This interactive video lesson uses the BBC clip “Bowling Ball and Feathers – Brian Cox Inside the Vacuum Chamber” to introduce students to the stages of scientific experimentation and the engineering design process.

In this video, Brian Cox explores the world’s biggest vacuum chamber with the BBC’s “Human Universe” team. He steps into a large vacuum environment where the air is removed to simulate space-like conditions and demonstrates how objects fall at the same rate when there’s no air resistance. A bowling ball and a handful of feathers are dropped side by side in the vacuum chamber, and both hit the ground simultaneously — visually proving that in the absence of air molecules, all objects experience the same acceleration due to gravity. The scene includes commentary about gravity, mass, and why in everyday life we see light objects fall slower (because air slows them down). The tone is exciting and educational, showing science in action with real visuals and expert explanation.

Science: The bowling ball and the feathers experiment

science-the-bowling-ball-and-the-feathers-experiment

Let's do English ESL general visual comprehension practice. This interactive video lesson uses the BBC clip “Bowling Ball and Feathers – Brian Cox Inside the Va…