The way things work

The inhabitants of Mammoth Island are trying to find the best method to weigh their heaviest mammoths. A young islander is inspired to try a simple machine called a lever to get the job done. Three classes of levers are then explored.

The inhabitants of Mammoth Island investigate how wheels and axles can be used to amplify force, and how they come in handy when it is time for a mammoth's bath.

The Islanders look at how devices such as conventional telephones, fax machines, and cell phones operate.

Two young Islanders enlist the help of a visiting inventor to build a machine to make the rides at the amusement park more exciting. They decide to build a steam engine, a device that converts heat energy into mechanical energy.

The Islanders hunt for the mammoths in a giant canyon and reveal what happens to a sound as it is made, travels, bounces, and eventually reaches our ears.

While creating a submarine, the inhabitants of Mammoth Island discover that it is density that determines whether an object sinks, not weight or mass.

The Islanders discover useful tools that operate by manipulating pressure, such as straws, plungers, vacuums, and jack hammers.

Searching for a time-saving alternative from painted portraits, the gang from Mammoth Island discovers how light, lenses, and chemicals can be used to produce photographs.

The Islanders uncover the principles behind wind, string, brass, and percussion instruments and the various sounds that they produce.

Explains how light behaves, and examines a variety of devices that use light to help us see images correctly.