3-2-1 Contact

6.9(12)|1980-01-14|7 seasons, 223 episodes

Overview

3-2-1 Contact is an American science educational television show that aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988, and an adjoining children's magazine. The show, a production of the Children's Television Workshop, teaches scientific principles and their applications. Dr. Edward G. Atkins, who was responsible for much of the scientific content of the show, felt that the TV program wouldn't replace a classroom but would open the viewers to ask questions about the scientific purpose of things.

Episodes

Season 1(64)Season 2(39)Season 3(20)Season 4(20)Season 5(20)Season 6(30)Season 7(30)

S1E1 · 1980-01-14 · 30m

Noisy/Quiet: Production & Processing of Sound

A sixty-second tease introduces the cast and previews some of their scientific adventures. This is followed by a four-minute film showing the recording of the 3-2-1 Contact theme. (See Quotes.) While Lisa and Marc talk on a steel-can telephone of the youth, Trini tries to fool them with ""Stan the Robot."" But nobody is fooled, thanks to a device that maps out sound patterns. Marc visits Bell Laboratories to see a computer that is programmed to speak.ANIMATIONS: Telephones; human voice.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the Educated Pig,"" a one-shot mystery surrounding a pig that can supposedly answer multiple-choice questions.

S1E2 · 1980-01-15 · 30m

Noisy/Quiet: The Ear

Same 60-second tease as in first episode precedes an invasion of noises into Marc's world. Knowing that ""noise annoys,"" Marc illustrates (with a decibel reader) that loud noises can damage people's hearing. Lisa shows Trini that a cactus needle can be used as a record needle. When Marc returns, he gives a private message that Trini picks up on a parabolic microphone. Lisa visits the (White Plains) New York School for the Deaf.ANIMATION: Sound vibrations.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of Princess Tomorrow, Part One."" A professor introduces to a group of gamblers and The Bloodhound Gang a woman who seemingly predicts the future. She is hypnotized to write down the results of a future horse race, which the Professor seals and has mailed to The Bloodhound Gang the next day.

S1E3 · 1980-01-16 · 30m

Noisy/Quiet: How People & Animals Use Sound

Lisa goes to Hawaii to see how dolphins use sonar. Another segment sees sonar of bats. Trini sees an ultrasound apparatus at work. The Bloodhound Gang finds a wrinkle in The Case of Princess Tomorrow.

S1E4 · 1980-01-17 · 30m

Noisy/Quiet: Music

Dizzy Gillespie shows off his jazz talents. Trini checks out the behind-the-scenes work at a Kiss concert. The Bloodhound Gang cracks the Case of Princess Tomorrow.

S1E5 · 1980-01-18 · 30m

Noisy/Quiet: Range of Vibration

Lisa, Marc, and Trini are given a puzzle. They hear a bell ring and, as instructed, put the bell in a closed jar and take out some of the air with a vacuum pump. Since they don't hear the ringing, they begin to wonder: Is the bell broken?

S1E6 · 1980-03-24 · 30m

Forces and Motion

Trini becomes concerned when and where a hurricane is projected to strike. Marc visits Six Flags Great America to learn the mechanics and design of roller-coasters and talks to Frisbee-throwing champion John Kirkland. He also checks out a stuntman-in-training. Lisa rides in a glider.Film insert: animal force in motion.THE BLOODHOUND GANG: ""The Case of the 264-Pound Burglar, Part One."" An old lady's life savings is stolen from her attic. Did the culprit weigh 264 pounds, as a found weight card suggests? (Concludes in next episode.)

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