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Dick Jones
Jun 20, 2002

Number 2 Guy at OCP

Directed by: Charles Eames, Ray Eames
Starring: Philip Morrison (narrator)

Anyone who's ever read a NASA article or a science textbook has no doubt run across gigantic numerical figures that describe distances, speeds and whatnot. While we recognize on the surface that these figures are huge, it's another thing to be presented with a visual demonstration of just how huge they really are.

In Powers of Ten, we start off with a 1 x 1 meter overhead view of a picnic. Using nearly-seamless animation, our camera begins to "back away" from the picnic at a rate of speed that increases the viewable area by one power of ten every ten seconds. At first the changes are relatively minor. Our view expands to include the rest of the park, the city of Chicago, the edge of Lake Michigan, etc. But as more and more time elapses, the viewable area increases more dramatically. Along the way, the narrator points out some sobering (and somewhat creepy) observations that will probably dash your hopes of interstellar travel if you had any to begin with. And that's just first half dealing with the positive powers of ten.

All in all, this is an informative, humbling and cleverly crafted visual depiction of our universe. You don't have to be a math/science wonk to come away from this movie with a greater appreciation of our friend the exponent. The fact that it was made nearly 30 years ago on a relatively low budget makes it that much more impressive. One of the best educational films I've seen.

RATING: 5.5

PROS: Intelligent visual presentation, dizzying scope, impressive visuals for a low-budget 70s short
CONS: Dated music

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://imdb.com/title/tt0078106/

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