Eureka! was a Canadian educational television series which was produced and broadcast by TVOntario

TVOntario

TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...

 in 1980. The series was narrated by Billy Van

Billy Van

William Allan Van Evera, , known by the stage name Billy Van, was a Canadian comedian, actor and singer.-Biography:...

, and featured a series of animated vignettes which taught physics

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

 lessons to children.

Eureka! was also broadcast on some PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 stations in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Synopsis

Eureka! is a series of humorous animated shorts that illustrate concepts in physics. Each program takes a simple and direct approach to the subject matter; while the basic concepts are explained in a voice-over, cartoon characters and a variety of animated objects demonstrate the principles on the screen. Constant review and reinforcement make the message clear; as a result, the study of physics becomes easy and accessible - even to viewers without a solid background in the subject.

Production

Animation - Grafilm Productions Inc.

Design - Joe Meluck

Educational Consultants - John Kuropatwa, Paul Henshall, Bryan Kaufman, Ernie McFarland, Michael Broschart

Unit Manager - Vickie Gilchrist

Production Assistant - George Pyron

Unit 1: Force and Energy

1. Inertia
2. Mass
3. Speed
4. Acceleration I
5. Acceleration II
6. Gravity
7. Weight vs Mass
8. Work
9. Kinetic Energy
10. Potential Energy

Unit 2: Simple Machines

1. The Inclined Plane
2. The Lever
3. Mechanical Advantage and Friction
4. The Screw and the Wheel
5. The Pulley

Unit 3: Heat and Temperature

1. Molecules in Solids
2. Molecules in Liquids
3. Evaporation and Condensation
4. Expansion and Contraction
5. Measuring Temperature
6. Temperature vs Heat

External links

• A webpage dedicated to classic TVO children's shows of the '70s
• http://www.rickstv.com/tvo/eureka.html