non-contact force.

That means, or sport.

It could have been sport.

It could be a sport.

You never know.

It could be a sport.

It could be very sporty.

I can see, I'm not even touching that ball.

Not even, nothing.

(upbeat music) [Singer] Biologically, chemically, atomically, everything is connected.

(upbeat music continues) ♪ Everything is connected ♪ ♪ Everything ♪ [Narrator] Major funding for this program provided by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Keep Alabama Beautiful, and Northrop Grumman.

♪ If the ocean is deep ♪ ♪ And the sky is so high ♪ ♪ And the Earth is so wide ♪ [Singer] It's a mystery.

But deep down, everyone knows.

♪ Everything is ♪