science

VD Blues

VD Blues is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand VD Blues rather than just read about it. In short: VD Blues was a one-hour PBS Special of the Week, created by Donald Fouser that aired in 1972 about the dangers of venereal disease. Plot The show consisted of a series of skits and sketches that were hosted by Dick Cavett and starred well-known performers such as James Coco, Marcia Rodd, and Arlo Guthrie.

Key takeaways

VD Blues belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VD Blues to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VD Blues from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

VD Blues was a one-hour PBS Special of the Week, created by Donald Fouser that aired in 1972 about the dangers of venereal disease.

Plot The show consisted of a series of skits and sketches that were hosted by Dick Cavett and starred well-known performers such as James Coco, Marcia Rodd, and Arlo Guthrie. It was underwritten by the 3M Company. The show featured the Shel Silverstein song "Don't Give a Dose" performed by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show.

Sequel In 1973, PBS made a sequel, VD Blues, Part 2, in which student volunteers from Drama classes at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY were filmed in staged "candid" situations, asking key questions to be answered. An example: turning from a table of students at a seminar, one asks into the camera, "How do I know if I have V.D.?" One of the most memorable images of VD Blues, Part 2 was returning host Dick Cavett brandishing a toilet seat and stating, "You won't get VD from one of THESE!"

Awards The show won an Emmy Award in the category of "Special Classification of Outstanding Program Achievements awarded to Donald Fouser." Time Magazine called it the "most venturesome single show" of 1972.

Book A paperback book containing a transcript of the show was published by Avon Books in 1973.

References

External links VD Blues at IMDb Cyber College: Youth, Sex and the Media

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VD Blues

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VD Blues claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VD Blues before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VD Blues ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VD Blues

In research: VD Blues appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VD Blues in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VD Blues is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1970s American television specials, 1972 television specials, Documentary films about health care, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VD Blues outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study VD Blues in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VD Blues means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VD Blues out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VD Blues in simple terms?

VD Blues was a one-hour PBS Special of the Week, created by Donald Fouser that aired in 1972 about the dangers of venereal disease. Plot The show consisted of a series of skits and sketches that were hosted by Dick Cavett and starred well-known performers such as James Coco, Marcia Rodd, and Arlo G…

Why does VD Blues matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VD Blues?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VD Blues.