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Why is it so?

We've trawled through the archives and found five of our favourite episodes from this classic series hosted by Professor Julius Sumner Miller. Watch them now!

Why is it so? — the ground-breaking TV series with the enigmatic Professor Julius Sumner Miller — ran on the ABC from 1963 to 1986.

Professor Miller's infectious enthusiasm for physics delighted, educated and entertained generations of Australians, most of whom have at some point asked each other 'Why is it so?' in the characteristic Julius Sumner Miller voice.

Few could doubt the enthusiasm of the man, as he darted around the studio from experiment to experiment, telling his guests and the audience at home about how wondrous and unique each experiment was.

By throwing himself so animatedly into his work, and by making a point of trying not to answer questions, he provoked scientific thought in the general community in a way that hadn't been done before.

Below are five of the funniest, most entertaining segments from the Why is it so? series. Now you too can watch some 'enchanting experiments' with the good professor!

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Smoky glass

How many objects does it take to change an image? In this snippet of sneaky science Dr Julius even manages to deceive himself with his very beautiful production of internal repeated reflections.

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In the lion's den

Ready for some more remarkable but risky experiments? Well get in close and watch as Sumner Miller disassembles and reassembles his capacitor and then even electrocutes himself! Does his mother know he's here?

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Electrostatic phenomena

Helping us to think more about the remarkable forces of nature, the good professor, does some experiments with silk, fur and glass. Along the way he reminds us that "electrostatic phenomena are very, very tricky"

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How to make a magnet

In this episode of Why is it so? Professor Julius again manages to gives us something wonderful to discover. With just a wire, a battery and a rod "made out of the right kind of stuff" we learn how to make an electro magnet.

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The Julius Shock Boys

Ever wondered how to get the lights to work in a black out? In this episode of Why is it so? the good professor shows us how to produce electricity in that worst kind of emergency, where it's too dark to read your poetry homework.

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Professor Julius Sumner who?

In 1909, Julius Sumner Miller was the ninth born child of two East European parents who had immigrated to the United States. Working on the family farm for 17 years, Julius grew to be keenly interested in the natural world, and decided to then move on to become a physics graduate.

During the depression, positions for physics graduates were in a bit of a skinny patch, so he worked as a servant in a doctor's residence for a couple of years, before taking a position at a Dillard University.

From there it was up and up for the young Sumner Miller, as he started making the Why is it so? series for broadcast — gaining much positive response from the public and much outcry from academics. The Professor was in high demand across the globe, appearing in Australia 26 times, and eventually having a question posted everyday in The Australian newspaper in 1966.

To finish up, who better than the man himself, who gave this bold goal in the preface to a book of Q & As, Millergrams which were taken from The Australian's questions.

"The hope I have here is simply summed up: To stir your imagination, awaken your interest, arouse your curiosity, enliven your spirit — all with the purpose of bringing you to ask, as young Maxwell put it, "What's the go of it?" — or, as Kepler had it, "why things are as they are and not otherwise". Or, more simply in my own phrase, why is it so?"

Love a good experiment? You'll find more tricks and experiments created by ABC Science on these websites:



* Surfing Scientist — Tricks, experiments, lesson plans, conundrums and more for the young and young at heart.

* The Experimentals — Bernie Hobbs and Ruben Meerman explain everyday science, tackling everything from outer space to dating tricks.

* ABC ZOOM — Are you ready to zoom down to the molecular level and fix a brainjacked captain and her disabled spaceship? Play this interactive game created by Bernie Hobbs to test your skill.

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