Infinity Limited facts for kids
Infinity Limited was a cool Australian science TV show made by the ABC in Melbourne between 1982 and 1984. Even though it didn't run for many years, it was super popular with primary school kids all over Australia! They made 37 episodes, and most of them were shown many times.
The show first starred Kim Trengove as Kris and Stefan Dennis as Rick. They ran a small business called Infinity Ltd. Their job was to help people solve everyday problems using science! Rick left the show after 20 episodes, and Mark Little joined as Rosco for the rest of the series.
Infinity Ltd.'s office was right above another company called Vortex Ventures. This company, run by the funny and not-so-smart Valerian J. Vortex (Ross Williams), always tried to steal Infinity Ltd.'s customers. Vortex's assistant, Arthur Plankton (played by Ian Scott), was often smarter than Vortex gave him credit for! Infinity Ltd. knew about Vortex and Plankton, but they usually just saw them as a small bother, not a real threat.
Contents
Characters
Meet the Team!
Kris
Kristal, or Kris, is one of the main people at Infinity Limited. She's super smart and often comes up with the best science ideas. She's a great leader for the team and makes sure things get done. Kris is a good friend to Rick and later Rosco.
Rick
Rick was Kris's first partner at Infinity Limited. He's a hard worker, but sometimes he likes to relax! He might need a bit more convincing when Kris has a new, big idea. Rick leaves the show for reasons that aren't fully explained.
Rosco
Rosco takes over from Rick as Kris's partner. He's very practical and good at building things. While Kris comes up with the science ideas, Rosco is great at making them happen!
The Rivals
Vortex
Valerian J. Vortex owns Vortex Ventures, the rival company to Infinity Limited. Vortex is often greedy, a bit lazy, and doesn't always know much, but he's not totally silly. He can understand science ideas a little, but he doesn't have the patience to learn them properly. He loves to invent machines, but they usually have a big problem in the end! Vortex thinks he's a genius and often ignores his assistant Plankton, even when Plankton is right. He's usually seen in a blue suit and tie.
Plankton
Arthur Plankton is Vortex's assistant, and he often has to put up with a lot! Vortex rarely calls him by his first name. Plankton is a bit lazy when it comes to physical work, but he's actually smarter than Vortex. He often sees the problems in Vortex's crazy plans but gets ignored. Plankton usually wears blue jeans, a grey jumper, and a grey jacket.
How the Show Works
Most episodes of Infinity Limited start with Kris and Rick (or later Rosco) getting a new client who has a problem. They then research different ways to solve it and do experiments to find the best solution.
In about half of the episodes, Vortex sends Plankton to spy on Infinity Limited. Plankton often crawls through the air vents between their offices! Then, Vortex tries to mess up Infinity Limited's plans and come up with his own idea to impress the client. In other episodes, Vortex is just doing something silly that happens to be related to the science problem Infinity Limited is solving. Vortex's plans always fail in the end, usually because of his own mistakes!
The show uses Vortex and Plankton's lack of knowledge to explain science ideas to the audience. They often talk about the science behind the problem, which helps kids watching understand it too. Infinity Limited also explains concepts to each other or gets help from experts. The show is great at teaching kids to think carefully and not jump to conclusions. It also talks about important topics like protecting the environment!
