Periodic Success: The Hidden Beauty of the Periodic Table

Join a guided tour of science’s most iconic image with chemical physicist and material scientist Jamie Gallagher, geek songstress Helen Arney and nanoscientist Suze Kundu.

The periodic table is an emblem of science. Explosions, poisonings, space exploration and novelty Victoria parlour games are all contained within the chemist's favourite poster. Discover the stories and wonder behind the elements in this family-friendly talk.

Jamie Gallagher is a science communicator and part-time comic, touring the country with his own science shows while also working as the public engagement officer at the University of Glasgow.
He appears on BBC radio, has performed for Bright Club and speaks at various science festivals and comedy shows around the UK.

Helen Arney is a self-professed geek songstress, who writes maths and science-inspired comedy songs and performs across the UK.

Suze Kundu is a materials nanochemist, Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, and science presenter.

This event was filmed at the Royal Institution on 19 February 2015.

[jorgethomson]

as a non-native english speaker i would really much appreciate to have subtitles available, even if they are just in english! also thinking of the hearing impaired community, it's weird that something as big as Ri can't put subtitles available in their videos, it would be a small gesture that would help your message get through so much easier!

[HanrongTham]

Loved it! Kudos to Jamie, Suze and Helen.

[MikkoHaavisto]

I was wondering what kind of ailments he is talking about.

[DavidDavida]

So Is Carbon a MultiplePersonality Analogy In Biology?

[SaloniMistry.Gotilo]

This session was absolutely underrated

[bensubendran]

one Atomic mass unit (amu)is not 12 carbon as Suze Kundu said. 1 amu weighs 1/12 th of a Carbon-12 atom(17:51).

[Semtx]

@6:50 & @7:17 adding an electron? that should be proton. or am I wrong?

[nohatarek]

If only all of the education at schools are provided like this, the world would be so much different!

[albertdumont]

would you please active automatic subtitles ? I can read english but struggle in listening yet.

[farlahore]

Beautifully engage almost everyone specially the kids! Liked it will definitely have a lasting impact on the young. thanks a lot Ri and the learned presenters lots of respect for you all.

[bloody_albatross]

Oh he says elements! I always understood ailment and wondered what he was talking about. (My native language isn't English.)

[Archangelm]

Jamie to kid: You're now Sodium!
Me to screen: Don't dunk him in water!

[filthyfilter]

slightly cringy when she sinks but WHAT AN AMAZING SPEACH!!! i almost cry :'D

[lovethepnw]

I love this! Thank you so much for your intelligence and time and creativeness. I love your accent. I love your timing. This is the way to reach people about a subject that many people shy away from..

[novajohansson]

He's mixing up Big Bertha and the Paris Gun, showing a picture of the former but giving info about the latter.

[MrChemistt]

If someone at the RI could just ask him where he got that shirt, that'd be great.

[tncorgi]

That backdrop always makes me think of Q*bert.

[Kreller]

I don't usually post more than one comment, but.... what he has said about the elemental composition of stars is so misleading. The colors of stars (if you don't disperse the light according to wavelength with a spectrometer) is indicative of the temperature of the star. Only if you disperse the radiation into separate wavelengths can you see what kinds of atoms are in the region of the star that is emitting radiation. Also, the stars are not 'burning' any elements, which implies combustion. The energy is given off by fusion reactions. I know it's a general audience, but a person of a high enough caliber to be trusted with a Royal Institution audience should be more exact. This is constructive criticism. Science is not a 'mutual admiration society'. I'd have a beer with him.

[erictaylor]

1:10:00 If a 3-year-old can do it, surely a person with a PhD should have no trouble at all.

[ПетърПетров-ъл]

The best think of the video is the contact with the students and is kind of interesting. But the level of the information is very low, almost everithing i already knew. And it is too childish, i know that there were too much children in the public, but still think you over do it, the games were too simple and unpurposing. It was more kindergarden party show than a lecture fot the periodic table.
The begining was very promising, especially the game with envelopes, but i am dissapointed from the rest. I was expecting serious university lecture with the participation of the students.
And still i think the video will be interesting and informative for children under 12, but not for adults.