Magic School Bus properties of matter

Info and Trivia

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Three in One is the eighth episode of the first season of The Magic School Bus Rides Again, about matter.

Plot

Its the day that the theme for the year's Gizmos that Go Competition (a competition for young inventors) is revealed, and Jyoti is so stoked to find out, as she comes to school early. She brings her sentient robot, Naniben (Gujarati: નાની બહેન, meaning "little sister"), to school, and Ms. Frizzle introduces it to Liz. When the announcement starts, the theme is revealed to be "three in one", making Jyoti confused. How is she supposed to invent a gizmo that can go, that is three things in one? Naniben opens its belly compartment and grabs a teabag. It cooks Tulasi herbal tea, which Ms. Frizzle and Professor Frizzle used to have when they were building the Magic School Bus (their Gizmo on the theme "magic").

Soon, the other students arrive, and Ralphie is excited to see Naniben, who will help Jyoti make the Three-in-One Gizmo That Goes prototype. Ralphie offers to help, and he suggests a "turbo-charged racing teapot with three teabags", which Jyoti finds intriguing, but not perfect. Then Ralphie suggests a space teapot with three teabags, only for Ms. Frizzle to interrupt him and announce a field trip for "States of Matter Day". She then teaches the kids a lesson about states of matter, stating "Your teapot is matter that's solid. Your tea is matter that's liquid. The air is matter that's gas!" After Jyoti asks if states of matter have anything to do with three in one, and Ms. Frizzle has an idea: She asks Liz for the "destination, please?" which just so happens to be an ice cube. Jyoti orders Naniben to stay behind, so Jyoti and Ralphie can fetch out ideas to it. Liz stays with Naniben as well, and the students and Ms. Frizzle go shrink in the Bus to explore the molecular structure of the ice cube.

After shrinking constantly, the Friz stops the Shrinkerscope at an atomic size. Going back to the trip in Ralphie's whistle, Ms. Frizzle explains that everything in the world is made up of teeny particles, called atoms. Dorothy Ann says that these particles must be water molecules (given that ice is frozen water). The Friz then says that the molecules are made out of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, the reason for why its formula is H₂O. Everyone is gazing in awe about the beauty of the atoms in their frozen state, watching how the molecules are jiggling. Ms. Frizzle quotes her old teacher, Dr. Kinetic, who said to her that "everything is always moving", even the particles in Arnold's pet rock, Rocky McRockerton. Ms. Frizzle also notes that since the molecules are those of a solid, they're moving but not moving freely, which is exactly what Jyoti wants to do: move freely outside in the ice. So, the kids exit the warm Bus into the freezing cold ice, while wearing Protecto Thermal Hyper Sensitive Super Duper Suits.

Outside the Bus, Jyoti notices that the molecules of the ice cube are moving, but "aren't going anywhere". She asks Ms. Frizzle how being inside ice is supposed to help her with ideas for a gizmo that goes, and Ms. Frizzle answers with some water puns: "The ideas aren't flowing? Inspiration isn't streaming from the deep pool of your imagination?" After Jyoti sighs in disappointment, Wanda tells her that there's more to what the Friz said. Jyoti still doesn't get it and keeps on thinking. Ralphie tries to give her another idea: a three-headed ice robot on skis, which she vetoes because she doesn't want to build another robot. Soon, she thinks of something: since ice is solid water, maybe she'd have to have Naniben melt it into liquid for some more inspiration. Jyoti tells the robot to melt the ice, and soon, the molecules start to move like crazy, along with the class and the Bus.

As the molecules start flowing, Carlos and Wanda exclaim that they are warmer and harder to grip. Ms. Frizzle remarks that they are being liquefied into liquid water, to which Arnold responds: "does she mean the ice is melting?" Because the water molecules are slippery, each student attaches a special handle to a molecule and rides on it. As the students apply the reins to their molecules, Ralphie tells Jyoti what a great idea it was to melt the water, and shouts "Can I get a yee-haw!"

Appearances

Character debuts

• Naniben

Trivia

• This is the first time that Ralphie uses his catchphrase in The Magic School Bus Rides Again. The second time is in "In the Zone".
  • In Rides Again, Ralphie is one of the students who rarely uses his/her catchphrase, only having used it twice.
• Similar to Sees Stars in the prequel, plasma isn't discussed, even though it is the fourth state of matter.
• This is the first episode in which Jyoti refers to something in Gujarati. The next is "Nothin' but Net".
• Stuart Stone (Ralphie in the original series) voices the host of the Gizmos that Go competition. Next episode, he will announce the "Cosmic Corner" show in Keesha's fantasy.
• Dorothy Ann recalls the lesson from this episode in "The Frizz Connection".
• The fourth state of matter, plasma, is mentioned by name in Making Magic.

Errors

• "Is it just me, or..." is not shown in the English closed captions despite Ralphie actually saying the line.
• Jyoti's American accent slips when Birva Pandya pronounces "herbal" in her native Canadian accent instead of "erbal".

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