MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Welcome

Welcome to the BLOSSOMS Video Library!

All of the lessons in this library have been contributed by BLOSSOMS partners from around the world, including educators from MIT and institutions in Jordan, Pakistan, and other partnering countries.

We invite you to watch the Teacher’s Guide Video Segment included with each lesson to learn more about it. The final segment of each BLOSSOMS video lesson is a one-on-one conversation between you and the “virtual teacher.” In this Teacher's Guide Segment, the virtual teacher discusses the learning objectives of the lesson and shares ideas on ways to conduct the in-class activities that will engage students during the breaks between video segments.

Some of these videos are available with Closed Captioning, which can be useful for translation purposes. If you do not want Closed Captioning, you can shut it off by clicking on the CC at the bottom of the screen.

Mathematics

Amazing Problems: Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences

Mathematics

This lesson aims to introduce arithmetic sequences and geometric sequences to...
Arabesque: Where Art Meets Mathematics

Mathematics

The main objective of this lesson is to illustrate an important application of...
Are Random Triangles Acute or Obtuse?

Mathematics

This learning video deals with a question of geometrical probability. A key...
Connections in the Plane without Crossing

Mathematics

This lesson presents interesting and challenging problems in Graph Theory,...
Counting Systems

Mathematics

This video aims to explain counting systems (Decimal, Binary, and Hexadecimal...
Fabulous Fractals and Difference Equations

Mathematics

This learning video introduces students to the world of Fractal Geometry...
Flaws of Averages

Mathematics

This learning video presents an introduction to the Flaws of Averages using...
Flu Math Games

Mathematics

This video lesson shows students that math can play a role in understanding how...
Guess the Last Ball: An Exercise in Mathematical Modeling

Mathematics

This video lesson uses the technique of induction to show students how to...
Is Bigger Better? A Look at a Selection Bias that Is All Around Us

Mathematics

This learning video addresses a particular problem of selection bias, a...
Optimizing Your Diet: What Linear Programming Can Tell You!

Mathematics

In this video lesson, students will learn about linear programming (LP) and...
Probability Theory

Mathematics

The main objective of this lesson is to motivate students’ thoughts and...
Pythagoras and the Juice Seller

Mathematics

This video lesson presents a real world problem that can be solved by using the...
Rational versus Irrational Numbers

Mathematics

The scope of this video lesson consists in studying the sets of Rational and...
Selfish Drivers: The Braess Paradox and Traffic Planning

Mathematics

The idea of this lesson is to introduce, in a simplified manner, the so-called...
Sorting Algorithms

Mathematics

This lesson is about sorting algorithms and the methods used to sort lists of...
Taking Walks, Delivering Mail: An Introduction to Graph Theory

Mathematics

This learning video presents an introduction to graph theory through two fun,...
The Art of Approximation in Science and Engineering: How to Whip Out Answers Quickly

Mathematics

The purpose of this learning video is to show students how to think more freely...
The Broken Stick Experiment: Triangles, Random Numbers and Probability

Mathematics

This learning video is designed to develop critical thinking in students by...
The Geometry of Parabolic Sand Dunes

Mathematics

One of the main problems facing Saudi Arabia and many other countries in the...
The Mailman and the Five Packages: Data Packets and Data Transfer Speed

Mathematics

This lesson will explain the process of data transfer throughout computer...
The Mathematics of Cryptography

Mathematics

This video lesson provides a more advanced approach to cryptography than the...
The Mathematics of Voting

Mathematics

The goal of this video lesson is to teach students about new and exciting ways...
The Power of Exponentials, Big and Small

Mathematics

Exponential growth is keenly applicable to a variety of different fields...
The Pythagorean Theorem: Application and Proof

Mathematics

In this video lesson, students will not only learn about Pythagoras and the...
The Quadratic Equation: It’s Hip to Be Squared

Mathematics

This lesson aims to help students with quadratic functions y = ax2 + bx + c....
The Towers of Hanoi: Experiential Recursive Thinking

Mathematics

This lesson is about the Towers of Hanoi problem, a classic famous problem...
Who Do You Know? The Theory Behind Social Networking

Mathematics

This video lesson will introduce students to algorithmic thinking through the...
Why Beehive Honeycombs Have a Hexagonal Shape

Mathematics

Beavers are generally known as the engineers of the animal world. In fact the...

Engineering

Building Cryptosystems

Engineering

This video module presents an introduction to cryptography – the method...
Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Engineering

This video lesson introduces students to the worlds of engineering innovation...
Quantifying the Energy Associated with Everyday Things and Events

Engineering

This lesson is about energy and how it manifests itself in every day things...
The Magic Picture: Steganography in Bitmap Files

Engineering

This video aims to connect many topics in computer science to reach the writing...
The Stroboscopic Effect

Engineering

This module is about a particular effect of the frequency, which is the...
Using Geometry to Design Simple Machines

Engineering

This video is meant to be a fun, hands-on session that gets students to think...

Physics

Can Earthquakes Be Predicted?

