Physics 2016 2016

Guy Martin undertakes a series of speed-based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed. Guy tries to break the speed record for a pedal-powered boat, which requires him to travel for 100 metres at an average speed of 21 miles per hour. He enlists the help of two Olympic champions in rising to the challenge, getting some intense cycling training from Chris Hoy and advice on boat construction from Ben Ainslie, before building two specially constructed vessels in his back garden.

Horizon looks at dark energy - the mysterious force that is unexpectedly causing the universe's expansion to speed up. The effects of dark energy were discovered in 1998, but physicists still don't know what it is. Worse, its very existence calls into question Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity - the cornerstone of modern physics. The hunt for the identity of dark energy is on. Experiments on earth and in space generate data that might provide a clue, but there are also hopes that another Einstein might emerge - someone who can write a new theory explaining the mystery of the dark energy.

As the theories on quantum mechanics begin to take shape, the 1927 Solvay Conference becomes a battleground for new scientific ideas. The world’s most brilliant minds, including Einstein and Bohr, try to crack the nature of the subatomic world. Join Brian Greene in exploring this fascinating period.

The essence of baseball is the primal battle between the pitcher and batter, but the magic of the game arises from that confrontation, only 396 milliseconds in the making.