Show What You Know (Episode 3: Matter)

Announcer (00:00):
It’s time for Show What You Know the podcast from Encyclopaedia Britannica, where kids get to test their knowledge and match their wits to win cool prizes! And now, all the way from Great Britain, here is the editor of the Britannica All New Kids' Encyclopedia and the host of Show What You Know, Christopher Lloyd.

Christopher Lloyd (00:25):
Hello, everyone. And welcome to Show What You Know. My name is Christopher Lloyd, and like many of you out there, I am a firm believer that the real world is far more amazing than anything you can make up. And sometimes the most ordinary things, the things that we take for granted in our lives are the most amazing of all. And I'm talking about matter, what everything of substance is made of, which also happens to be the subject of today's show.

Now, before we get started with our first quiz, let's review the ground rules. Each of our three contestants has received a chapter about matter from the Britannica All New Kids' Ecyclopedia: What We Know & What We Don't. They've each had 24 hours to study the chapter and prepare for the quiz. So now let's meet our three contestants and see what they've learned.

Announcer (01:26):
Contestant number one.

Samantha (01:28):
My name is Samantha. I am 12 years old, and I am from Newton, Massachusetts.

Announcer (01:34):
Contestant number two.

Zach (01:35):
Hello. My name is Zach. I am 10 years old, and I live in Manhattan beach, California.

Announcer (01:42):
Contestant number three.

Riley (01:44):
Hi, my name's Riley. I'm 11 years old, and I live in Evanston, Illinois.

Christopher Lloyd (01:49):
Are you guys ready to play Show What You Know?

Contestants (01:52):
Yeah.

Christopher Lloyd (01:54):
Okay! Our first quiz is called true or false. I'm going to give you all a series of statements and you have to tell me which ones are true and which ones are false. The first contestant to hit the buzzer and give the right answer gets one point. If you give the wrong answer, you lose one point. All right, here we go.

There are two main states of matter. Zach, you up quick on that buzzer there is that true or false?

Zach (02:32):
False.

Christopher Lloyd (02:33):
Do you know how many states of matter there actually are?

Zach (02:36):
There are three states of matter.

Christopher Lloyd (02:38):
Well done. Zach, you get one point. Congratulations. Here we go.

Question number two. Newborn babies are 78% water. Samantha. You were quick on the buzzer with that one. Is that statement true or false?

Samantha (02:53):
True.

Christopher Lloyd (02:54):
Phenomenal. Congratulations, Samantha. You get one point. All right. Here we are question number three.

Certain metals explode when they come into contact with water. Riley, you are like the speed of light. Tell us was that statement true or false?

Riley (03:13):
That was true.

Christopher Lloyd (03:14):
Very good. Congratulations. You get one point and here's our final question for round one. Are you ready?

Scientists measure low level radio activity in food in terms of Banana Equivalent Doses. And the first on the buzzer was Riley.

Riley (03:33):
Yeah, that is true.

Christopher Lloyd (03:35):
True. You are absolutely right. I was sure you were going to say false who would have thought it, but it is true that scientists measure radioactivity in food based on Banana Equivalent Doses. Isn't that incredible? Congratulations, Riley. You get one point. We're off to a great start.

Let's give a hearty cheer for the contestants. [Raspberry Cheer] No, not a raspberry cheer, a regular cheer! [Applause] That's what I'm talking about! Now, the next quiz is called...

Female V.O. (04:08):
Listified.

Christopher Lloyd (04:11):
And here's how it works. I'm going to read a list. And one of the things on the list doesn't belong there. After I finished reading the list, the first contestant to hit the buzzer and tell us what shouldn't be on the list wins the quiz. A correct answer is worth four points. So here we go.

There are four ways force can be applied on structures, which of these is not a type of force: compression, tension, sheer, torsion, or contraption.

Riley. You were first with your buzzer. Can you tell us which does not belong on that list?

Riley (04:54):
Contraption.

Christopher Lloyd (04:54):
Contraption. You're absolutely right. Contraption is not a force, but all the others are so Riley, you win four points.

