After her house lands on a witch somewhere over the rainbow, young Dorothy must walk the yellow brick road in her ruby slippers to the emerald city. Once there, she will turn away her blues by clicking her heels together and chanting "there's no place like home!" But how do these colors come into existence? That's the subject for learning in this e…

Everyone knows the famous horns of Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra thanks, primarily, to its presence in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. When used, the viewer is witnessing the advancement of technology -- from bone tools to satellites seemingly floating above the big blue ball called Earth. But Kubrick's vision of the future wasn't unfo…

After being caught in Ithilien, Sam and Frodo are blindfolded and taken to the hidden refuge of Henneth Annûn to be questioned by Captain Faramir. Upon removing the blindfolds, Sam and Frodo are dazzled by a plethora of chromatics cascading from the The Window of Sunset. Will and Ian dive deep into the wondrous world of scattering sunlight and the …

When Flick is triple dog dared to touch his tongue to the frozen flagpole in his school's courtyard, it's his honor on the line. With his friends watching, he cautiously places his tongue on the pole, before realizing (a moment too late) that the warmth of his body is not enough to keep his saliva unfrozen and separate from the pole. In this episod…

Following a truck hijack in New York, five criminals are arrested and brought together for questioning. The men stare into bright lights and a bright mirror. Behind the mirror, officers stand in a dark room, judging the way they read the provided lines. but why can't the criminals see the police? And why can the police see the criminals? Today on R…

It takes a man like Paul Rudd to pull of Ant-Man. And it takes a team of quantum powered heroes to save the day via building shrinking and Pez-dispenser-growing powers. But there's a trick about changing the scale of an object -- and that's exactly what Will and Ian explore in this episode! Topics Include How great LOST is The lore of Toy Story A S…

When Patches O'Houlihan shows up to train a raggedy group of gym rats, the first thing he does is tell them "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." Most people laugh at this line, but upon deeper reflection, it becomes obvious that Patches is, himself, a physics enthusiast, and is exactly right. Today we talk projectile motion and how ou…

When Bruce Wayne dons the mask and cape to become the Batman, he not only needs to master many forensic and martial arts. His understanding of the natural world and its phenomena must be top tier! When the League of Shadows threatens Gotham, Batman knows that the microwave emitter is turning water into steam and aerosolizing a fear-toxin! Thanks to…

Before Marty McFly is flung into the past, he is first flung into a bookshelf after blowing out a stack of guitar amplifiers. Will and Ian learn about sound and whether or not young Marty could have been launched as a result of a sick power chord. Contact Us: @podcastframes Topics Include The new lord of the rings show Spiders in movies = bad Doc's…

How is it that Ellen Ripley is able to glass an Alien by simply opening the airlock in a spaceship? That's what Will and Ian talk about on this episode, along with a plethora of other conversation topics. Topics Include: Will's conference Different Network Analysis for different industries Ellen Ripley and the defeat of a Xenomorph Dolphin hands! S…

When Marta Cabrera accidentally kills esteemed mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey, she must outsmart and outmaneuver private investigator Benoit Blanc. In particularly cunning scene, Marta scrambles the contents of a security tape using nothing but a magnet. How can this be? In this episode, we learn about magnets, magnetic fields, and their usage in…

When Gollum snatches the One Ring from Frodo (along with a finger to boot), he unfortunately plummets to the liquid rock below. Before his ultimate demise, Gollum hoists the One Ring overhead while he bobs briefly in the lava. But what is bobbing? And how do things float? Will explains to us Archimedes' Principle and we discuss where it is found in…

When the last hope for humanity is ejected in an escape pod, it takes the plucky robot Wall-E to rescue it -- and himself -- by propelling himself through space using naught but a fire extinguisher. Come learn about how Wall-E's understanding of the conservation of momentum got him out of a bind! Topics Include A significant delay in episode releas…

When Doc Ock threatens the good commuters of New York with a dip into the Hudson, it is up to Spider-Man to stop a speeding train from taking a plummet. Will and Ian discuss Newton's second law (some may recall "Fma" from their high school Physics courses) and how it works in everyday life. Discussion Topics Thanos can't snap with metal gloves? Inv…

The firebending duel between Princess Azula and her exiled brother Zuko is nothing short of scorching. The cold blue flames of the cruel Princess collide with her brother's passionate red-orange flames. But how do flames get these colors? Let's learn about that. Discussion Topics Include It's a Dune cast! Should I laser my retina? Green lasers: the…

In 1964's Goldfinger, the titular character manages to ensnare agent 007 in a dubious trap. Everyone's favorite secret agent watches as Goldfinger's bright red LASER inches slowly towards him, scorching the gold table he rests upon. But did you know that Goldfinger was really using cutting edge technology? Come learn about the history, principles, …

Nowadays, much like on Isla Nublar, electricity matters! When the lights go out and the dinos roam free, the only thing that saves young Tim Murphy is the brains, brawns, and electrical understanding of Dr. Alan Grant. Topics Include Literary discoveries of a bygone age Charge, current, and zaps Electric fence theory and application The best lookin…

Whilst resting from a long day riding, TE Lawrence reclines on the hot sand and gazes across the scorching desert landscape. As if riding from the sky itself, a mysterious figure descends upon the British intelligence agent and his guide. Before the he can grasp the gravity of the situation, the mysterious rider is an arms length away and his guide…

Tom Cooper's voyage to a distant galaxy results in a strange twist of time. Understood as parts of Special and General relativity, time dilation catapults Cooper years into the future in the span of a few hours. Come learn about it with us! Topics Include Will's microphone volume Mathew M impressions How to distinguish yourself from your twin US Na…

How do Olympic high jumpers make such incredible heights? By manipulating their center of gravity using the famous Fosbury flop, of course! In this episode, Will and Ian discuss the concept of Center of Mass/Gravity using the 2020 Olympic Games. The video example discussed Topics Include: Homemade jingles Our favorite mascot Two incredible sportsme…

In the debut episode of Reference Frames podcast, we use the quick wits of the blacksmith apprentice turned swashbuckler William Turner. The clip under question Topics include: A pirate's use of torque Keeping an eye on a wrench The perfect screwdriver Will's love for Babu Frik The mentioned Twitter account mysteriously disappeared, so... Tweet us …