Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

Philip Morrison: Gulliver's laws: The Physics of Large and Small

In the 1968 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, physicist Phillip Morrison explores the science of scale through the eyes of Jonathan (also known as Dean) Swift's classic book, Gulliver's Travels.

Where to Watch Philip Morrison: Gulliver's laws: The Physics of Large and Small

6 Episodes

  • The World of Captain Gulliver
    E1
    The World of Captain GulliverPhilip Morrison discusses the arithmetic of large and small numbers, the geometry of size, and the nature of length, area and volume.
  • Meat and Drink Sufficient for 1728 Lilliputians
    E2
    Meat and Drink Sufficient for 1728 LilliputiansCould Gulliver have eaten the food of 1728 Lilliputians? Philip Morris explores big and small systems, using mice, men and elephants as models.
  • A Prodigious Leap?
    E3
    A Prodigious Leap?Philip Morrison studies the walking, running, floating, and swimming, by large animals and small, and in man-made vehicles of all kinds.
  • Lilliput and Brobdingnag Since the Industrial Revolution
    E4
    Lilliput and Brobdingnag Since the Industrial RevolutionWhat would our technology look like if we were the size of men in Gulliver's voyages?
  • Dwarf and Giant Numbers
    E5
    Dwarf and Giant NumbersFrom the arithmetic of ratios to the science of numbers themselves, Philip Morris explores the importance of small and large numbers.
  • Beyond the Map
    E6
    Beyond the MapBy working with scales, we have seen that the laws of mechanics and electricity are not the only laws of physics. In the final lecture, Philip Morris explores a new physics, voyaging far beyond where Gulliver's ship could sail.

 

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