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  • 1972-12-31T20:00:00Z on BBC Two
  • 1h
  • 6h (6 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
  • Documentary
The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures have been held in London annually since 1825. They serve as a forum for presenting complex scientific issues to a general audience in an informative and entertaining manner. In the mid 1820s Michael Faraday, a former Director of the Royal Institution, initiated the first Christmas Lecture series at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. He presented a total of 19 series, establishing an exciting new venture of teaching science to young people that was eventually copied by other institutions internationally.

6 episodes

Season Premiere

1972-12-31T20:00:00Z

1972x01 Ripples in the Ether: How it All Began

Season Premiere

1972x01 Ripples in the Ether: How it All Began

  • 1972-12-31T20:00:00Z1h

Nowadays, we all take for granted our transistor radios, hi-fi, and colour television sets. Yet to people 50 years ago all these things would have appeared absolutely fantastic.
With the use of many fascinating experiments GEOFFREY GOURIET takes us back even farther-to those first exciting responses of magnetism and electricity which meant the birth of radio as we know it today.

Geoffrey Gouriet, Chief Engineer, BBC Research and Development, explains and demonstrates how electricity and magnetism can 'leapfrog' to form radio waves, the 'ripples in the ether.'

Nowadays when we listen to the radio not only do we understand the words but we can identify the persons speaking; not only do we recognise the tune, but we enjoy the quality. Geoffrey Gouriet , Chief Engineer, BBC Research and Development, demonstrates how this has been achieved.

How was the great leap from radio to television achieved? GEOFFREY GOURIET , Chief Engineer, BBC Research and Development, shows how the pioneers of television solved their problem of transmitting pictures at fantastic speeds.

So far Geoffrey Gouriet , Chief Engineer, BBC Research and Development, has shown us that electric signals can easily ' see' light and shade; but how much more difficult it must be to reproduce the subtleties of colour.

He now demonstrates how electric signals can measure and transmit accurate colour pictures.

1973-01-05T20:00:00Z

1972x06 Vision of the Future

1972x06 Vision of the Future

  • 1973-01-05T20:00:00Z1h

Geoffrey Gouriet , Chief Engineer, BBC Research and Development, shows us some recent discoveries and helps us to appreciate the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

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