So you want to build the tallest building on Earth? Ambitious but good on yer! This episode will tell you how, starting with how not to. \n\nMost tall buildings are tall and thin because land is expensive. But this isn’t the best design because the lowest floor has to take the weight of all the floors above it. And so eventually, you reach a limit where the structure at the bottom isn’t strong enough. \n\nIf you want to make a building significantly higher, then you need to change the shape and instead take inspiration from wedding cakes. The bottom layers of a wedding cake get wider and wider, which means that they can take more and more weight. In fact, the tallest building ever conceived, the X-Seed 4000, is 4km high and can house a million people - but it’s never been built. \n\nHowever, even if you made a giant cone-shaped building, and assuming you have materials that are strong enough, then eventually you would reach another limit, when the weight of the building is too much for the ground below. That’s why mountains have a maximum size. So, if you want to go higher still, you need to go to the moon, where gravity is lower and so you can go six times higher. But then that wouldn’t be the tallest building on Earth, would it?!
Source: CBBC
Series 2: 9. We Had Two Suns
There is a way that Earth could have a second sun, so we try it out to see what happens.
14-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 1. You Built A Mega Slide
Could you build a slide to the other side of the world? You would need to start in space, use the slippiest slide ever and make sure you have enough supplies before you go down it!
13-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 15. You Shrunk The Earth
We find out what would happen if you shrank the earth. You could jump higher and move faster, but you would end up with altitude sickness even at sea level.
13-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 10. Your Mind Could Move Things
We imagine a world where it's possible to move things with your mind like films, but find that the laws of physics mean that this superpower wouldn't quite work like you'd expect.
12-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 3. We Got Rid Of Bugs
Bugs might be annoying, but we would soon regret it if we got rid of them - all our favourite foods would disappear, and there would be dung everywhere!
11-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 20. You Threw A Ball Round The World
To throw a ball around the world, you need to start out in space, throw it ten times the speed of a bullet and make sure your ball does not explode when it hits the atmosphere.
11-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 5. You Could Stop Global Warming
Imagine if we had a thermostat that could turn the world temperature down - could we fix global warming? But be careful, a few degrees too far could cause an ice age.
10-03-2025
CBBC
Series 1: 9. The Moon Was Made Of Cheese?
Things don’t quite go to plan when the moon turns into cheese.
31-01-2025
CBBC
Series 1: 8. The Earth Stopped Spinning?
Find out why stopping the earth from spinning isn’t such a good idea.
30-01-2025
CBBC
Series 1: 7. Clouds Were Made Out Of Cotton Wool?
Clouds might look like cotton wool, but if they really were, things would get very messy.
29-01-2025
CBBC
Series 1: 4. You Could Turn Into A Giant?
Find out why turning into a huge giant would be no fairy tale.
20-12-2024
CBBC
Series 2: 6. You Lived On Venus
Venus has acid rain, crushing pressure, and is hotter than an oven, so it might not sound like the ideal place to live. However, up in the clouds it's almost just like home.
09-09-2024
CBBC
Series 1: 21. You Woke Up As A Lizard Superhero?
Why waking up with lizard powers would make you useless on earth but a superhero in space!
15-10-2024
CBBC
Series 2: 12. You Walked On Ceilings
We try using a gravity-bending black hole and spinning the earth faster to see if we can make it possible to walk on the ceiling..
29-09-2024
CBBC
Series 2: 26. You Could Walk Up Walls
We take inspiration from the natural world as we imagine a new kind of superhero that can walk up walls.
15-03-2024
CBBC
Series 2: 13. You Were The Last Person On Earth
What would the planet be like if all other humans disappeared, leaving you as the last person on earth?
06-10-2024
CBBC
Series 1: 17. You Could Live In Slow Motion?
Find out why living in slow motion would let you see things no-one else can!
01-11-2023
CBBC
Series 2: 14. You Built A Giant Sandcastle
Is it possible to build a sand castle the size of a real castle? We imagine how it could be done, using a pneumatic drill and a huge, solid gold steamroller!
30-08-2024
CBBC
Series 2: 22. You Had Kangaroo Legs
Running a marathon is hard. At least it is for a human. But what if we could swap our legs with an animal – would that make it any easier? \n\nFirst, we try ...
03-10-2023
CBBC
Series 1: 16. You Could Actually Reach For The Stars?
Want to reach for the stars? It would be the journey of a lifetime - literally.
31-10-2023
CBBC