The Standard Deviants - Astronomy, Part 1
Aimed at college students or accomplished high school students, this award-winning series uses humor, whimsical graphics, and a lot of quick cuts to make academics accessible--even fun. And that's tough when you're talking about an hour and 39 minutes of astronomy-theory history (from the ancient Greeks through Newton), the law of gravity, properties of light, how telescopes work, makeup and rotations of the Earth and Moon, and more laws than you can shake a stick at. The Standard Deviants staff of professors, a comedy-writing team, and 13 actors manage to find the right balance of goofiness (a doofus mechanic tries to explain nanometers) and hard-core information (explanations of parallax, retrograde, the Doppler effect--need we say more?). So if a Calvin Klein ad parody is your idea of a good way to teach the Kelvin scale, this program is for you. A study card with outline and formulas is included. --Kimberly Heinrichs

The Standard Deviants - Physics, Part 1
Only the most intense science geeks have ever considered physics entertaining, but the Standard Deviants, undaunted as ever, do their best to make serious science fun to watch, and therefore memorable, in this two-hour presentation. Utilizing flashy graphics that make the perennial example of Newton being struck with an apple appear positively quaint, the troupe of exuberant young performers starts off by quickly providing the obligatory "what is physics" intro, and then moves into a fast tutorial on scientific notation. With the basics out of the way, it's time for segments illustrating scalars and vectors, which, in the format followed throughout the DVD, are followed by a review section and a quiz, which the student can either take or skip. More advanced concepts, including one-dimensional kinematics, two-dimensional kinematics, Newton's Laws of Motion, and friction all follow. Physics may not lend itself to the kind of madcap delivery the Standard Deviants have brought to other subjects, but the graphics employed are often brilliant, and the individual lessons are concise and easy to understand. The material has all been approved by an academic panel, and while this presentation is not intended to be a substitute for a course in physics, as a review guide this stands as a solid treatment of a serious subject, made as entertaining as possible. --Robert J. McNamara

Description
The Standard Deviants' modern approach to learning and understanding makes difficult subjects accessible and even enjoyable. Recommended by over 500 educators and professors, the Standard Deviants DVD is the ultimate way to relax and learn. Our unique approach to education helps you learn in a way that is different from anything you've ever experienced. The Standard Deviants DVD combines award-winning educational content with cutting-edge technology. With enhanced flexibility and interactive tests and quizzes, the Standard Deviants DVDs give you immediate feedback while providing you with the ability to design your own program and learn at your own pace.

Is gravity weighing down your understanding of physics? Well, gain the momentum you need to increase your knowledge with the Standard Deviants. Students can now easily understand the complex concepts of physics with the help of award-winning Physics Part 1. Or worse yet, is your Astronomy grade plummeting to earth? Well, rocket it back up with a little help from the Standard Deviants. Review contributions of astronomers such as Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton and Kepler with Astronomy Part 1. Now, when you gaze upon the skies, you'll be able to explain what's up there and how it works.