Reference Frames (Will Riihiluoma and Ian McKeag)
Explore every episode of Reference Frames
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 14 Feb 2022 | #11 Marta's Magnet and the Erased Security Footage | 00:32:26 | |
When Marta Cabrera accidentally kills esteemed mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey, she must outsmart and outmaneuver private investigator Benoit Blanc. In particularly cunning scene, Marta scrambles the contents of a security tape using nothing but a magnet. How can this be? In this episode, we learn about magnets, magnetic fields, and their usage in modern life. | |||
| 13 Mar 2022 | #12 The Pressure's On: When Aliens Meet Airlocks | 00:30:52 | |
How is it that Ellen Ripley is able to glass an Alien by simply opening the airlock in a spaceship? That's what Will and Ian talk about on this episode, along with a plethora of other conversation topics.
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| 27 Mar 2022 | #13 Marty McFlies with the Power of Rock | 00:34:39 | |
Before Marty McFly is flung into the past, he is first flung into a bookshelf after blowing out a stack of guitar amplifiers. Will and Ian learn about sound and whether or not young Marty could have been launched as a result of a sick power chord.
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| 24 Apr 2022 | #14 Batman Begins to Understand State Changes | 00:35:31 | |
When Bruce Wayne dons the mask and cape to become the Batman, he not only needs to master many forensic and martial arts. His understanding of the natural world and its phenomena must be top tier! When the League of Shadows threatens Gotham, Batman knows that the microwave emitter is turning water into steam and aerosolizing a fear-toxin! Thanks to his scientific knowledge, Gotham is saved by its masked knight. Today on Reference Frames, we use the caped crusader's escapades to learn about state transitions and how they appear in the world! | |||
| 29 May 2022 | #15 If You Can Dodge a Wrench, You Actually CAN Dodge a Ball | 00:31:09 | |
When Patches O'Houlihan shows up to train a raggedy group of gym rats, the first thing he does is tell them "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." Most people laugh at this line, but upon deeper reflection, it becomes obvious that Patches is, himself, a physics enthusiast, and is exactly right. Today we talk projectile motion and how our brains are able to rapidly process things flying through the air!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0saOV9HJP_U?&ab_channel=Wian Scene from the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peUyLXrgYZ0&ab_channel=Movieclips Work on cow terminal velocity: | |||
| 13 Jun 2022 | #16 Scott Lang Fights Mathematical Realities | 00:34:52 | |
It takes a man like Paul Rudd to pull of Ant-Man. And it takes a team of quantum powered heroes to save the day via building shrinking and Pez-dispenser-growing powers. But there's a trick about changing the scale of an object -- and that's exactly what Will and Ian explore in this episode!
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| 09 Aug 2022 | #17 The Visual Suspects | 00:33:27 | |
Following a truck hijack in New York, five criminals are arrested and brought together for questioning. The men stare into bright lights and a bright mirror. Behind the mirror, officers stand in a dark room, judging the way they read the provided lines. but why can't the criminals see the police? And why can the police see the criminals? Today on Reference Frames, we talk about one-way mirrors!
Tweet at us! @PodcastFrames | |||
| 22 Aug 2022 | #18 DISCLAIMER: DO NOT LICK FROZEN FLAGPOLES | 00:34:42 | |
When Flick is triple dog dared to touch his tongue to the frozen flagpole in his school's courtyard, it's his honor on the line. With his friends watching, he cautiously places his tongue on the pole, before realizing (a moment too late) that the warmth of his body is not enough to keep his saliva unfrozen and separate from the pole. In this episode we learn about temperature, in particular the phenomenon of conduction!
Catch us out? Let us know! @podcastframes | |||
| 05 Sep 2022 | #19 Frodo's Refracting Falls | 00:34:45 | |
After being caught in Ithilien, Sam and Frodo are blindfolded and taken to the hidden refuge of Henneth Annûn to be questioned by Captain Faramir. Upon removing the blindfolds, Sam and Frodo are dazzled by a plethora of chromatics cascading from the The Window of Sunset. Will and Ian dive deep into the wondrous world of scattering sunlight and the beautiful colors contained within.
Got a correction? Question? Contact us! | |||
| 02 Oct 2022 | #20 2001: A Space Orbit | 00:41:01 | |
Everyone knows the famous horns of Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra thanks, primarily, to its presence in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. When used, the viewer is witnessing the advancement of technology -- from bone tools to satellites seemingly floating above the big blue ball called Earth. But Kubrick's vision of the future wasn't unfounded. The ships, floating effortlessly and motionless above Earth, are simply in orbit -- a physics principle that kept the astronauts of Apollo 8 from crashing into the moon, keeps the moon from crashing into the Earth, and keeps Earth from crashing into the Sun. But how? That's what we dive into today!