Episodes
Ep. no. | Title | Science concept | Plot outline |
---|---|---|---|
83/1 | The Earth Speaks | Fossils | |
83/2 | Thick as a Brick | Brickmaking | Infinity Limited finds out why a woman's mudbricks crack as they dry. Vortex tries to sell his own mudbricks made by Plankton! |
83/3 | To Bee or Not to Bee | Bees and pollination | Kris and Rick investigate why a beekeeper's bees have died. Vortex thinks music from a festival scared them away. |
83/4 | Don't Count Your Chickens | Egg incubation | Kris and Rick figure out why chicken eggs aren't hatching. Vortex decides to raise ostriches to sell their eggs. |
83/5 | Veg's Revenge | Nutrition | Kris and Rick's friend Greg works at a mine where miners are getting sick. They check the food, while Vortex thinks it's a disease. |
83/6 | The Case of the Terminated Trout | Water pollution | A farmer asks for help proving a tanker spill killed fish in his stream. Vortex blames a factory owner, ignoring Plankton. |
83/7 | Good Vibrations | Noise pollution | Kris's friend's band is too loud for a neighbor. Kris and Rick look into soundproofing, while Vortex shows off his tin can telephone. |
83/8 | These Fuelish Things | Alternative energy sources | A farmer wants to use cow pats to make methane to save on energy. Kris and Rick look into other alternative energy sources, while Vortex and Plankton build a methane machine. |
83/9 | The Big Heater | ||
83/10 | Thin Air | Wind energy/Wind resistance | A delivery driver needs help finding out who's stealing petrol. Vortex decides to build a wind-powered car after Plankton is blown away by the wind. |
83/11 | Waste High | Waste disposal | During a garbage strike, Kris and Rick find ways to safely get rid of factory waste paint. Vortex plans to sell the waste for money. |
83/12 | Vision from Above | Flight | A model plane fan asks why his plane crashed. Vortex builds a giant kite to take aerial photos with Plankton as the photographer. |
83/13 | An Air-Raising Experience | Balloons | A civil servant wants advice for a $10,000 balloon race. Vortex gets Plankton to pretend to be a kid to get lots of helium balloons for the same race. |
83/14 | Things That Go Bump in the Night | The sky above | A young UFO fan asks Kris and Rick to prove a strange light was a UFO. A prospector asks Vortex and Plankton to check a loud bang and a hole on his land. |
83/15 | The Big Lift | Simple machines | A strongman needs help keeping his job after claiming he can lift a baby elephant. Vortex and Plankton try to sell him a super long lever. |
83/16 | The Generation Gap | Electricity generation | An earthquake knocks out power in Melbourne. Vortex reluctantly asks Infinity Limited to fix a generator Plankton took apart. |
83/17 | Melting Moments | Insulation | Kris and Rick visit Kris's friend Lucy at a fair, where Lucy's ice sculpture is melting fast. Vortex tries to sell hot pies and cold ice cream from the same container. |
83/18 | Gripping Yarns | Friction | Kris and Rick enter a competition for super fuel-efficient cars. Vortex designs his own buggy after complaining about heavy golf clubs. |
83/19 | Compute the Loops | Computers | Kris and Rick help a pet shop owner organize with computers. Vortex and Plankton enter a contest to guess how many "Goopie Loops" would fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground. |
83/20 | The Time Trap | Time | Kris and Rick help the police when their friend is accused of robbing a clock shop. Vortex tries to build a new, super accurate clock for a big prize. |
83/21 | Water, Water Everywhere | The properties of water | |
83/22 | Getting It Together | This episode introduces Rosco, explaining that Rick went overseas. | |
83/23 | The Light Fantastic | Photography | An army agent asks Kris and Rosco to crack a code on slides. Vortex and Plankton follow them to a secret base and build a camera to spy. |
83/24 | Moving Pictures | ||
83/26 | Fangs For The Memory | Snakes | |
83/27 | Seeing Is Believing | The senses | |
83/28 | Night Moves | Animal tracks and traces | |
83/31 | Make Or Break | Electrical circuits | |
83/32 | Blazing Sandshoes | Fitness | |
83/33 | The Missing Possums Bureau | Habitat | A rich man asks Kris and Rosco why there are no sugar gliders on his land. Vortex decides to teach regular possums how to fly. |
84/1 | The Guitar Case | Sound and musical instruments | |
84/1 | That Which Never Rests | Perpetual motion | |
84/2 | Great Balls Of Pumpkin | Plant nutrition | |
84/3 | The Invisible Force | Air pressure | |
84/4 | Wheels Within Wheels | Expansion of metals | |
84/5 | What's This Space | Measuring volume | |
84/6 | Bubble, Bubble, Toil And Trouble | Fermentation |