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3-2-1 Contact
Season 1 • Episode 55 • Surfaces: The Atmosphere
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3-2-1 Contact Season 1, Episode 55: Surfaces: The Atmosphere
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Episodes
64 episodes
Noisy/Quiet: Production & Processing of Sound
A sixty-second tease introduces the cast and previews some of their scientific adventures. This is followed by a four-minute film showing the recording of the 3-2-1 Contact theme. (See Quotes.) While Lisa and Marc talk on a steel-can telephone of the youth, Trini tries to fool them with ""Stan the Robot."" But nobody is fooled, thanks to a device that maps out sound patterns. Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak.ANIMATIONS: Telephones; human voice.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Educated Pig,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a pig that can supposedly answer multiple-choice questions.
30 min
Noisy/Quiet: The Ear
Same 60-second tease as in first episode precedes an invasion of noises into Marc's world. Knowing that ""noise annoys,"" Marc illustrates (with a decibel reader) that loud noises can damage people's hearing. Lisa shows Trini that a cactus needle can be used as a record needle. When Marc returns, he gives a private message that Trini picks up on a parabolic microphone. Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf.ANIMATION: Sound vibrations.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow, Part One."" A professor introduces to a group of gamblers and The Bloodhound Gang a woman who seemingly predicts the future. She is hypnotized to write down the results of a future horse race, which the Professor seals and has mailed to The Bloodhound Gang the next day.
30 min
Noisy/Quiet: How People & Animals Use Sound
Lisa goes to Hawaii to see how dolphins use sonar. Another segment sees sonar of bats. Trini sees an ultrasound apparatus at work. The Bloodhound Gang finds a wrinkle in The Case of Princess Tomorrow.
30 min
Noisy/Quiet: Music
Dizzy Gillespie shows off his jazz talents. Trini checks out the behind-the-scenes work at a Kiss concert. The Bloodhound Gang cracks the Case of Princess Tomorrow.
30 min
Noisy/Quiet: Range of Vibration
Lisa, Marc, and Trini are given a puzzle. They hear a bell ring and, as instructed, put the bell in a closed jar and take out some of the air with a vacuum pump. Since they don't hear the ringing, they begin to wonder: Is the bell broken?
30 min
Forces and Motion
Trini becomes concerned when and where a hurricane is projected to strike. Marc visits Six Flags Great America to learn the mechanics and design of roller-coasters and talks to Frisbee-throwing champion John Kirkland. He also checks out a stuntman-in-training. Lisa rides in a glider.Film insert: animal force in motion.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part One."" An old lady's life savings is stolen from her attic. Did the culprit weigh 264 pounds, as a found weight card suggests? (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Forces and Fields
Hurricane Rufus is turning inland, heading toward the workshop. This prompts Trini to give a brief description of a hurricane. Jerome Barkum of the New York Jets visits the workshop to discuss human force of football. In turn, Trini shows everyone about how a lever can be manipulated. On location, Trini sees a ten-year-old figure skater. Marc trips up a weightlifter in a tug of war, thanks to a little smarts and a lot of grease. Kurt Thomas gives Marc a pointer on gymnastics.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part Two."" Vikki reveals that the weight card reading 264 pounds, was designed to throw them off the scent. They discover the real culprits, both of whom faked the weight card in preparation for the heist.
30 min
Forces: Buoyancy and Gravity
Hurricane Rufus is now abutting the workshop. Trini prepares herself with a lifeboat. She proves to Marc and Lisa that boats will float because of their shape. Trini gets a lesson in scuba diving and why some things sink or float. She also rides the Goodyear Blimp. Marc goes on his own underwater adventure at the Miami Seaquarium.ANIMATION: ""The Sinking Lesson"" on how submarines can sink and float.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part One."" A clock collector files an insurance claim that a precious clock has been stolen. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Forces and Machines
Hurricane Rufus strikes the workshop. Calmer discussion of the Earth's forces are seen at a circus, in the paths of satellites, and at the Bay of Fundy. The Bloodhound Gang teams up to solve ""The Case of the Flying Clock.""
30 min
Forces: A Spectacle of Forces
REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Roller coaster design; stuntman; orbiting satellites. Also: what forces propel a bicycle.
