Explain that Stuff

Welcome to Explain that Stuff... in podcast form! Yes, by popular request, an audio version of the easy-to-understand science website you can listen to round the house or on the move. We cover the basics of how things work, cutting-edge science, cool gadgets, and computers. Unlike other websites, the emphasis is on explaining things simply and clearly so you can actually understand them. Not masses of facts and unnecessary details. Just clear, simple explanation. We teach stuff the way a teacher would, by building out from what you know already. Please subscribe and stay tuned...
Episodes
Episodes



Saturday May 10, 2025
Reinventing instruments - how music synthesizers work
Saturday May 10, 2025
Saturday May 10, 2025
If you can play an electronic keyboard, you can play not just any instrument in the orchestra but any instrument you can possibly imagine. But how exactly do keyboards - music synthesizers - work?



Saturday May 03, 2025
Sea change - how OTEC turns ocean energy into useful power
Saturday May 03, 2025
Saturday May 03, 2025
There's enough heat energy in the oceans to meet our energy needs many times over, but can we harness it effectively? In this week's episode, we look at OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) - making electricity from temperature differences in the seas.



Saturday Apr 26, 2025
Driving through time - a brief history of cars
Saturday Apr 26, 2025
Saturday Apr 26, 2025
How did we get from the wild horse to the horseless carriage - in other words, the modern car - in about 5000 years? Here's a half-hour, whistle-stop tour of automobile history!



Saturday Apr 19, 2025
ICYMI: Smashing atoms - making power from nuclear fusion
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
Saturday Apr 19, 2025
Nuclear power plants make about 10 percent of the world's energy by splitting atoms apart, but they have a very mixed history. So what about nuclear fusion, a better kind of nuclear power, that joins atoms together? We explain how it works... and look at whether it can deliver enough power to solve the energy crisis and climate change.



Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Living in a material world - a quick guide to materials science
Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Why don't we build houses from leather or planes from glass? Many of life's problems boil down to putting the right material in the right place - which is what materials science and technology is all about.



Saturday Apr 05, 2025
Let there be light - the science of candles
Saturday Apr 05, 2025
Saturday Apr 05, 2025
A candle is an ingenious chemical factory that converts hydrocarbon molecules into light. Which part is hottest? Which is brightest? Can you burn a candle in space? Do candles make harmful pollution?



Saturday Mar 29, 2025
Why do tiny bullets do so much damage?
Saturday Mar 29, 2025
Saturday Mar 29, 2025
Today, a look at the science behind bullets - how do they work and how are they designed to do maximum damage when they hit the target?



Saturday Mar 22, 2025
Whatever happened to 3d TV?
Saturday Mar 22, 2025
Saturday Mar 22, 2025
It's just over a decade since The New York Times declared 3D TV "an expensive flop". How did it work, why didn't it catch on... and will it make a comeback in future?