Riley (05:01):
Thank you!

Christopher Lloyd (05:03):
Since we're talking about different types of force, I wonder if any of you know, why metal bends and glass breaks? Well, the person in this next ad thinks he has the answer. So let's see what he has to say. And then we'll be right back with more Show What You Know.

Male V.O. (05:27):
If any of you has got something that needs to get squashed then come see me, Bobby Hook, at Bobby Hook's Compacting Service. Our hydraulic press can squash a car in 30 seconds flat. [glass and metal breaking] That car's going bye-bye after I get done with it because once I squash a car, it stays squashed. And the reason it stays that way is because of those bonds between the atoms that hold the metal together with the right amount of force, you can push and bend metal around into just about any shape you want. When it comes to glass, that's a whole different story. Glass don't bend like metal, it shatters on account of the way the particles are bonded together. So bring your glass to me and I'll take care of business because nobody can squash nothing like Bobby Hook's Compacting Srvice. Just knock three times at the door. Tell him Bobby sent ya.

Christopher Lloyd (06:24):
Boy. I sure wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. So where were we? Oh, that's right. It's time to check the scores. So after our first two rounds, we'd see that Samantha has one point. Zach also has one point, but Riley is in the clear lead with six points. Congratulations Riley! That brings us to our next quiz...

Male V.O. (06:51):
Phoney Baloney.

Christopher Lloyd (06:51):
We call it Phony Baloney because there are four incorrect things in the sentences. I'm about to read you. And when you hear the wrong thing, you have to shout "Baloney." So let's give it a try. Everyone shouts.

Contestants (07:09):
"Baloney!"

Christopher Lloyd (07:09):
Great. Now after you shout "Baloney," you can get an extra point if you tell me what the correct answer is, we'll start with contestant. Number one, Samantha. So Samantha, when you hear something that doesn't sound right. What do you shout?

Samantha (07:26):
"Baloney!"

Christopher Lloyd (07:26):
Okay! The subject, Samantha, is sound. Here we go.

Sound is the vibrations in the air that we can hear. The vibrations are called sound steps.

Samantha (07:42):
"Baloney!"

Christopher Lloyd (07:42):
Oh, what's the problem.

Samantha (07:44):
The vibrations are called sound waves. Not sound steps.

Christopher Lloyd (07:47):
Terrific. Well spotted Samantha. Fantastic. Okay, here we go.

The lowest frequency sounds called infrasound are easy for humans to hear.

Samantha (07:59):
"Baloney!"

Christopher Lloyd (07:59):
What's the problem with that Samantha?

Samantha (08:01):
Humans can't hear them only elephants and whales can hear them.

Christopher Lloyd (08:05):
Oh, that's very good. Indeed. You're right. Humans cannot hear infrasound, fantastic. Okay. Let's continue.

Sounds too high for human ears to hear are called mega screeches.

Samantha (08:18):
"Baloney!"

Christopher Lloyd (08:18):
What's the problem with that Samantha?

Samantha (08:20):
The high sound waves are called ultrasound.

Christopher Lloyd (08:23):
Very good. Not mega screeches.

When a plane flies faster than the speed of sound, it makes a loud noise, which is called a sonic burp.

Samantha (08:33):
"Baloney." It's called a sonic boom, not a sonic burp.

Christopher Lloyd (08:37):
Very good. Samantha. That's terrific. So we got all the way through there. You spotted all four incorrect statements by shouting out "Baloney" and giving me the correct answers, which means that you get eight points!

Samantha (08:51):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
Let's move on to Zach! Our contestant number two. Okay. Your subject is electricity. Here goes.

Electricity is the movement of electrons from one atom to the next. There are two kinds of electricity, guitar, electricity, and static, electricity.

Zach (09:12):
"Baloney."

Christopher Lloyd (09:14):
Oh, what's the problem.

Zach (09:15):
There's no such thing as guitar electricity.