30 min
Growth/Decay: Sex and Seeds
Marc learns about the growth of corn and pigs at the Bakers Akers farm. Trini sits in on an expectant mother's ultrasound. At the Bronx Zoo, Lisa goes on the rounds with a young veterinarian feeding baby animals.Film inserts: Time-lapse growth of peanut plant and pea plant; kids explain the birth of tadpoles and their growth into frogs; the human embryo develops into a baby; human birth.ANIMATION: Human from conception to birth. (Concludes in next episode.)THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Secret Message, Part One."" Vikki recovers a lady's purse, which contains only a message written in salt-water solution. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Growth/Decay: Human Growth
Lisa arrives at a hospital to see treatment for a premature baby. Trini and others at Staten Island discuss adolescent changes. ANIMATIONS: Einstein images; Human from conception to birth through growth; average life spans of various species; What if kids grew at the same rate all the time?THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Secret Message, Part Two."" Remembering the coded message, now surrendered to Mr. Big, the Gang heads out to Tennessee Bay to help thwart a diamond-smuggling operation.
30 min
Growth/Decay: Decay
Lisa ventures into a sewage treatment plant in Chicago.Film inserts: Msima Spring in Kenya houses a massive food chain, and it all centers around hippos; the recycling of aluminum cans; leaf-cutter ants.ANIMATION: Gloria wants to be a mechanic.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound, Part One."" Mr. Bloodhound has been kidnapped prior to a trial, and he has sent a message which the gang deciphers. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Growth/Decay: Human Cultures/Land Forms
Lisa sees a volcano that is almost ready to erupt. Marc demonstrates a model volcano. Trini joins a group of young archaeologists uncovering fossils along the Illinois River.ANIMATIONS: The moving rocks of Earth; one billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound, Part Two."" Mr. Bloodhound has left behind another secret message for the gang, which leads them directly to the kidnappers.
30 min
Growth/Decay: Cycles Upon Cycles
REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Lisa sees a volcano that is almost ready to erupt. Marc learns about the growth of corn and pigs at the Bakers Akers farm. ANIMATION: One billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes; Gloria wants to be a mechanic; the moving rocks of Earth; average life spans of various species. Film insert: Leaf-cutter ants.Fresh items for end of week: Trini discovers how old car parts are reused. Lisa and Trini discover how Marc operates his volcano.
30 min
Fast/Slow: Speed Up, Slow Down
Trini and Lisa stage a surprise birthday party for Marc. It revolves around a tape recording which Marc must play at various speeds. Features Harry Blackstone's complex magic acts (with one trick slowed down).ANIMATION: How cartoons are made.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part One."" (Recycled from Forces: Buoyancy and Gravity) A clock collector files an insurance claim that a precious clock has been stolen. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Fast/Slow: Rhythms of Nature
Lisa gets some instructions on rhythms from a professional drummer and witnesses the wicked tides at the Bay of Fundy. Trini examines migratory birds. Marc learns about human heartbeats and how a pacemaker works. ANIMATION: Heartbeat. THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Flying Clock, Part Two."" Vikki sees through the clock collector's claim that he could identify the burglar. Ricardo recovers the precious flying clock.
30 min
Fast/Slow: Lifetimes
Recycled from Episode 12: Lisa arrives at a hospital to see treatment for a premature baby.A make-up artist transforms Marc into an old man, explaining human aging along the way. In a separate film sequence, members of a family remember the final stage of their grandfather's life.ANIMATIONS: Newborn baby to one-year-old; average life spans of various species.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part One."" The gang discovers a stolen mummy in the trunk of a car – and are locked themselves in the back of a van. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Fast/Slow: Speed and Racing
Marc and Lisa give Trini a psychological boost prior to Field Day. Lisa checks out a professional motorcycle racer (filmed Oct. 1979). Marc gets a lesson on tennis serves from Arthur Ashe and visits Six Flags in Jackson, New Jersey to see a roller-coaster designed. A boy's bicycle race is also shown. ANIMATION: Speed of various animals. THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part Two."" Using a pinhole camera effect with a piece of cardboard picking up light from a hole in the side of the van, the gang learns where the mummy is being stowed. They radio that information to the police after trapping the henchman.
30 min
Fast/Slow: Time and Time Again
REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Lisa checks out a professional motorcycle racer (filmed Oct. 1979) and witnesses the wicked tides at the Bay of Fundy. A make-up artist transforms Marc into an old man, explaining human aging along the way. ANIMATION: Speed of various animals.Fresh items for end of week: Karate is more than fights – it can be graceful dance called kata.ANIMATION: One billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes.
