The uncomfortable effort of thinking: how we learn and why we sometimes make stupid mistakes.
Some of these scenes were shot in early 2015 - I have been trying to make this video since then, but I needed dedicated time to work on it. Thankfully that time has finally come. I hope you enjoy this video as it is something I have slaved over.
2017-03-02 17:21:55 +0000 UTC View Post
I learned a lot of things working on this video - and I used it to test out a new format that I'm using on a brand new channel!
It's called Sciencium and it will use this 'studio' format to explore a range of science topics, especially new discoveries in science. That will free up Veritasium to be out in the world, doing experiments, talking to people etc.
I'm launching a new video tomorrow about the Mpemba Effect - the idea that warm water can freeze faster than cold water (does it?)
Even more exciting than that - this video is on a new channel that no one has seen yet. It's called: Sciencium (an element of knowledge). So I invite you to go check out that video now, and if you like it, subscribe to the new channel. You could be in the first thous...
2017-02-08 06:26:18 +0000 UTC View Post
I have seen versions of electromagnetic levitation before, like at the Palais de la Decouverte in Paris: a huge alternating electromagnet levitates a light aluminum plate. What makes this device special is it weighs over 100 lbs but levitates itself by simply spinning permanent magnets! The thinking is one day this phenomenon could be used to levitate high speed trains or even the Hyperloop...
2017-01-30 17:26:49 +0000 UTC View Post
This video was sponsored by BMW. They asked me to come to CES and take a ride in their self-driving car and I agreed. I also insisted on having full editorial control over the video. The thing I wanted to talk about was the morality of autonomous cars - something I've been meaning to make a video about for a while.
Lot's of people have gotten hung up on the Trolley Problem - the idea that someon...
2017-01-20 01:01:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Last year I got up close with a working 1:100 scale version of LIGO, the gravitational wave detector that made the first discovery of G-waves. In an interview with Caltech Prof Rana Adhikari, I found out about the absurd physics required to make the detection - this is what fascinated me, laser power that could vaporize your head, the smoothest mirrors ever created, measuring wiggles one thousandt...
2017-01-05 16:18:05 +0000 UTC View Post
This video is an unpaid post because it's a bit of an experiment. I filmed this at a meetup in Stockholm, Sweden and it's normally the sort of thing I would post on my second channel, http://youtube.com/2veritasium
But because this is a topic that's been on my mind a lot lately, and because I thought main channel viewers migh...
2016-12-20 17:11:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey! I'm currently at a conference in Sweden so I'm only now getting a chance to post this video. I learned a lot about polymer chemistry to make this video. It opens with a pretty awesome video from How Ridiculous where they dropped a watermelon 45 meters. An unprotected watermelon smashes (predictably) but one coated with a polyurea coating called Line-X bounces (even though it's travelling at o...
2016-12-07 07:51:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Celsius vs. Fahrenheit debate aside, I have found the history of temperature measurement fascinating. For example did you know Fahrenheit was orphaned at 15? That an arrest warrant was issued while he was devising his scale? He was a pioneer in thermometer construction and that is likely why his scale survived to this day (at least in 4 laggard countries).
Also, having a sale today on Snatoms: 1...
2016-11-28 16:10:22 +0000 UTC View Post
I built this little apparatus for under $100 where you can get oil droplets to bounce and replicate some of the key phenomena of quantum mechanics!
Single slit interference: check
Double slit experiment: double check
Tunneling: yes!
Quantization: you bet!
It's pretty cool that you can see how all of these phenomena could work using pilot wave dynamics, a theory first prop...
2016-11-02 15:16:21 +0000 UTC View Post
In the early days of the space age, scientists thought cold welding would be a serious problem. If two bare metals are pressed together in vacuum, they weld together without the need for heating or melting of either piece. This has caused problems for some space missions, but it's found a useful application in nanotechnology.
2016-10-26 17:58:20 +0000 UTC View Post
A few years ago I got obsessed with the idea of virtual particles - these quantum fluctuations are responsible for the best and worst prediction in science (as I covered in my last video) and they may also be responsible for our existence. That's because of how these fluctuations were blown up during the period of the universe's expansion known as inflation. I finally got around to making these vi...
2016-10-03 20:35:48 +0000 UTC View Post
... are both based on the same underlying theory of virtual particles.
I got obsessed with this idea two years ago and I interviewed some of my favourite physicists including Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt and Caltech Prof. Sean Carroll. Then I wanted to do a really good job of this video so I put it on hold until I had some time, which is now. So I'm really proud of this video and I thi...
2016-09-08 16:16:45 +0000 UTC View Post
I consider evidence for the reproducibility crisis and what we can do about it.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the things that get repeated. A body of research suggests the simple act of repetition makes things seem more true, more likeable, and better valued. This is just one of the ways that our perception is influenced subconsciously by manipulable aspects of presentation. I think these findings are of paramount importance in a world where we repeat things more than...
2016-07-21 16:41:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Thank you for supporting Veritasium on Patreon! In case you missed it, here is my thank you video, which shows some behind the scenes from the anti-gravity wheel video. It was really hard getting it to work!
And to all those in the US: Happy 4th!
New video where you will see the most amazing yo-yo tricks you never thought possible. How can you release a yo-yo off its string and then pull it back to you by re-attaching the string mid-flight? There's a good deal of science involved.
I had the good fortune to meet Ben Conde, a man who has spent most of his life perfecting insane off-string yo-yo tricks. I met him through Darren Dyk, the...
2016-06-28 16:53:19 +0000 UTC View Post
To all those celebrating with your dads, sons or daughters I hope you have an amazing day, just as I am here reading (singing) the astronomically correct version of Twinkle Twinkle by Henry and Zach. Babytasium is nearly 4 weeks old! So if you were wondering why I haven't been posting more videos, now you know.
I also want to thank you for supporting Veritasium on Patreon. I will begin accep...
2016-06-19 17:04:44 +0000 UTC View Post
But I did want to let you know about a brand new mailing list I am launching to keep in touch with supporters. There are some really big projects coming up in the next few months so if you don't want to miss out please sign up for the email list at veritasium.com
If you sign up now, there's a video thank you message with se...
2015-08-15 15:07:06 +0000 UTC View Post