Christopher Lloyd (09:18):
Oh, okay. So what should it be? We have static electricity. Do you know what the other type of electricity is?

Zach (09:24):
Um...

Christopher Lloyd (09:25):
It's known as current electricity.

Zach (09:28):
Oh, current.

Christopher Lloyd (09:29):
But you were quite right to spot the "Boloney" there with guitar electricity. We're going to continue now. Here it goes.

Static electricity is caused by a buildup of neutrons. Lightning is a form of static electricity. Earth experiences only one lightning strike every day.

Zach (09:47):
"Baloney."

Christopher Lloyd (09:48):
You're right! So how many lightning strikes do you think the earth experiences every day? Any idea?

Zach (09:54):
Ummm. Probably somewhere like around thousand, maybe more.

Christopher Lloyd (10:00):
Actually it's a lot more. In fact, it's about eight to 9 million lightning strikes, which is about a hundred every second, all the way round the world. Okay. Here's our last sentence. Are you ready?

Materials that allow electricity to flow through them easily are called positrons.

Zach (10:19):
I'm gonna NOT say "Baloney."

Christopher Lloyd (10:22):
Okay. Well, Zach, I have to say you did very well. Um, you spotted the guitar electricity is actually a "Baloney," but we corrected you with current electricity, but you didn't spot one, which is important, which is, we said that static electricity is caused by a buildup of neutrons. It's actually electrons, but you correctly said there wasn't only one lightning strike every day, but you didn't know that there were eight to 9 million strikes a day. And unfortunately that last sentence, the positrons that was incorrect. Materials that allow electricity to flow through them easily are actually called conductors. So Zach, at the end of that round, you'll have scored two points.

Zach (11:01):
Thank you.

Christopher Lloyd (11:05):
That leaves our last contestant, but not the least of course, Riley. And here we go. Riley, your subject is light.

Light is a form of energy that travels in waves of different wavelengths. We call a full range of these wavelengths, the electromagnetic hiccup.

[hiccup sounds]

Riley (11:26):
"Baloney."

Christopher Lloyd (11:26):
What's the problem with that Riley?

Riley (11:27):
It's not the electromagnetic hiccup. It's the electromagnetic spectrum.

Christopher Lloyd (11:31):
Excellent. Very good knowledge. You're quite right. Here we go. Let's continue.

The light that we can see is called eyeball light.

Riley (11:40):
"Baloney." It's not eyeball light. It's visible light.

Christopher Lloyd (11:43):
Visible! Of course it is visible light. We can see it. It's visible light. Excellent. Let me continue.

Radio waves are used to cook food.

Riley (11:51):
"Baloney."

Christopher Lloyd (11:52):
Okay. What did I say that was wrong?

Riley (11:54):
Radio waves. Aren't used to cook food. Microwaves are used to cook food.

Christopher Lloyd (11:58):
Excellent. Yeah. You don't try and cook a burger with your radio. Well done Riley. Here's our last sentence.

Sound travels as fast as the speed of light.

Riley (12:09):
"Baloney." Nothing in the universe travels as fast as light because light travels 300,000 kilometers per second.

Christopher Lloyd (12:15):
Wow. Brilliant, congradulations. Riley, you identified all the "Baloneys," and gave the correct answers.

Riley (12:21):
Thank you!

Christopher Lloyd (12:25):
So at a quick glance at our scoreboard and we see that Samantha is on nine points. Zach is on three points and Riley is still in the lead with 14. But remember, we still have two more quizzes to go. So all of these points are going to change. And now the next quiz... [Phone ringing]

That's strange. Somebody's trying to call me, let's see who it is. Hello?

Otto (12:52):
Hello, Christopher Lloyd. This is Otto.

Christopher Lloyd (12:55):
Oh, Otto. What a surprise. Everyone, uh, this is Otto. Otto is a robot from the International Center of Robotic Technology. The people who built Otto wanted to see how well he could adapt to new environments. So I agreed to let him stay at my house for a while. Otto, you'll have to call me back. I'm a little busy right now.

