The Relay
December 10, 2025 • EPISODE 290
How does a simple relay help us understand electricity and circuits? In this episode of Science LIVE, Roger Billings breaks down the science behind the relay—the clever electromagnetic switch that makes it possible to control circuits with precision. Learn how relays work, why they’re essential in everyday electronics, and how this simple idea became a building block for modern technology. A clear, hands-on look at one of engineering’s most important tools.
About DrB
Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology.
As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
Read more about DrB »
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
I Love science live😃😃😍😍😍
My brother and I enjoy watching the science live together. The experiments are always cool.
I like the battery section.
Thank you so much Dr Billings!
My dad uses WD40 a lot.
Wd40 is one of my favorite things to use to also remove rust
Science live never falls short of amazing.
I agree with Lady Pajet. R 51 did kind of deserve to get shocked.
Thank you for making science live. I love it
Thanks Mr. Billings!
Relays sound super cool!
This was one of the most inspirational and awesome science lives I’ve watched especially the WD40
We loved this one so much. R-51 getting shocked and the WD40 were without a doubt my favorite parts. Thank you so much Mr.Billings and Acellus!
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again 40 times! 🙂
Good thing they didn’t give up making WD40!
Dr. Billings is cool
I LOVE ROCKETS!
WD40 history is incredible
Whatching from Hue, Vietnam
I always like listening to Tobias’s stories.
I’ll have to tell my dad about the WD-40!
WD-40 has so many great uses. Thanks for the idea.
I would like to learn some more about the electronics class that Acellus offers. I have not heard of that.
In the live it talked about how DNA was a way of storing data and it DNA was a way of storing data.
It’s interesting to see how small improvements over time can lead to something successful.
I love science!
Science Live is awesome 👌
the third time I have went rolling on the ground watching R-51
Dr. Billings is so cool and shares the best stories
So excited to watch Science Live !!! The best show ever !! I love the Acellus Team ! 🙂
I loved learning more stuff about WD40, and to learn important places have used it more!
Wd 40 is literally what my grandpa uses on everything.
WD40 for legos is something I need to try!
The Relay helped me understand electricity better.
So grateful for Dr.Billing’s amazing science lives!
I get frustrated with learning sometimes but I just try again.
I love this lesson today
Wow I think Mr. Billings is so smart!
I love how Science Live is funny yet informative at the same time! I love watching the weekly Live!
The DNA idea that Dr. John mentioned seems so cool!
R51 is so funny!
awesome video Dr. Billings!
It was so cool to hear about! Thank you Mr. Billings.
How easy is it to read the years of dna ? Do you need a microscope?
I love learning new things every day with Acellus!
R-51 is funny.
I absolutely loved this live ❤️❤️
watching from kentucky
so coolllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The spoon thing was so cool!
I love science live!!!!!!!!!
If scientists put the cure to diseases in the form of DNA, would they be more effective?
My family and i are watching from florida we love science live!! The story of wd40 is so cool!!
Best program ever!!
Hi from Florida! This was as good as always!
I didn’t expect when he started to talk about the paint for the space shuttle that I would discover how WD-40 was made. That so cool!!! 🤩
I love rockets. My dad and I build the little mini rockets all the time
Thank you Mr. Billings
Thank you!
That’s such a clever name for something. 40 tries to make something is a lot, but to include how many failures in the name is pretty awesome. It shows you that it doesn’t happen over night.
I enjoy it when you talk about radio waves they fascinate me
I had no idea that DNA was in a pattern
I did not know it took 40 try’s to make WD40!! i learn new things everyday with you guys!!
Why does the atmosphere of the planet that was discussed drift away from the planet and form a cloud in space? I think you said it was because of how close it was to its sun, so the gravitational pull was drawing the planet’s atmosphere away. That is really interesting!
Thanks for the science live! Loved learning about WD40!
40 try’s to make WD40?! Wow, they are so persistent! Thank you Dr. Billing for the Science Live too!
No wonder why they call it WD-40
Thank you Dr.Billings! I love science live!!!
I thought it was really interesting when they talked about how steel needed water to connect to oxygen and that’s why it rusts when it’s outside because it oxidizing.
Wow!! WD40 is AWESOME!!!
Dr billings is the smartest
I love science live.
I personally enjoyed the story about WD40 and how it works!!
I didnt know it took that long and that many tries to make WD40
I usually use WD40 for squeaky door hinges! Works swell!
Awesome Science Live lesson!
Interesting story of WD-40!
How and why does laughing lengthen your life?
I didn’t know radio waves could ring the bell
How was WD40 made?
I didn’t know that DNA could hold up storage.
Wow! 40 times to make WD40, I had no clue!
Thank you, Mr. Billings!
Thank you for Acellus and Merry Christmas!!
I love Dr. Billings
I don’t think we’ll be able to make it to Acellus World again this year, but I am very happy to hear it will be live-streamed like last time!!
I love to watch science live soooo much
I learned that failure is not the end of the road, but a natural part of the learning process.
radio waves are cool!!!
Electronics are fun to figure out
The facts about DNA were awesome!
Wd 40 is great and is used for many purposes.
