Welcome to another edition of Millennial Misremembers. This time, we’re traveling back to 1993 with Bill Nye the Science Guy. I’m sure almost any kid in the United States (and maybe Canada) who went to middle school in the mid-to-late 1990s has watched more than a few episodes of this fun science program. The syndication/PBS pilot, which aired September 10, 1993, was aptly named “Flight.”
What I (Mis)Remember About Bill Nye the Science Guy
I don’t know if I exclusively watched Bill Nye the Science Guy in class, but that was where I first did. It’s also where I was most excited to see it. Not that I didn’t like the show; in fact, I thought it was awesome. It’s just … what’s cooler than not having class and watching TV instead?
If I remember the show correctly, Bill would teach scientific principles using humor, songs and experiments. Also: “Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill”! Who could forget the chanting of Bill’s name?
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Let’s Rewatch
The episode begins with a shot of the sky over a farm field. Nye asks the audience what they see. He assumes we’ll underestimate the sky when, in reality, it’s a great space since many things fly there. Supercut of a bunch of planes flying. (I’m dizzy.)
Theme song!
This episode is brought to us by air. That’s because air provides enough pressure to let things fly. How does it have enough pressure? (“It’s not like it has a test or anything,” quips Nye.)
Air pressure allows us to breathe, the wind to flow, and objects to fly. Pretty dang important. Nye leads us to his plastic science airplane, which is lifted but stationary — like many commercial airplanes 🥁.
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So, how does it all work? The plane’s tilted wings help create differences in the pressure of the air flowing around them. The air below the wings moves slower than the air going over the top of the plane. The slight difference in air pressure creates lift. It’s called the Bernoulli effect after a Swiss guy (who, I guess, figured it out?).
This same effect works on kites, frisbees and paper planes. It’s also the same pressure by which balloons inflate.
Now, two little kids appear to teach us about an at-home experiment we can do. Lift a book by blowing up a balloon under it. That’s pretty cool, actually.
Next, in a section called “Hold On to Your Hat,” Nye goes parasailing. Words like “lift,” “no lift” and “falling” flash along the screen to show what principle is occurring.
Next, Nye shows us a Delta Boeing. Between its size and being filled with cargo, it weighs nearly 100 tons. How does it get off the ground? You guessed it — air pressure.
With the help of his team of kids, Nye uses illustrations to show how the wings and low and high pressure help the plane get off the ground. The engines are what keep the air moving.
Our following segment is “Way Cool Scientist,” in which an IRL scientist shows us through a flight simulator room. Captain Suzanna Darcy works as a test pilot for Boeing. The simulator is a training device. Darcy shows us how it works.
Now, we’ve got “Consider the Following.” Nye illustrates Bernoulli’s principle using a table, tiny plastic balls and a paper disc. He then talks about dynamic pressure, using the example of wind/air pressure hitting you from the front, not the back, when you ride a bike. Lift is all done with molecules, you see.
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Another experiment you can do at home! First, take some string, a straw and two ping pong balls. Hang the ping pong balls up and blow air into the straw in the middle of the ping pong balls. Do they move apart or together?
… Apart! Thanks to the Bernoulli effect. If you remember, he’s the Swiss guy who discovered this principle. We learn now that birds also use this principle to fly. Also, Switzerland is famous for chocolate, cheese and cuckoo clocks.
Following that, we meet Laurence Randolph Jr., an air traffic control specialist. Randolph decided to do this science-based job way back in the sixth grade. Being an air traffic control specialist requires knowing about mathematical formulas, different cloud shapes and weather patterns.
Next, we learn a bit about airplane history: the Wright brothers, Charles Lindburg and Amelia Earhart.
Nye now takes us to a wind tunnel, where scientists study new wings in a controlled environment.
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Nye points out that some people fear flying because air is invisible, but he says that’s silly because we cannot see the air we breathe either. The principle isn’t that different from the wind on our faces when riding a bike (Yes, he’s previously mentioned that.) In fact, there are some “planes” powered by biking.
Our next section is “Check It Out,” about a guy who makes kites with kids. It’s mostly a montage of kids flying the kites.
Now we’re on to natural flight — birds. It’s also just a small 20-second clip of a goose flying.
Nye moves on to helicopters because their wings differ slightly from planes or birds. Their “wings” are rotary blades at the top of the body, but the principle is the same. Here, Nye mentions that objects stay aflight when they have an “angle of attack.” This was the only thing in the principle of flight that confused me.
After that, the kids then show us a couple of experiments to replicate the principle at home.
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Ha, I had forgotten the songs were parodies of hits. Here, we have “Nyevana” singing “Smells Like Air Pressure.”
Finally, Nye recaps the entire episode — or at least the way that everything that can fly flies.
Does It Live Up to the Nostalgia?
Heck ya. So, while I was bored a few minutes in because, as an adult, I learned the principle the first time Nye explained it, I see how the repetitive method is so good for kids. Nye and co. repeat the same information in a bunch of different ways (over and over) and it’s so clever, such a wonderful way to teach science to kids. On top of that, there’s a real humor here. I hope teachers still use this show to teach — as long as the science is current.
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That’s it for Bill Nye the Science Guy. What should we cover on the next Millennial Misremembers? Let us know in the comments below!
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/kratts-creatures-90s-kids-tv-show-martin-kratt-chris-kratt-review/
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