Otto (13:17):
This will not take long. I was laser scanning the chapter in the encyclopedia about matter. It said scientists make diamonds out of peanut butter. How is this possible?

Christopher Lloyd (13:27):
Well, uh, peanut butter is rich in carbon and carbon is also the mineral diamonds are made of, so the scientists performed an experiment where they squeezed peanut butter under high pressure to remove any oxygen.

Otto (13:41):
Did the experiment succeed?

Christopher Lloyd (13:42):
As a matter of fact, it did. They actually made diamonds out of peanut butter. Isn't that amazing. Now, Otto, I really have to get back to the show.

Otto (13:52):
Otto wants to make diamonds out of peanut butter, but Otto will add a new ingredient.

Christopher Lloyd (13:57):
Otto. What are you talking about?

Otto (13:59):
Have you heard of the fluffernutter sandwich? It is peanut butter with marshmallow fluff. Otto will make fluffernutter diamonds.

Christopher Lloyd (14:07):
Otto! I don't think this is a good idea.

Otto (14:10):
Too late Christopher Lloyd peanut butter and marshmallow fluff are already mixed together in the pressure cooker. The sound you hear is the sound of the pressure rising. [inaudible] Red alert! Red alert! My positronic brain is telling Otto something is not working.

Christopher Lloyd (14:37):
Otto! You need to stop this experiment right now before the pressure cooker…[explosion sound effect] Explodes.

Otto (14:39):
Christopher Lloyd, there's peanut butter in marshmallow fluff all over your kitchen. You can clean up this disgusting mess when you get home. Now I need to sit in the sun and recharge my solar panels. Have a nice day.

Christopher Lloyd (14:51):
Oh, so long Otto. I don't even want to think about what my kitchen must look like. Listen, everyone. It's great to do experiments, but Otto's experiment is definitely not something you should try at home. Okay? Moving on.

Female V.O. (15:10):
FACTastic.

Christopher Lloyd (15:10):
For this quiz. I am going to ask each contestant a series of 10 rapid fire questions. Every time you answer a question correctly, you get one point. If you don't know the answer, just say pass or don't know, and we'll move on. You each have 45 seconds to get through the questions. So let's begin Zack. We'll start with you.

Okay, Zach, here we go.

Question one: Atoms are made of subatomic particles called protons, neutrons, and what else?

Zach (15:43):
Electrons.

Christopher Lloyd (15:44):
Excellent. Which scientist and her husband discovered radioactive elements radium and polonium.

Zach (15:51):
Marie Curie.

Christopher Lloyd (15:53):
Excellent answer. Well done. What type of engine powers most modern automobiles and many other machines?

Zach (16:01):
The combustion engine.

Christopher Lloyd (16:03):
Very good. Which state of matter does not have a set size or shape?

Zach (16:09):
Gas.

Christopher Lloyd (16:10):
Excellent. What do we call the colored lights that appear in the night sky above the Arctic Circle?

Zach (16:16):
The northern lights.

Christopher Lloyd (16:18):
Very good. Traces of carbon turn iron into what?

Zach (16:23):
Steel.

Christopher Lloyd (16:24):
Brilliant. Well done. Okay. Well You did really well. Zach. I have to say that was fantastic. And you correctly answered six questions which gives you six points. Okay, Samantha, you're up next. Are you ready?

Samantha (16:40):
Yes.

Christopher Lloyd (16:40):
Here are your questions, Samantha starting now.

Which metal is liquid at room temperature.

Samantha (16:47):
Mercury.

Christopher Lloyd (16:48):
Excellent. What do we call a combination of atoms.

Samantha (16:51):
Molecules.

Christopher Lloyd (16:53):
Excellent. Who invented dynamite?

Samantha (16:55):
Alfred Nobel.

Christopher Lloyd (16:57):
Brilliant. Cold can change a liquid into what state?

Samantha (17:01):
Solid.

Christopher Lloyd (17:02):
Brilliant. What are the building blocks of proteins?

