The Most Persistent Myth

December 1st, 2014

Many technologies have promised to revolutionize education, but so far none has. With that in mind, what could revolutionize education?
These ideas have been percolating since I wrote my PhD in physics education: https://ve42.co/phd
I have also discussed this topic with CGP Grey, whose view of the future of education differs significantly from mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vsCAM17O-M

I think it is instructive that each new technology has appeared to be so transformative. You can imagine, for example, that motion pictures must have seemed like a revolutionary learning technology. After all they did revolutionize entertainment, yet failed to make significant inroads into the classroom. TV and video seem like a cheaper, scaled back film, but they too failed to live up to expectations. Now there is a glut of information and video on the internet so should we expect it to revolutionize education?

My view is that it won’t, for two reasons: 1. Technology is not inherently superior, animations over static graphics, videoed presentations over live lectures etc. and 2. Learning is inherently a social activity, motivated and encouraged by interactions with others.

Filmed and edited by Pierce Cook

Supported by Screen Australia’s Skip Ahead program.

Music By Kevin MacLeod, http://www.incompetech.com “The Builder” and by Amarante Music: http://www.amarantemusic.com


How Were the Pyramids Built?

November 5th, 2014

Key aspects of pyramid construction from quarry to completion.
Check out Audible: http://bit.ly/AudibleVe
Live show in Alabama: http://bit.ly/VeRAOI

The most common misconception about the pyramids is that they were built by slaves. Recent archeological evidence suggests they were instead constructed by paid workers. Some may have performed this work as a form of tax payment for several months of the year. Skilled engineers would have planned and orchestrated the building. An estimated 10,000-20,000 people would have been working on a pyramid at any one point in time. They were well fed and provided with shelter near the pyramids. Plus their burial sites close by indicate they were respected and were not slaves.

Much of the limestone was quarried from the Giza plateau itself, meaning the stones did not need to be transported far. The granite casing of Menkaure’s pyramid, on the other hand, was transported from Aswan, around 600 miles, or 1000 km up the Nile.

Editing assistance by Dustin Chow

Music by Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com “Desert City” and “Ibn Al-Noor”


Sparks from Falling Water: Kelvin’s Thunderstorm

October 23rd, 2014

The physics behind Kelvin’s Thunderstorm explained. No, it is not a practical way of generating electricity, which is why we use turbines at hydro stations.

This video goes into more detail about the phenomenon demonstrated in this Hunger Games collab video: http://youtu.be/Rwa26CXG1fc


CapitolTV’s DISTRICT VOICES – District 5: Electric Sparks From Falling Water

October 23rd, 2014

Panem finds power in the radiance of the sun, and the water which rains down upon us! District 5’s Chief Energy Researcher Derek Muller takes CapitolTV on a tour of our nation’s cutting edge renewable technologies, and demonstrates one of the largest ‘Kelvin’s Thunderstorm’ experiments ever built to date… all for a brighter and more efficient Panem.

Sanctioned by the Capitol Ministry of Information, DISTRICT VOICES was made with friends from Google – http://artcopycode.com/campaign/lionsgate

For more of Panem’s finest programming, and to register for updates, visit http://CapitolTV.pn
#CapitolTV – #DistrictVoices

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – In theaters November 21
http://TheHungerGamesExplorer.com
#Mockingjay


Climate Change is Boring

August 29th, 2014

Have your voice heard at the UN Climate Summit in NYC, September 23: http://bit.ly/WhyNotVe

Interview filming by Chris Cassella: http://bit.ly/ScienceAlertVe


Explained: 5 Fun Physics Phenomena

August 13th, 2014

Explanations for http://youtu.be/1Xp_imnO6WE
Follow me on twitter: http://bit.ly/VeTwitter
or Instagram: http://bit.ly/VeInsta
or Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBVeritasium
For more on deflecting polar streams with electric fields, see:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed077p1520

I’m in Hobart for a live show on Friday at UTAS followed by gigs in Sydney and Canberra next weekend.


How Much Information?

July 3rd, 2014

How much information is there in Spanish vs English, you vs the world? Check out Audible: http://bit.ly/AudibleVe
Huge thanks to all the amazing people who made this possible:
Christina Ochoa – Spanish https://twitter.com/christina_ochoa
Vanessa Hill – Filming https://www.youtube.com/braincraftvideo
Henry Reich – Filming, cameo http://youtube.com/minutephysics
Cara Santa Maria – Set design http://carasantamaria.com
Michael Stevens – cameo http://youtube.com/vsauce
Crystal Dilworth – consultation https://twitter.com/PolycrystalhD

Thanks also to MinutePhysics for wardrobe and lending the use of the amazing “Things to do when it’s really cold outside” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Gs6tyiNX4

More on this theme to come in the main collaboration with Vsauce.


Musical Fire Table!

April 17th, 2014

Standing waves of fire!
Check out Audible: http://bit.ly/AudibleVe
Fysikshow: http://bit.ly/Fysikshow – I’m hosting Michio Kaku in Melbourne ONLY: http://bit.ly/VeKakuTickets

Rubens’ Tube is an awesome demo and here we take it to the next level with a two-dimensional ‘Pyro Board’. This shows unique standing wave patters of sound in the box.

The pressure variations due to the sound waves affect the flow rate of flammable gas from the holes in the Pyro Board and therefore affect the height and colour of flames. This is interesting for visualizing standing wave patterns and simply awesome to watch when put to music. Thank you to Sune Nielsen and everyone at Aarhus for sharing this demonstration with me! And thanks for having me at your conference.

Music by Kevin MacLeod, http://www.Incompetech.com “Ice Flow”


American Maid of Athens, Ohio

April 11th, 2014

American Maid, cleaning service in Athens, OhioAmerican Maid (American Maid, LLC) is a full service cleaning company owned and operated in Athens, Ohio, to serve the Athens and Ohio University area. Nearby areas like Albany, Amesville and Nelsonville are also within range.

American Maid is owned and managed by disabled veterans and promotes services with an all-American, patriotic theme. American Maid does large and small cleaning projects, one time or periodical cleaning, event cleanups, home cleaning and commercial cleaning, such as daily or weekly office cleanups.

American Maid’s hard-working crew will do the job right!

American Maid website: AmericanMaid.me


Anti-Gravity Wheel?

March 17th, 2014

Explanation of gyro precession: http://bit.ly/U4e8HQ
More: http://bit.ly/GyroMORE
Less Than: http://bit.ly/GyroLESS
Equal To: http://bit.ly/GyroEQUAL

Huge thanks to A/Prof Emeritus Rod Cross, Helen Georgiou for filming, Alex Yeung, and Chris Stewart, the University of Sydney Mechanical Engineering shop, Duncan and co. Ralph and the School of Physics.

In this video I attempt to lift a 19kg (42 lbs) wheel over my head one-handed while it’s spinning at a few thousand RPM. This replicates an earlier experiment by Professor Eric Laithwaite. He claimed the wheel was ‘light as a feather’ and could not be explained by Newton’s Laws. I wanted to find out for myself what I really felt like.

Music By Kevin MacLeod http://www.Incompetech.com “Tempting Secrets”