Want to contact us? You can! | |||
| 14 Nov 2022 | #21 Somewhere Under(standing) the Rainbow | 00:41:42 | |
After her house lands on a witch somewhere over the rainbow, young Dorothy must walk the yellow brick road in her ruby slippers to the emerald city. Once there, she will turn away her blues by clicking her heels together and chanting "there's no place like home!" But how do these colors come into existence? That's the subject for learning in this episode of Reference Frames!
As always, contact us on Twitter @podcastframes or email us at referenceframespodcast@gmail.com | |||
| 24 Jul 2021 | #1 Torque Master Will Turner | 00:25:41 | |
In the debut episode of Reference Frames podcast, we use the quick wits of the blacksmith apprentice turned swashbuckler William Turner. | |||
| 06 Aug 2021 | #2 The Secrets of the Fosbury Flop | 00:29:21 | |
How do Olympic high jumpers make such incredible heights? By manipulating their center of gravity using the famous Fosbury flop, of course! | |||
| 20 Aug 2021 | #3 Time Dilation and the 51 Year Maneuver | 00:27:43 | |
Tom Cooper's voyage to a distant galaxy results in a strange twist of time. Understood as parts of Special and General relativity, time dilation catapults Cooper years into the future in the span of a few hours. Come learn about it with us! Explanation of why black hole spin affects gravity on the planet Brief explanation of math behind GPS relativity Explanation of gold & relativity | |||
| 05 Sep 2021 | #4 Fermat of Arabia: A Legendary Entrance Explained | 00:26:02 | |
Whilst resting from a long day riding, TE Lawrence reclines on the hot sand and gazes across the scorching desert landscape. As if riding from the sky itself, a mysterious figure descends upon the British intelligence agent and his guide. Before the he can grasp the gravity of the situation, the mysterious rider is an arms length away and his guide is slain. Ian and Will talk about mirages; what they are, how they work, and where else we see the underlying principle elsewhere in daily life.
Helpful Links! | |||
| 17 Sep 2021 | #5 Tim Murphy: The Electric Boy | 00:28:02 | |
Nowadays, much like on Isla Nublar, electricity matters! When the lights go out and the dinos roam free, the only thing that saves young Tim Murphy is the brains, brawns, and electrical understanding of Dr. Alan Grant. | |||
| 01 Oct 2021 | #6 Goldfinger, the OG LASER master | 00:33:26 | |
In 1964's Goldfinger, the titular character manages to ensnare agent 007 in a dubious trap. Everyone's favorite secret agent watches as Goldfinger's bright red LASER inches slowly towards him, scorching the gold table he rests upon. But did you know that Goldfinger was really using cutting edge technology? Come learn about the history, principles, and design of LASER beams! | |||
| 01 Nov 2021 | #7 The Physics of Firebending | 00:28:14 | |
The firebending duel between Princess Azula and her exiled brother Zuko is nothing short of scorching. The cold blue flames of the cruel Princess collide with her brother's passionate red-orange flames. But how do flames get these colors? Let's learn about that.
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| 29 Nov 2021 | #8 Into the Spider-Force | 00:28:15 | |
When Doc Ock threatens the good commuters of New York with a dip into the Hudson, it is up to Spider-Man to stop a speeding train from taking a plummet. Will and Ian discuss Newton's second law (some may recall "Fma" from their high school Physics courses) and how it works in everyday life. | |||
| 17 Jan 2022 | #9 Conservation Robot Conserving Momentum | 00:26:01 | |
When the last hope for humanity is ejected in an escape pod, it takes the plucky robot Wall-E to rescue it -- and himself -- by propelling himself through space using naught but a fire extinguisher. Come learn about how Wall-E's understanding of the conservation of momentum got him out of a bind! | |||
| 30 Jan 2022 | #10 Archimedes' Preciousss Principle | 00:28:24 | |
When Gollum snatches the One Ring from Frodo (along with a finger to boot), he unfortunately plummets to the liquid rock below. Before his ultimate demise, Gollum hoists the One Ring overhead while he bobs briefly in the lava. But what is bobbing? And how do things float? Will explains to us Archimedes' Principle and we discuss where it is found in the real world through the lens of one of the the greatest novel/movie trilogies! | |||