Samantha (17:06):
Amino acids.

Christopher Lloyd (17:08):
Good. What type of sound to bats use to locate prey and navigate?

Samantha (17:13):
Ultrasound.

Christopher Lloyd (17:14):
Wonderful. What simple machine is a rope wound around a wheel?

Samantha (17:20):
A pulley.

Christopher Lloyd (17:20):
Very good. What type of light can cause sunburn?

Samantha (17:24):
Ultra violent.

Christopher Lloyd (17:25):
Oo, that was a buzzer. You know what Sam, that was very, very good. Um, but I think you said for your last answer ultra violent, it's actually ultra violet. So I think Sam, we're going to give you seven points for seven correct answers, which is a terrific score. Congratulations, Samantha!

Samantha (17:42):
Thank you.

Christopher Lloyd (17:42):
Okay. We're in the home stretch. Riley, it's your turn. And here are your questions. Are you ready?

Riley (17:53):
Yeah.

Christopher Lloyd (17:54):
Okay. Here's your first question.

All life on earth is based on which element?

Riley (17:59):
Carbon.

Christopher Lloyd (18:00):
Brilliant. What is it called when particles split off from the nucleus of an atom?

Riley (18:08):
Radioactivity.

Christopher Lloyd (18:08):
Good! A molecule of water has two hydrogen atoms and one atom of which other element?

Riley (18:14):
Oxygen.

Christopher Lloyd (18:15):
Great! In which country was gunpowder first developed?

Riley (18:19):
China.

Christopher Lloyd (18:20):
Very good. What is sometimes called the fourth state of matter?

Riley (18:24):
Plasma.

Christopher Lloyd (18:25):
Very good. Which Italian scientists reportedly conducted gravity experiments from the leaning tower of Pisa.

Riley (18:34):
Galileo Galilei.

Christopher Lloyd (18:34):
Brilliant. Which element is used to make glass and microchips?

Riley (18:37):
...Crystals.

Christopher Lloyd (18:40):
Oh, that is the buzzer. That was so good. Riley. Just the last one is the one you slipped up on. You were almost right. The correct answer is silicone, which is what you were going to say, and you just hesitated. You scored a total of six points!

Riley (18:56):
Thank you!

Christopher Lloyd (19:00):
Wow. I need to take a break after that. And it's the perfect time too, because this is the part of the show where I get to relax and let our contestants ask the questions. And we have a very special guest with us today: Dr. Kimberly M. Jackson. Dr. Jackson is the chair and an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. And she has been working on a potential cure for prostate cancer, with some surprising results. She was also a contributor to the Britannica All New Kids' Ecyclopedia: What We Know & What We Don't. Hello, Dr. Jackson!

Dr. Kimberly M. Jackson (19:42):
Hello, Chris. Nice to meet you and lovely to be here today.

Christopher Lloyd (19:46):
Well, thank you so much for coming on Show What You Know, and we've got some terrific contestants here and I know they're super eager to ask you that questions. So Samantha, why don't we start with you? What would you like to ask Dr. Jackson?

Samantha (20:00):
I know cancer is a very bad disease. Have you found any other cures using plants?

Dr. Kimberly M. Jackson (20:05):
Oh, what a wonderful question, Samantha. So actually, yes, I've been working with a small licorice plant and a small component of licorice and this particular product has yielded wonderful results with prostate cancer has been able to stop certain prostate cancers in humans to stop growing.

Christopher Lloyd (20:26):
Wow. Fascinating. That's great. Samantha. That was an amazing question. And I know lots of listeners will be fascinated to hear Dr. Jackson's answer to that. So, Riley, do you have a question for Dr. Jackson?

Riley (20:38):
Yes. So what properties made you think about using licorice root as a potential cure for prostate cancer?

Dr. Kimberly M. Jackson (20:44):
Riley, thank you for that wonderful question. I've always been interested in studying plant products to cure cancer. And so one day I went to a health food store and I saw someone chewing on a licorice root. They were actually brushing their teeth with it. And then I went back to the lab and I started unpacking the properties of that particular product, and I was able to find that there was a small little product that could actually cure cancer.

