Rachel_Sandford
News Hound
The geeks love him, and the girls love him. Professor Brian Cox, one of the hosts of the hit show on BBC Two, Stargazing Live, has started a phenomenon. Known as the 'Brian Cox Effect,' it seems every time this former D:Ream keyboardist appears on television, more people become interested in science.
Amazon.com UK's camera and photo manager, Neil Campbell reported that the website noticed a 491% increase in telescope sales on their site. Models ranging from £18 to more than £350 are selling better than they ever were in 2011. Sales of Cox' book also more than doubled on the site.
“In the three hours following ‘Stargazing Live’ being aired, we saw an almost six-fold increase in sales of telescopes. Each time the popular physicist appears on TV we see a jump in telescope sales and that would appear to point to a significant 'Brian Cox effect' encouraging a renewed interest in stargazing,” said Campbell.
Apart from inspiring people to go online and buy telescopes, though, the Brian Cox Effect can also be seen in classrooms. Teachers have reported that students are more interested in their classes. Entries for A-level maths, physics, and chemistry have all gone up, as many say Cox has “made science sexy again.” Many of the show's fans have tweeted that Cox has a way of making complex theories seem simple.
Cox himself said: “I go to schools and I see and hear there are a lot of kids, girls as well as boys, interested in science and engineering. This is the message: that these subjects are great things to do – for the individual it’s great because there is a shortage of scientists and engineers, but it’s also great for the country, because our country needs these people to improve our economy in the 21st century.”
Stargazing Live is a show that looks at the sky at night and discusses astronomy and some usually hard to chew theories of physics. The rise in sales, seemingly triggered by the programme, shows critics that Zeebox, the service that lets you purchase items seen on television and while watching TV, will be successful.
Amazon.com UK's camera and photo manager, Neil Campbell reported that the website noticed a 491% increase in telescope sales on their site. Models ranging from £18 to more than £350 are selling better than they ever were in 2011. Sales of Cox' book also more than doubled on the site.
“In the three hours following ‘Stargazing Live’ being aired, we saw an almost six-fold increase in sales of telescopes. Each time the popular physicist appears on TV we see a jump in telescope sales and that would appear to point to a significant 'Brian Cox effect' encouraging a renewed interest in stargazing,” said Campbell.
Apart from inspiring people to go online and buy telescopes, though, the Brian Cox Effect can also be seen in classrooms. Teachers have reported that students are more interested in their classes. Entries for A-level maths, physics, and chemistry have all gone up, as many say Cox has “made science sexy again.” Many of the show's fans have tweeted that Cox has a way of making complex theories seem simple.
Cox himself said: “I go to schools and I see and hear there are a lot of kids, girls as well as boys, interested in science and engineering. This is the message: that these subjects are great things to do – for the individual it’s great because there is a shortage of scientists and engineers, but it’s also great for the country, because our country needs these people to improve our economy in the 21st century.”
Stargazing Live is a show that looks at the sky at night and discusses astronomy and some usually hard to chew theories of physics. The rise in sales, seemingly triggered by the programme, shows critics that Zeebox, the service that lets you purchase items seen on television and while watching TV, will be successful.