30 min
Communication: Human Communication
Marc and Lisa discover too late that Trini is stranded in the desert with an empty gas tank, setting the stage for three episodes. At Shea Stadium, Marc observes the Mets' signals. Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf to learn sign language. Mummenschanz performers (one of whom is called Dr. Rolls) provide messages Lisa doesn't understand.Film insert: ""Ways To Say I Love You"" song. ANIMATION: The history of communication.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost, Part One."" Mrs. Fairbanks refuses to believe that the curse of the Darjeeling Necklace, which she owns, is related to the ghost that appears outside her window. Vikki suspects the necklace will be stolen.
30 min
Communication: Animal Communication
Trini is still lost in the desert, despite several attempts to get messages across. Marc illustrates his expertise on bugs. He visits a researcher determining how bees communicate. More Mummenschanz performers appear.Recycled from Episode 3: Lisa gets a lesson in dolphin research at the University of Hawaii.ANIMATION: Moths use pheromones; fireflies.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost, Part Two."" Townsend, Mrs. Fairbanks's gardener, is surprised that his bottle of pheromones, used to trap moths in the area, is empty. It is a key to determining what the ghost is. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Communication: Machinery of Communication
After two days and contact, Marc sends out the Goodyear Blimp for Trini. Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak (intermixed with portion of Human Voice animation from Episode 1).Film insert: ""How A Television Works"" song (filmed at Connecticut Public Television with some stars of Sesame Street.ANIMATIONS: Sound vibrations; telephones.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The case of the Cackling Ghost, Part Three."" The gang discovers that Edmund had poured pheromones on a sheet to attract enough moths that would simulate the ghost.
30 min
Communication with Other Species
Trini returns from the desert. She gets in her first segment of the week, visiting the University of Tennessee, where an ape named Chantek learns sign language. Trini also checks out a giant telescope in Puerto Rico intent on picking up sounds from the galaxy. Different Mummenschanz performers theorize the way alien beings might communicate. In the workshop, everyone listens to the soundtrack of ""Earth Sounds,"" sent aboard Voyager I in 1977.ANIMATION: Robots from outer space observe what they think are human beings.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Dead Man's Pigeon,"" a one-shot adventure in which a lawyer is trying to swindle a niece from her inheritance.
30 min
Communication: Feedback
Trini recounts her attempts to send distress signals from the desert. Lisa and Marc remind her that her messages had to reach somebody for a good response.REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: At Shea Stadium, Marc observes the Mets' signals. He visits a researcher determining how bees communicate. In addition, Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak (intermixed with portion of Human Voice animation from Episode 1). Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf to learn sign language. Trini checks out a giant telescope in Puerto Rico intent on picking up sounds from the galaxy. ANIMATIONS: Moths use pheromones; the history of communication.
30 min
Food/Fuel: Animal Food
Trini decides to bring a pet to the workshop, but she didn't count on a friend bringing a wolf. At the Bronx Zoo, Lisa goes on the rounds with a young veterinarian feeding baby animals. FILM INSERT: Mzima Spring in Kenya houses a massive food chain, and it all centers around the hippopotamus. ANIMATION: How much would a shrew eat if he was the size of a person? THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Educated Pig,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a pig that can supposedly answer multiple-choice questions.
30 min
Food/Fuel: Human Food
Marc illustrates the truth about calories while baking a pizza. A group of school kids at Staten Island learn about nutrition. Lisa's cousin, a lumberjack, visits the workshop to demonstrate the ""horizontal chop.""ANIMATION: A concatenatious song on all the fuels that make up a winning bicyclist.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Mr. Q, Part One."" A rare hybrid seed is under ransom. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Food/Fuel: Growing and Processing Food
Lisa, Marc, and Trini have been invited to a canoe trek in Maine. They have difficulty at first trying to decide what food to bring. Marc learns about the growth of corn and pigs at the Bakers Akers farm. (This film is more complete than the footage found in Episode 11.) Lisa makes a loaf of bread in the shadows of a bread factory. Marc watches how a pizza is made. (More about the proprietor in Episode 60.) Film insert: Time-lapse of fruit rotting. (Wastes food, but makes great stock film.)THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Mr. Q, Part Two."" The gang keeps an all-out watch on anybody or anything slipping out of the laboratories. They follow a pigeon, who has been let out a window, and trace it to apprehend the mysterious Mr. Q.