Christopher Lloyd (21:12):
Oh, that is amazing. It's a great question, Riley. Okay. So we come on to Zach. What is your question for Dr. Jackson?

Zach (21:18)
How does Coronavirus affect your work?

Dr. Kimberly M. Jackson (21:24):
Oh, what a wonderful question, Zach. So because of the Coronavirus, I have been home doing work, so I'm not able to go in the lab and work with my students and research cells and research plants that can help cells. So Coronavirus has really affected me because now as a scientist, I have to do other types of research. So I've been doing research on the computer. So what a wonderful question Zach.

Christopher Lloyd (21:52):
Really great question. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Jackson, we've been absolutely honored and privileged to have you on the show. Uh, and we hope you can stay with us because we're coming up to the last question of the game!

Male V.O. (22:03):
Bonus Round

Christopher Lloyd (22:07):
Right! Now, so looking at our leader board, as we head into the final round, we have Riley who is on 20 points. We have Sam who is in second place on 16 points. And we have, Zach who is in third place with nine points. But each of you can double your score if you give the right answer to this next question. And this one is a little different from the other questions, because it's less about facts and more about using your imagination. Now I am going to ask you to listen to a song. And as you're listening to the song, send me a secret message telling me who or what the song is about. So everyone listen carefully. Here's the song.

SONG (22:57):
There’s a scientist known from the 1600’s
A physicist who led the way
He discovered the laws that govern things in motion
Named after him to this day

He showed how gravity pulls
The earth, the moon and ocean tides, too
So say his name that starts with “Sir”
What's the answer?
We’re waiting for you
To show that you know what you know!

Christopher Lloyd (23:43):
Wow, I love that song. Now. I've hope you've all been typing in your answers telling me what you think that song was about. And after you hear me count to three, I want you to press your buzzers and show me your answers. Are you ready?

Contestants (24:00):
Yes!

Christopher Lloyd (24:00):
One, two, three. Oh, that's amazing. We've got three correct answers. Zach, Riley, and Samantha you've all correctly guessed. Of course, it is Sir. Isaac Newton! Final scores are in! So we have Zach on 18 points in third place, and we have Samantha in second place with 32 points. Our winner this week with a final total of an amazing 40 points is Riley!

Riley (24:41):
Thank you!

Christopher Lloyd (24:46):
Before we hand out the prizes, I want to thank our contestants for playing Show What You Know. Riley, Zack, and Samantha, you three were awesome. And I hope you enjoyed being on the show as much as I enjoyed having you. So Kurt, why don't you tell our contestants what they won?

Announcer (25:04):
Thanks, Chris. For showing us what they know, each of our contestants will be receiving a copy of the Britannica All New Kids' Ecyclopedia: What We Know & What We Don't. They will also be receiving a year-long subscription to Britannica Kids On-line Premium, with over one million pages of fact-checked content, podcasts, videos, interactive coverage of major historical events and access to Britannica’s three-volume first edition. And our grand-prize winner will be receiving a six months subscription to KiwiCo, the company that empowers kids to explore, create, and have fun with hands-on building kits delivered monthly to their home.

Christopher Lloyd (25:47):
Thank you everyone for joining us today as we explored matter, we hope you can join us again next time when the topic will be the living world. Until then this is Christopher Lloyd reminding all of you that the real world is far more amazing than anything you can make up!

Announcer (26:06):
Sound engineer and editor for Show What You Know is Ryan Staples. Our Q&A researchers are Alison Eldridge, Joan Lackowski and Robert Green. Our production assistant is Emily Goldstein. Chris’s guests today were Samantha, Zachary, and Riley. The music was by Jacob Denny. Original songs were by Dennis Scott. Show What You Know was written, directed and produced by Rick Siggelkow. Our executive producer is Rick Livingston, and I’m your announcer Kurt Heintz. This program is copyrighted by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated. All rights reserved.