Skip to main content
Create interactive lessons using any digital content including wikis with our free sister product
. Get it on the
Pages and Files
Free Stuff for Science Teachers
Slow Motion Videos
Physics Demo Videos
Earth Science Resources
My Children's Podcast
Science Misconception Podcast
Here, you can download my Podcast series. You may listen to these podcasts on your computer, mp3 player, iPod, or on a phone.
The first series is on science misconceptions. These misconceptions are pervasive amongst students and many block students from learning the correct explanation for the concept. The collection will grow so check back frequently. For great videos about science misconceptions, go to
and view the two series, A Private Universe and Minds of Our Own.
If you have ideas for misconceptions that are not listed here, please email them to
Note: If you arrived at this webpage through an internet search, please realize that all of the statements below are FALSE. Do not quote them as being true.
To listen, simply click on the link. To download the files, right click and select "Save Target As."
Combustion reactions are endothermic because it takes energy to get them started
(Remake of a previous podcast, "Burning a candle is endothermic because you have to light it" that had an error in it)
The Earth's Magnetic north pole is in the north near the geographic North Pole.
Iron compounds are not magnetic
Compounds do not exhibit the properties of the elements that compose them
The Earth is a perfect sphere
The Earth is much fatter around the equator
Squashed Earth Misconception.ppt
42) Series of
heat and temperature
1) Heat rises
2) Hot air rises
3) Atoms get bigger when you heat them up
4) Temperature and heat are the same thing
5) Sweat cools you off in the same way as pouring cold water on you
6) An object at 0 degrees has no heat
7) When you touch a cold object, it transfers some of its coldness to you
8) All ice is 0 degrees Celsius
41) Misconceptions related to
mirrors and reflection
1) A plane mirror reverses objects from left to right but not top to bottom
2) If you move far enough from a plane mirror, you can see your whole body
40) Series of
misconceptions (edited with mistake corrected)
1) Respiration and breathing are the same thing
2) Air is mostly oxygen
3) The air that we exhale has no oxygen in it
4) Plants photosynthesize and animals respire
5) Burning a candle under a glass can prove that air is 20% oxygen
39) Series of
1) Car tires protect you from lightning
2) Rubber-soled shoes protect you from lightning
3) Lightning rods work by attracting lightning strikes
4) Cloud-to-cloud lightning is the most common type
5) Lightning never strikes the same place twice
6) Ground-to-cloud lightning is more common than cloud-to-ground
"Lava rocks are magnetic." and "All meteorites are magnetic."
"Science says that bumblebees cannot fly."
"Chemicals are either soluble or insoluble" and "Like dissolves like"
"A hydrogen balloon can lift twice as much as a helium balloon because it is half as dense."
Carbon-14 (radiocarbon) dating is used to determine the age of dinosaur fossils
"Mars is red."
transcript with links, photos, and more info:
"The moon is bigger on the horizon because it passes through more atmosphere and is magnified."
"Friction always opposes the direction of motion."
"Infrared and heat are the same thing."
misconceptions including, "
All galaxies are moving through space away from us
The Big Bang occurred at the center of the universe
", and "
We can see to the edge of the universe
There is no gravity in space, that's why the astronauts float around
Hot peppers are hot and mints are cold
." and "
All nerves sense pain
Hair stops growing at a certain length and starts growing again when it is cut
." and "
Hair grows back thicker after it is cut
Christmas/Holiday lights are wired in parallel
Ice is slippery because of the pressure of the ice skates
." or "
You can cut ice in half with a wire because of the pressure
Below this line, files are lower quality because I was recording them in the car while driving to my former office in Orange County (not recommended).
"Projectiles have zero acceleration at the top of their trajectory."
Oxygen rich blood is red, oxygen-deprived blood is blue
Untouched picture of red food coloring looking blue through milk:
"There is a dark side of the moon"
The Earth's surface is rough
Airplanes get their lift from the Bernoulli principle
The primary colors are Red, Yellow, and Blue
40 degrees Celsius is twice as hot as 20 degrees Celsius
Air friction slows a car down and makes space ships red hot upon re-entry
Atoms get larger when they are heated
The seasons are caused by the earth being closer to and farther from the sun
." and "
The Earth's orbit is highly elliptical
Word document to accompany seasons misconception podcast.
The material to make a tree comes from the soil
Battery acid leaks out of old batteries
Boiling water bubbles are made of a) hydrogen b) oxygen or c) air
Fish breathe the oxygen from the H2O (water)
I have seen a picture of the Milky Way spiral galaxy
Oil and water repel each other
The oxygen that we breathe comes from the rain forests
You can cool your house down by opening the refrigerator door
Salts and salt solutions have neutral pH
Sound is a transverse wave . . . I've seen it on the computer
Water molecules are wet. Rock molecules are hard
Race cars have wide tires to provide more friction
*All of the information on this page belongs to Michael Horton, copyright, 2008 under intellectual property laws. You may use the podcasts and transcripts for your own information, in school classrooms, and you may link to this site from your own. You may not use them for commercial gain, download them and put them on your website, or modify them and play them in public. For permission to do anything else with these files, contact Michael Horton,
Search terms (ignore this, it is just to make it easier to be found on google, altavista, etc.):
Carbon radiocarbon dating is not used to determine the age of dinosaur fossils mars is not red the moon is not bigger on the horizon because it passes through more atmosphere and is magnified friction does not always oppose the direction of motion infrared and heat are not the same thing big bang misconceptions there is no center of the universe we cannot see to the edge of the universe there is gravity in space hot peppers are not hot mints are not cold not all nerves sense pain hair never stops growing hair does not grow back thicker after it is cut christmas holiday lights are not wired in parallel ice is not slippery because of the pressure of the ice skates you can cut ice in half with a wire, but not because of the pressure the earth's surface is not rough the earths surface is not rough airplanes do not get their lift from the bernoulli principle the primary colors are cyan magenta and yellow the primary colors are red green and blue the primary colors are not red yellow and blue 40 degrees celsius is not twice as hot as 20 degrees celsius air friction does not slow a car down air friction does not slow cars down air friction does not make space ships craft hot upon re-entry reentry atmosphere atoms do not get larger when they are heated the seasons are not caused by the earth being close closer to the sun in summer the seasons are not caused by the earth being farther from the sun in winter blood is not blue the material to make a tree does not come from the soil batteries do not lead acid alkaline batteries acid burning a candle is not endothermic boiling water bubbles are made of water vapor boiling water bubbles are not made of hydrogen oxygen air fish do not breathe the oxygen from h2o you have not seen a picture of the milky way galaxy the oxygen that we breathe does not come from the rain forests you cannot cool your house down by opening the refrigerator refridgerator door sals and salt solution do not have neutral ph sound is not a transverse wave sound is a longitudinal wave water molecules are not wet rock molecules are not hard race car tires are sticky large tires no friction there is no dark side of the moon spectrum of solubility acceleration of a projectile is not zero at apex peak top of trajectory like doesn't dissolve like lifting power hydrogen balloon helium balloon lifting capacity gas filled balloon car frame protects you from lightning rubber soled shoes do not protect you from lightning lightning rods do not attract lightning strikes cloud to ground intercloud intracloud lightning is most common lightning does strike the same place twice lava rocks are not magnetic high in magnesium not from core science can explain how bumble bees fly not fixed wings respiration and breathing are not the same thing air is not mostly oxygen air is mostly nitrogen the air that we exhale still has oxygen in it plants photosynthesize and respire steel wool and graduated cylinder 20% oxygen air candles water air oxygen
help on how to format text
Turn off "Getting Started"