30 min
Food/Fuel: Fueling Machines
True fuel is discussed in this episode, first with the 1980 phenomenon ""gasohol"" and with real gasoline at a motorcycle race. The gasohol segment takes Lisa to a rural factory where corn kernels, with enzymes and yeast, are fermented into alcohol to be mixed with gas. Lisa and the farmer then use it to drive a tractor. The Bloodhound Gang is confronted with ""The Case of the Dead Man's Pigeon.""
30 min
Food/Fuel: The Sun Makes Everything Go
RECYCLED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Gasohol, Baker's Akers, baking bread. Another sequence believed to be in this episode is a race of fuel efficiency between a school bus and a car (which is seen in the ehow called Big/Small: Volume & Efficiency.
30 min
Hot/Cold: People's Temperatures
Trini has been standing in the freezing cold, threatening to become almost as sick as Marc. Lisa gives a demonstration on feeling hot and cold. But the biggest surprise comes when Lisa brings in Vicky Johnson, an engineer who designs life-support systems for astronauts. On location: Lisa witnesses an infrared camera. Trini learns about protecting the human body from the cold while climbing a mountain.ANIMATION: Fahrenheit vs. Celsius.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Secret Message, Part One."" Vikki recovers a lady's purse, which contains only a message written in salt-water solution. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Hot/Cold: Animal and Plant Adaptations
The desert and polar regions demonstrate how plants and animals react to extreme heat or cold. The Bloodhound Gang unlocks ""The Case of the Secret Message.""
30 min
Hot/Cold: How Hot or Cold Can It Get?
Marc and Trini relate temperature to each other as they make ice cream and candied apples respectively. Lisa demonstrates extreme cold temperatures with liquid nitrogen. A ""volcano chaser"" visits the workshop to discuss volcanoes. On location, Lisa visits a glassblower. She also visits a volcano that is almost ready to erupt. (This is different from the footage used in Episode 14.)ANIMATION: Increasing heat of objects in degrees Celsius.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Professor's Fleas,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a flea circus that has had all its stars stolen.
30 min
Hot/Cold: Heat and Work
Lisa is bitter over her cold. As Marc and Trini try to warm her spirits, Lisa thinks back to her visits with the motorcyclist and the hot-air balloons. The Bloodhound Gang must work quickly to crack ""The Case of The One-Ton Jewel.""
30 min
Hot/Cold: Temperatures on Earth/In Space
A solar astronomer explains how the sun produces the seasons. He tells Marc that the sun is closer to Earth in winter than in summer, but the angle of sunlight is far different.REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Trini learns about protecting the human body from the cold while climbing a mountain. Lisa brings in Vicky Johnson, an engineer who designs life-support systems for astronauts. Marc uses a popcorn model to show what happens when you heat any object, whether it's solid, liquid, or gas. ADDITIONAL: Lisa takes a hot-air balloon ride and learns how a motorcycle burns fuel. Marc checks out a solar-power station.Film insert: Netsilik Eskimos.ANIMATION: The evolution of home heating.
30 min
Light/Dark: The Sun
Marc wants to set up a model solar system. To simulate the sun, he and the others get the largest light bulb they can buy. Only after they blow a fuse do they learn (from a guest) that what they really need is a dimmer. Among the show's adventures: Trini goes to Kitt Peak to see a telescope that looks at the sun. ""The Bloodhound Gang"" must decode a message to start ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound."" (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Light/Dark: Electromagnetic Spectrum
Trini follows the crew that sets up the lighting on a Kiss concert (recorded during their 1979 tour). At the workshop, Trini uses a prism to split white light into the color spectrum. Lisa witnesses an infrared camera. (Includes additional material not seen in Episode 31.) Marc learns that butterflies and flowers bear ultraviolet light.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part One."" (Recycled from Episode 18) The gang discovers a stolen mummy in the trunk of a car – and are locked themselves in the back of a van. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Light/Dark: The Eye
Everyone celebrates Trini's birthday with a piñata. Marc visits a visually-impaired boy navigating around his school and neighborhood. Trini discovers a boy whose vision was improved with a cornea transplant. FILM INSERT: How A Television Works song (filmed at Connecticut Public Television with some stars of Sesame Street. ANIMATION: How the eye sees. THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part Two."" (Recycled from the episode called Fast/Slow: Speed and Racing). Using a pinhole camera effect with a piece of cardboard picking up light from a hole in the side of the van, the gang learns where the mummy is being stowed. They radio that information to the police after trapping the henchman.
