Now showing
Why Do Things Differ (1957)
About this film
Through the cross section of a stump you will read the events in the life of an 80 year old Scarlet Oak tree. You will see how insects, weather, hurricanes, and urbanization have affected the life of a tree. You will see the parts of the tree trunk described as to the function they serve in the life of a tree. Finally, experiments will illustrate and explain how the tree accomplishes the amazing engineering feat of lifting great quantities of water high into the air. The theories of air pressure, root pressure and capillary action will be shown to the inadequate explanations while the lifting power of osmosis and absorption in the leaves, tugging on a rope of water constantly held in the trunk is the most satisfactory explanation. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Directors & creators
WGBH Educational Foundation
Subjects
public broadcasting, AAPB, Charles Darwin, Theory of Evolution, Natural Selection, The Origin of Species, HMS Beagle, Biodiversity, Natural History, Zoology, Fossils, Paleontology, Scientific Exploration, Biological Adaptation, Taxonomy, Biogeography, History of Science, Species Variation, Victorian Era Science, Discovery Series, Specimen Collection, Scientific Method, Biology, Emma Wedgwood
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