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STEAM daydream podcast

a shocking truth

Season 2, Episode 1

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a shocking truth

episode description


Once a year, the Science Is Magic Club accepts applications for new members and requires that applicants explain the science that powers their tricks. When a particularly illusive applicant named Harriet Whodini refuses to reveal the source of her shocking ability to zap people, Aubrey, Andre, and 12-year-old Kid Investigator Megha are called in to investigate.

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featured in this episode


meet our kid investigator

meet our kid investigator

Megha M. (she/her)

  • from Alexandria, Virginia
  • 12-years-old
  • favorite school subject: history



meet our expert

meet our expert

Jocelyn Bosley

  • Curator of Funsize Physics
  • fun fact: "Atoms are so small that you would need to stack 1,000,000 atoms to equal the thickness of a sheet of paper!"

education standards


next generation science standards

  • 3-PS2-3 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions: Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.

vocabulary


  • atoms:

    the smallest building blocks of matter which are made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons

  • electrons:

    negatively charged particles that circle around the nucleus of an atom

  • protons:

    positively charged particles found in the nucleus of an atom

  • neutrons:

    particles found in the nucleus of an atom that has no electrical charge

  • electricity:

    the flow of electrons and protons

  • static electricity:

    the buildup of electrons that results in a negative charge

  • positive charge:

    a charge that exists when there are more protons than electrons in an object

  • negative charge:

    a charge that exists when there are more electrons than protons in an object

  • friction:

    the force of resistance when one object rubs against another

  • discharge:

    the flow of electrons from one charged object to another object that restores the balance of protons and electrons