30 min
Light/Dark: Light Sources
Marc proposes to burn a hole through a piece of cardboard using a magnifying glass and the sun. It doesn't harm the cardboard, but Lisa and Trini get the message.REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Trini discovers a boy whose vision was improved with a cornea transplant. Trini uses a prism to split white light into the color spectrum. Lisa witnesses an infrared camera. Marc learns that butterflies and flowers bear ultraviolet light. Trini visits an observatory whose telescope studies the sun. ANIMATION: How the eye sees.ADDITIONAL: Lisa examines lasers. Marc encounters a solar-energy research lab.
30 min
Near/Far: Seeing Isn't Always Believing
Lisa and Trini enter an Eames Room to play tricks on Marc. Marc gets an up-close look at things through a scanning electron microscope. The Bloodhound Gang is called on to observe an apparent prognosticator in Part One of ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow.""
30 min
Near/Far: Mapping and Navigating Near Home
Marc visits a researcher determining how bees communicate. Then, in a segment previously used in Light/Dark: The Eye, Marc watches a visually-impaired boy navigate around his neighborhood.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow, Part Two."" (Recycled from Episode 3 – for the only time in the series) All of Princess Tomorrow's predictions appear to have come true. This prompts the gamblers to fork over money to Professor Diablo to get predictions on the next horse race. (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Near/Far: Mapping and Navigating Over Earth
For the bulk of the show, a guest at the workshop is Willis Brown, a transcontinental pilot who discusses air travel. Trini examines homing pigeons. Marc goes on a sailing adventure.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow, Part Three."" (Repeat of a mystery installment from Noisy/Quiet: Music. Recycled for the only time in the series.)
30 min
Near/Far: Space Travel
This program goes to Houston to observe the space shuttle. The Bloodhound Gang has to stop a swindle in ""The Case of the Educated Pig.""
30 min
Near/Far: Knowing Where You Are
RECYCLED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Marc sees a sailing ship chart its return course and observes how a blind boy finds his way around; astronauts training for navigating the space shuttle.
30 min
Order/Disorder: Regular Patterns
Lisa is looking for a quilt design, which she can't quite place. Trini suggests that Lisa use a computer to create a new quilt design. Marc sees ordinary objects look extraordinary through the scanning electron microscope. The Bloodhound Gang is called to investigate ""The Case of Mr. Q."" (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Order/Disorder: The Body – An Ordered System
A student of neuropharmacology visits the workshop to discuss the order of the human body and all its systems. Marc observes how a pacemaker works. Trini seeks how a doctor could restore a boy's sight by replacing damaged corneas. The Bloodhound Gang puts out an APB to crack ""The Case of Mr. Q.""
30 min
Order/Disorder: Social Order
Animals keep a semblance of order, whether they are bees in a hive or people in the Kalahari Desert searching for melons. Music and games are also part of social order, as we shall see. The Bloodhound Gang is perplexed by ""The Case of the Secret Message."" (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Order/Disorder: Disordered
Marc, Lisa, and Trini become helter-skelter at the beginning, but they calm down and devise plans. In the process, Lisa finds a pattern for her quilt. On location, Lisa sees a sewage treatment plant in Chicago. The Bloodhound Gang gets to the bottom of ""The Case of the Secret Message.""
30 min
Order/Disorder: Sum of Its Parts
A composer visits the workshop to discuss writing music. Marc sees the specialized work of honey bees. Trini gets the full story on setting up a rock concert.
30 min
Surfaces: Protection
Clothes are humans' number-one source of protecting the skin. Trini finds out what clothing works best when climbing a mountain. The Bloodhound Gang is confronted with ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound.""
30 min
Surfaces: Shapes and Functions at the Surface
Field locations include cacti in the Arizona desert, a Zamboni, and a scanning electron microscope. The Bloodhound Gang decodes Mr. Bloodhound's whereabouts in ""The Case of the Missing Bloodhound.""
30 min
Surfaces: Surface Tension and Bubbles
Lisa rides a hot-air balloon and gets tips from a glassblower on making goblets. A film insert discusses bubbles and how they are used. The Bloodhound Gang is kidnapped in Part One of ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk."" (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Surfaces: Surface of the Earth
A geologist appears in the workshop for a discussion on the three types of Earth rock. In Hawaii, Lisa sees a volcano and takes a novice surfing lesson. Film insert: Searching for oil; inactive volcanoes.ANIMATIONS: The moving rocks of Earth; one billion years of Earth change is compressed into 1¾ minutes.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Thing in the Trunk, Part Two."" (Recycled from Episodes 19 and 39). Using a pinhole camera effect with a piece of cardboard picking up light from a hole in the side of the van, the gang learns where the mummy is being stowed. They radio that information to the police after trapping the henchman.
