The Ghost Nabbers have found the apparition of Biker Bob! Really? Students explore the electromagnetic spectrum to analyze and decide:
Are the Nabbers faking the physics, or is Biker Bob for real?
A legend was born the night Biker Bob crossed the centerline and skidded into the great beyond. Now the popular TV show "Ghost Nabbers" claims it has proof the tall tales are true.
Put your students on the case. They’ll analyze the science to decide if there’s even a ghost of a chance that Biker Bob really is haunting the highway.*
Designed to complement middle grades physical science and high school physics curricula, Haunted! Or Hoax? engages students in explorations of:
It takes just a basic understanding of physics to answer questions like those when they pop up while watching TV.
Adam Weiner, an educator, author and consultant with the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange, collaborated with Texas Instruments to develop STEM Behind Hollywood‘s superhero and ghost activities.
As an educator, he leverages his interest in connections between popular culture and STEM† education to engage his students in concepts and principles in physical science.
For instance, he analyzes movie scenes with his students to illustrate the magic of science on the screen. This experience led to his authoring the book “Don’t Try This at Home! The Physics of Hollywood Movies.”
“The book came out of an annual class project we started years ago, in which students took scenes from movies and applied their knowledge of physics to deconstruct them. They really had fun with it, and I saw it as an opportunity to reach a broader audience,” he recalls. His fondness for words continued as a contributing writer for "Popular Science" magazine online.
Along with teaching and writing, public speaking is another outlet for his love of all things science. Adam has imparted his expertise nationwide at impressive educational and entertainment venues. They include the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; Comic-Con; the USA Science and Engineering Festival; and the National Science Teachers Association.
*Texas Instruments and the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange know of no scientifically valid evidence for the existence of ghosts.
†Science, technology, engineering and math