Physics

This learning video uses a simple analog setup to explore why earthquakes are...
Fingerprinting Gravity

Physics

This very interactive video lesson uses the Simple Pendulum experiment to...
Free Fall

Physics

This video lesson is an example of "teaching for understanding" in...
Galaxies and Dark Matter

Physics

This video lesson has the goal of introducing students to galaxies as large...
Gravity Assist or Stealing a Planet's Angular Momentum and Getting Away With It

Physics

This video lesson will present Gravity Assist, or what is wrongly referred to...
Gravity at Work

Physics

This video lesson highlights how science can be learned from daily life...
Ice Skater’s Delight: The Conservation of Angular Momentum

Physics

This learning video describes within an action orientation certain often...
Measuring Distances in the Milky Way

Physics

The main aim of this lesson is to show students that distances may be...
Physics of Donkey Carts

Physics

This video lesson explores Newton’s Third Law of Motion through...
Plasma: the Fourth State of Matter

Physics

In this video lesson, students will achieve the following learning objectives:...
Static and Kinetic Friction Forces: Similarities and Differences

Physics

This lesson is about the importance of friction in our lives. It discusses the...
Static Equilibrium

Physics

This video lesson will focus on systems that are said to be in equilibrium...
The Mystery of Motion: Momentum, Kinetic Energy and Their Conversion

Physics

In this video lesson, the concept of momentum applied to hard-body collisions...
The Parallax Activity: Measuring the Distances to Nearby Stars

Physics

Determining the position of a star or other object in three-dimensional space...
The Physics of Boomerangs

Physics

This learning video explores the mysterious physics behind boomerangs and other...
The Physics of Pool

Physics

The objective of this lesson is to illustrate how a common everyday experience...
The Physics of Racing Cars

Physics

This video lesson discusses how a few simple physics concepts can help in...
The Science of Soap Bubbles

Physics

As magic and ephemeral as they may seem, soap bubbles are a magnificent example...
Uniform Circular Motion and Centrifugal Force

Physics

The objective of this video lesson is to correct the misconception in the...

Biology

Antioxidant Enzymes: Three or Four Veggies a Day Keeps Aging Away

Biology

The purpose of this video lesson is to expand the student’s knowledge...
ATP: The Fuel of Life

Biology

The goal of this lesson is to introduce students who are interested in human...
Biotechnology: Can It Help in Making the Desert Green?

Biology

This learning video introduces high school students to a topic they would not...
Blood: The Stuff of Life

Biology

The purpose of this lesson is to teach students about blood and its components...
Classifying Animals by Appearance Versus DNA Sequence

Biology

The topic of this video module is how to classify animals based on how closely...
Discovering Genes Associated with Diseases and Traits in Dogs

Biology

In this video module, students learn how scientists use genetic information...
Discovering Medicines, Using Robots and Computers

Biology

Scientists who are working to discover new medicines often use robots to...
From Teenage to Old Age: How Cancer Develops Over Time

Biology

This lesson focuses on: how cancer is caused by mutations that accumulate over...
Geologic Time: The Ticking of Our Planet’s 4.6 Billion Year Clock

Biology

The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. That’s a hard number to conceptualize...
How Does Biotechnology Help Clean Up The Environment?

Biology

The objective of this lesson is to introduce students to one of the most...
How Mosquitoes Fly in the Rain

Biology

In this lesson, we learn how insects can fly in the rain. The objective is to...
How Scientific Teams Develop New Anti-Cancer Drugs

Biology

In this lesson, students will see first-hand how all different kinds of...
Making It Personal: Using DNA to Tailor Cancer Treatments

Biology

This lesson focuses on different anti-cancer drugs, including chemotherapy and...
Methods for Protein Purification

Biology

This Protein Purification video lesson is intended to give students some...
Plants and Environmental Resources

Biology

Earth contains a variety of plants to provide food, medicine and, most...
Roots, Shoots, and Wood

Biology

The topic of photosynthesis is a fundamental concept in biology, chemistry, and...
The Case of the Stolen Painting: A Forensic Mystery

Biology

This video was conceived around the idea that students, particularly students...
The Construction of Proteins

Biology

This lesson examines cell construction and functionality, specifically looking...
The Disease of Our Time: Diabetes

Biology

This lesson presents a comprehensive overview of diabetes, including the causes...
The Genetic Basis of Inheritance and Variation

Biology

The topic of this video module is genetic basis for variation among humans. The...
The King of Dinosaurs or a Chicken Dinner? One Paleontologist’s Quest to Activate Atavistic Genes and Create a Dinosaur

Biology

This lesson uses the fundamentals of protein synthesis as a context for...
The Olive Propagation Problem

Biology

In this video lesson, students will learn about the DNA fingerprinting of...
The Respiratory System of Birds

Biology

This video aims to provide an illustrative lesson about the respiratory system...
Tissue Specific Gene Expression

Biology

How is it that all cells in our body have the same genes, yet cells in...
Using DNA to Identify People

Biology

This lesson focuses on the molecular biology technique of DNA fingerprinting:...
What’s in an Eye?  The Eye’s Components and the Diseases that Affect Them

Biology

The major purpose of this lesson is to promote the learning of eye function by...
Wind and Sand

Biology

The goal of this video lesson is to relate physics principles to natural...
Yeasts, Molds and Mushrooms

Biology

This video lesson examines the many beneficial aspects of a very important...

Chemistry

Catalytic Converter

Chemistry

This video lesson aims to motivate students about chemistry and to raise their...
How Cold Is Cold: Examining the Properties of Materials at Lower Temperatures

Chemistry

This video is the second lesson in the How Cold Is Cold?  BLOSSOMS series...
How Cold is Cold: What is Temperature?

Chemistry

This video lesson is part of a two-part series and introduces the concept of...
How Much Small Is Small?

Chemistry

This video lesson introduces students to the concept of size. It looks at how...
Is There a Connection between Water Desalination and Making Pickles?

Chemistry

The objective of this lesson is to get students acquainted with the basic...
Plastics and Covalent Chemical Bonds

Chemistry

In this lesson, we discuss the distribution of electrons in a carbon atom,...
Recognizing Chemical Reactions

Chemistry

What do all chemical reactions have in common? Most students describe a...
Sustainable Energy: Can Water be the Future Fuel?

Chemistry

The main objective of this video lesson is to bring the students' attention to...
Why Are the Sky Blue and the Leaves Green?

Chemistry

This learning video is designed to encourage students to be curious about...