Beakman’s World - Season 1 Episode 22

Asked why the ozone layer has a hole in it, Beakman begins by explaining that ozone – molecules consisting of a trio of oxygen atoms ?? protects the Earth from the harmful rays of the sun. Using a series of Mylar sheets, he demonstrates ozone's ability to filter out ultraviolet light. However, noting that chlorofluorocarbons, a common chemical in aerosol sprays, refrigerators and air conditioners, and styrofoam, have reduced the Earth's protective ozone layer, Beakman goes on to discourage their use in order to protect the Earth from harmful radiation. During "Beak-Mania," Beakman reveals how baby snails are born (very tiny eggs), the origin of the term bookworm (actual worms that grow inside books), the number of verses in the Greek national anthem (one hundred and fifty?eight), and when the first toilet paper roll was invented (1871). During the "Beakman Challenge," Lester is asked to pour water from one beaker into another while keeping them two feet apart. When his feral sidekick is unable to perform the task, Beakman shows how adhesion and cohesion enable him to pour the water along some yarn stretched from one beaker to the other. Asked about acids, Beakman begins by explaining that they do not really burn things, but rather combine with certain substances to tear their molecules apart. Placing a tooth into a beaker of cola (phosphoric acid) and a chicken bone into vinegar (acetic acid), Beakman shows how they dissolve their calcium phosphate to make each quite rubbery. Finally, after revealing that many acids are beneficial, such as those that aid in the digestion of food, Beakman uses the acid in a pickle to light a bulb.