30 min
Surfaces: The Atmosphere
30 min
Big/Small: Animal Sizes/Scaling
At the Bronx Zoo, Lisa goes on the rounds with a young veterinarian feeding baby animals. Marc visits Miami Seaquarium to see whales trained.Film insert: Leaf-cutter ants; flea circus.ANIMATION: Do you know how difficult an ant would be if it were the size of an elephant?THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Professor's Fleas,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a flea circus that has had all its stars stolen.
30 min
Big/Small: Animal Habitats
Everyone is perplexed when they find bugs living on just about everything. Trini examines a salt marsh. (Continues in Episode 59.) A guest biologist discusses water and food chains.Film insert: elephants' needs for survival.ANIMATION: Ants.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Dead Man's Pigeon,"" a one-shot adventure in which a lawyer is trying to swindle a niece from her inheritance.
30 min
Big/Small: Dinoaurs
Trini is convinced she has discovered a dinosaur bone. A visit to a American Museum of Natural History shows that she actually has the femur of a horse. Also at the museum, a young student reflects on her part-time work with paleontology. Lisa discovers a ""dinosaur graveyard"" in Utah, where several scientists uncover thousands of bones.ANIMATIONS: Fossilization of animal bones; stop-action assembly bones of an animal; scale replication of a dinosaur cartoon.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part One."" (Recycled from Episode 6) An old lady's life savings is stolen from her attic. Did the culprit weigh 264 pounds, as a found weight card suggests? (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Big/Small: Volume & Efficiency
At an aquarium, Lisa and Trini learn about volume. Marc and Lisa head out to see a supertanker. Trini stakes her case about oil spills. This includes an extension of Trini's visit to the salt marsh in Episode 57. As a final gesture, Marc and Lisa remind Trini just how many common items come from oil.Film insert: how a school bus compares to a car in transporting kids.ANIMATION: Cubes illustrate volume; the vast volume of a supertanker.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part Two."" (Recycled from Episode 7) Vikki reveals that the weight card reading 264 pounds, was designed to throw them off the scent. They discover the real culprits, both of whom faked the weight card in preparation for the heist.
30 min
Big/Small: How Big is Big?
REHASHED FROM THE PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Trini is convinced she has discovered a dinosaur bone. A visit to a American Museum of Natural History shows that she actually has the femur of a horse. Marc visits Miami Seaquarium to see whales trained. At the Bronx Zoo, Lisa goes on the rounds with a young veterinarian feeding baby animals.Fresh items for end of week: Model train built to one-eighth scale. Film insert: New York pizzeria owner bakes the largest pizza ever made (80 feet). ANIMATIONS: The need for a standardized measuring system; a pizza baker's dilemma with a trio of customers.
30 min
Crowded/Uncrowded: Human Crowding
The workshop welcomes a guest to discuss the human psyche of crowding.Film inserts: Building a skyscraper; the Gui people of Africa do a little minor socializing; New York City life.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the One-Ton Jewel,"" a one-shot mystery in which an auction is apparently selling a fragment of a white dwarf.
30 min
Crowded/Uncrowded: Optimum Populations in Nature
A wildlife expert visits the workshop to extoll on the impact humans have had on animals such as the wolf. FILM INSERT: Kudzu takes over parts of the South. The elephant struggles for survival in Africa. The Bloodhound Gang is called up to a lady's mansion in Part One of ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost.""
30 min
Crowded/Uncrowded: Contrasts in Densities of Materials
Trini pilots around New York City in the Goodyear blimp. Lisa gets to ride a hot-air balloon. The Bloodhound Gang gets an eyesight-full in Part Two of ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost."" (Concludes in next episode.)
30 min
Crowded/Uncrowded: Down Among the Atoms (Liquids & Solids)
Marc adds too much food coloring to the frosting on a birthday cake for his sister, starting a discussion of molecular density in solids and liquids. The Bloodhound Gang solves ""The Case of the Cackling Ghost.""
30 min
Crowded/Uncrowded: Human Survival/Controlling Densities
REHASHED FROM PREVIOUS FOUR EPISODES: Lisa rides a hot-air balloon. FILM INSERT: The elephant struggles for survival in Africa. ADDITIONAL: The black hole.
30 min