Physical phenomena
A phenomenon is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which cannot be directly observed.
5 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Nuclear Fusion
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and science of nuclear fusion, the process that powers stars.
30 October 2014
Featuring: Philippa Browning, Steve Cowley, Justin Wark
Radiation
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of the discovery of radiation, from the idea that light consisted of waves, through electromagnetism to the naming of gamma rays.
12 November 2009
Featuring: Jim Al-Khalili, Frank Close, Frank James
Superconductivity
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ideas about why some materials lose their electrical resistance at low temperatures and expel their magnetic field and why that matters.
26 January 2023
Featuring: Nigel Hussey, Suchitra Sebastian, Stephen Blundell
The Vacuum of Space
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Vacuum of Space, from the innards of the atom to the outer reaches of space.
30 April 2009
Featuring: Frank Close, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Ruth Gregory
Time
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time. Does it exist independently of our perception of it, or is it merely a figment of our imagination?
30 December 1999
Featuring: Neil Johnson, Lee Smolin