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Explore the fascinating world of atoms and the unusual properties of liquids in this 55-minute Christmas Lecture from The Royal Institution, recorded on December 1, 1979. Discover how atoms in solids are packed in regular patterns to form crystals, providing hints about atomic existence, and learn about the forces that molecules exert on each other in solids and liquids. Witness these molecular forces demonstrated through practical applications like water-proofing and dishwashing. Use a thin sheet of oil to determine the size of a single molecule and then calculate the size of an atom, observe the effects of water molecules bombarding a visible target, and examine strange behaviors of liquids turning to vapor including boiling phenomena, mountain cookery difficulties, and water simultaneously boiling and freezing. Understand why atoms are impossible to see with ordinary light due to wavelength limitations, while building toward the promise of "seeing" atoms through indirect experimental methods in later lectures. Experience demonstrations of liquid suddenly vanishing into gas and encounter what may be the largest drop of water imaginable. Learn about logarithmic scaling systems used to represent the vast range of sizes from people down to atoms, similar to musical octaves and human perception of brightness and sound. Gain foundational knowledge about atomic theory through this experimental "circus" that makes indirect atomic knowledge more accessible and builds confidence in understanding these fundamental building blocks of matter.
