In Pressure, the islanders work together to retrieve a wedding ring that has fallen down a sink drain. With the help of a visiting inventor, they discover what a straw, plunger, vacuum and jackhammer all have in common: They are all useful tools that operate by manipulating a force called pressure. The islanders discover the differences and similarities between devices that derive their power from changing air pressure (pneumatic machines) and from liquid pressure (hydraulic machines).
In Sensors, Olive and her cousin, Troy, help their family remodel a quaint old lodge in the mountains. They decide that the old building could use some modernization. A visiting inventor suggests some sensors that would help. Sensors are devices that respond to heat, light, sound, pressure, magnetism or motion. The inventor explains the principles behind different types of sensors that can detect the presence of something, such as smoke detectors, automatic doors and security alarms.
In Light, young Olive and her cousin, Troy, learn all about the properties of light with the help of a visiting inventor and a room full of his crystal trophies. They discover that light behaves in different ways to change the way we see things. When light waves hit something, three things can happen: the light can bounce, it can pass through or it can be absorbed. Troy, Olive and the inventor also examine a variety of devices, which use lenses to bend light and help us see images correctly, such as telescopes, periscopes and binoculars.
In Floating, inhabitants of Mammoth Island attempt to rescue an islander and his mammoths from the middle of a lake. They are stranded on a small island after a wooden bridge collapses. Olive, a bright young islander, notices that the wood from the broken bridge is floating on the surface of the lake. With the help of a visiting inventor, she discovers the principle of buoyancy. Every object exerts a downward force on the water, and the water pushes back with an upward force on the object. When the buoyant force is greater than an object’s weight, the object floats!
In Belts & Gears, inhabitants of Mammoth Island are getting ready for their annual fair and are determined to make this year's event better than ever. Olive, a young islander, enlists the help of a visiting inventor to design exciting new rides, and together they decide that using belts and gears will help make the fair a success. While belts and gears don't increase the amount of force applied, they can transfer the force to change direction or speed.