We just bought WD 40. Love how it was created. Love NASA stories
I love science live thank you Mr. Billings
Forty tries, wow!
Dr. Tobias’s part of Science Live is always so interesting.
Thank you so much for these Science Lives. I like learning new things every week!
My dad uses wd-40 for everything, bugs, squeaky doors, tools. It really is used for anything, and it works!
I really enjoyed the story of WD-40 I never knew that and wondered where the name came from.
I never get tired of watching Dr. Tobias explain stuff.
Learning about DNA was so fascinating. Science live never disappoints, the info is always so interesting. I agree with what a lot of other student are saying, which is that WD 40 is really neat! Thanks for teaching us all, have a blessed day.
Great video and very informative Mr. Billings. I’m definitely telling my dad about WD-40!
Pajet has the most soothing voice. I enjoy her social emotional courses. R51 is hilarious he is my brother’s favorite.
In always learning such amazing things from these!
Hi from Puerto Rico! We love acellus. My favorite are R51 and Pajet.
So cool how tin foil balls can conduct electricity if there is a radio wave.
I loved watching this video. I watched it with my older brother and sister. Acellus makes science so interesting!
Great spoon experiment by Dr, Billings.
Thank you for this weeks science live. Always love to watch!
R-51 got very shocked lol!
This is my first video as I’m new to Acellus. This was very interesting and I had no idea how WD-40 came about.
Precision, being a way that improves electromagnetic forces, is actually incredible. Science Live has taught me a lot about modern technology. Many topics have piqued my interest.
I never thought I’d be so interested in the origin of WD-40 but here I am! I cannot believe that’s how it came to be!!
I never know how W-D40 was invented or why they called it that! This was very interesting and educational.
i like the way they demonstrate everything in the video!
Thank you very much, Mr. Billings. I find science really interesting.
It’s so cool when you do the experiments live for us to see it in action
This video was very interesting. Learning that it took 40 tries to make WD40 is the highlight of the video.
MY dad used WD-40 on my bike this summer because the chain was rusted.
I love how much you all know!!
Love learning new things!
Science Live was great and I’ll have to use some WD-40 for my legos!
History really does repeat itself. It’s fascinating to me that somehow after all this progress, somewhere in the world people are using cassette tapes again.
Science live is always so informing and educating I love this extra knowledge every week!!
R-51 is a very funny guy, I hope he feels better
I LOVED the story about WD40!!!!!!!!!
I love building circuits. I have an Arduino kit I build with my dad, and I built a delivery robot last week from a kit I get every month.
Science Live has taught me so many random things that I probably wouldn’t have researched, so I’m grateful
I loved this weeks video!
It’s awesome that they built a bigger building to accommodate the amount of acellus graduates per year!
Wow Dr.Billings is the smartest I think.
I love science LIVE
Did Mr. Marconi invent other things too
Acellus is the best
My dad loves WD 40.
Hello from Illinois!!
r 51 is so funny he made my day with that hair comment he is soo fun
The DNA helix looks really complex but amazing at the same time.
R-51 is absolutely hilarious every time.
I had no idea that’s how WD40 was invented and that it was used for rockets first! That was a really cool and interesting fact.
I love R5 10 and Roger Billings, Happy Holidays to everyone 🙂
Thank you Acellus for science lives!
40 tries is insane!
Thank you for the lectures, I really enjoyed Dr. Johns lecture on the Atlas Eon 100 and the storage memory it has. Im looking foward to the next lectures that will be on the science live.
Thank you Mr.Billings!
Part of me can’t believe R51 got shocked but the other part of me is like “well that’s totally believable”.
Dr. Billings is so inspiring.
I always learn some interesting facts when I watch Science Live.
The relay was very interesting to learn about, and I am enjoying learning about inventions.
Edison’s quote is amazing! Try one more time!!!!
Acellus World looks like fun
I enjoyed this week science live. I really enjoyed this week‘s demonstration in the lab. It was very informative. Thank you so much!
I’m glad to be warm and cozy watching Science Live, its so cold outside!
Thank you Mr. Bilings!!!
My son love the academy acellus it’s awesome.
Cool,
I did not know that about WD-40, I just new it help stop my door hinges from squeaking..LOL!
Loved this episode! So interesting!
The WD40 information was interesting. Thank you and happy holidays. *
I love watching Tobias talk about science in the past!
My dad uses WD40 for everything! Now I can teach him something about it!
I love watching scince live!
I love learning about DNA!
i didn’t know WD-40 was used for rockets that’s really cool!
I enjoyed the live! Very educational!
Happy Holidays everyone!!
Thank you Dr Billings for making science fun!
science live is really fun!!
I love r51
I would have never imagined using DNA as a way to store data. Crazy that it could be stored for a thousand years. Really makes me wonder what technology will be like when I’m my Mom’s age!
The way they built the bell was very smart.
Science live has a lot of information
Always enjoy watching from Houston!
Thank you Mr billings!! I always look forward to the lives!
My dad uses WD40 all the time I didn’t know it took 40 tries to make.
I really enjoy getting to learn about science with Dr. Billings. I really learn a lot from it. Thank you for making these.