ALL OF PHYSICS explained in 14 Minutes

Summary

This script takes viewers on a cosmic journey through the fundamentals of physics, exploring gravity, mass, and acceleration with Sir Isaac Newton's laws. It delves into concepts like energy, work, and thermodynamics, leading to electricity and magnetism with Coulomb's Law. The narrative accelerates into the quantum realm, touching on Einstein's theory of relativity, the standard model of particles, and the perplexities of quantum mechanics, all while maintaining a playful tone that invites curiosity and learning.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Newton's Second Law: Force equals mass times acceleration, illustrating the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.
• 🍎 Law of Universal Gravitation: Newton's law that explains how any two masses attract each other, with the force of attraction being inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of the two masses.
• 🌌 Solar System Orbits: Planets orbit the sun due to gravity, maintaining a balance between the sun's gravitational pull and the planets' initial velocity.
• 🔄 Inverse-Square Law: The force of gravity decreases with the square of the distance between two objects, meaning the further apart they are, the weaker the gravitational pull.
• 🔗 Mass vs. Weight: Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is the force exerted by gravity on that mass, varying with the strength of the gravitational field.
• 💥 Energy and Work: Energy is a property of an object, measured in joules, and can be in the form of kinetic (movement) or potential (stored) energy. Work is the energy transferred when a force is applied over a distance.
• 🔆 Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another, a principle fundamental to physics.
• 🌡 Temperature and Kinetic Energy: Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of atoms in a system, with faster-moving atoms corresponding to higher temperatures.
• ⚡ Electromagnetism: Described by Maxwell's equations, electromagnetism includes electric and magnetic fields, and how moving charges or magnetic fields can induce each other.
• 🌐 Theory of Relativity: Einstein's theory that the laws of physics are the same for all observers and that the speed of light is constant, leading to the understanding that time and space are relative.
• 💥 Nuclear Energy: Both fission (splitting of atomic nuclei) and fusion (combining of smaller nuclei) release energy due to the mass defect, where the resulting nucleus is lighter than the starting nuclei.

Q & A

What is the main concept introduced at the beginning of the script?

The script starts by describing Earth as a rock floating in space surrounded by other rocks, gas, and mainly nothingness. It then introduces the idea of looking at physics to understand the universe.

Who is introduced as the key figure in understanding gravity?

Isaac Newton is introduced as the key figure in understanding gravity, often referred to as 'gravity guy.'

What is Newton's important equation related to force?

Newton's important equation related to force is 'Force equals mass times acceleration' (F = ma).

How does the script explain the concept of gravitational attraction?

The script explains gravitational attraction by describing how two masses attract each other, making an apple fall, and introduces Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.

What is the Inverse-Square Law mentioned in the script?

The Inverse-Square Law states that as the distance between two masses increases, the gravitational force between them decreases by the square of the distance.

How does the script describe the difference between mass and weight?

The script describes mass as the amount of matter in an object and weight as the force of gravity acting on that mass. Mass remains constant, while weight varies with the strength of the gravitational pull.

What are the two main types of energy mentioned in the script?

The two main types of energy mentioned are kinetic energy (energy of movement) and potential energy (stored energy due to position).

How is the concept of work defined in the script?

Work is defined as force applied over a distance. For example, lifting an apple by one meter involves converting chemical energy in your body to gravitational potential energy in the apple.

What is the conservation of energy principle explained in the script?

The conservation of energy principle states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

How does the script describe the relationship between temperature and kinetic energy?

The script describes temperature as the average kinetic energy of atoms in a system. Faster-moving atoms indicate higher temperatures.

What does the script say about the concept of entropy?

Entropy is described as a measure of disorder in a system, indicating the number of possible states a system can be in. The universe tends towards higher entropy, which explains why time seems to move forward.

What are the main components of an atom mentioned in the script?

Atoms are composed of a core (nucleus) made of protons and neutrons, and electrons that orbit the core. Protons and neutrons are further made of quarks.

How does the script explain the speed of light?

The speed of light is stated to be 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum, and it is described as the fastest thing in the universe.

What is the dual nature of light discussed in the script?

Light is described as having both wave-like and particle-like properties. This duality is demonstrated through the double-slit experiment and the concept of photons.

What significant idea did Albert Einstein contribute to physics according to the script?

Albert Einstein contributed the theory of relativity, which includes the idea that the speed of light is constant and that time is relative, as well as the concept that gravity is the result of masses bending spacetime.

How does the script explain nuclear reactions like fission and fusion?

Fission is the splitting of a nucleus into smaller nuclei, releasing energy. Fusion is the combining of smaller nuclei into a larger one, also releasing energy due to a mass defect.

What is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle mentioned in the script?

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and the exact speed of a quantum particle at the same time.

What does the script say about the nature of quantum particles?

Quantum particles, such as electrons, exist in a superposition of states and can only be described probabilistically. When measured, they collapse into a single state.

What is the significance of the double-slit experiment in quantum mechanics?

The double-slit experiment shows that even individual particles, like photons, can produce an interference pattern, indicating wave-like behavior. When measured, particles behave as particles, not waves.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Introduction to the Cosmos and Newton's Laws

The script begins with a whimsical introduction to the universe, comparing celestial bodies to floating rocks in space. It then delves into the fundamental principles of physics, specifically Newton's laws. The first law, the Law of Universal Gravitation, explains how masses attract each other, leading to phenomena like planetary orbits. Newton's second law, relating force, mass, and acceleration, is also discussed, highlighting how it allows for the prediction of motion. The concept of mass and weight are differentiated, with the latter being the force exerted by gravity on mass. The script uses humor to explain complex scientific concepts, making them accessible to a general audience.

05:01

🔋 Energy, Work, and the Nature of the Universe

This paragraph explores the concepts of energy and work, distinguishing between kinetic and potential energy, and how they convert from one form to another. The script uses the example of dropping a phone to illustrate this conversion. Work is defined as force applied over a distance, and its relationship with energy is clarified, emphasizing that energy is conserved and can only change forms. The script also introduces the idea of temperature as a measure of average kinetic energy and touches on the concept of entropy in thermodynamics, explaining how the universe tends toward a state of increased disorder. It concludes with an introduction to electromagnetism, drawing parallels between electric charge interactions and Newton's law of gravitation.

10:02

⚛️ Deep Dive into Particle Physics and Quantum Mechanics

The final paragraph takes a quantum leap into the subatomic world, discussing the composition of atoms and the standard model of particle physics. It explains how the number of protons and neutrons determine the element and its isotopes, respectively, and touches on the dangers of radioactive decay. The speed of light is highlighted as a universal constant, and its wave-particle duality is introduced through the double-slit experiment. Einstein's theory of relativity is summarized, explaining how it challenges Newtonian concepts of gravity and time. The script wraps up with an overview of quantum mechanics, including the ideas of superposition, the uncertainty principle, and the probabilistic nature of particle location, as described by Schrödinger's equation. It ends with a playful nod to the strangeness and counterintuitive nature of quantum phenomena.

Keywords

💡Gravity

Gravity is the force that attracts two masses towards each other, as described by Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation. In the video, it is the central concept explaining why planets orbit the sun and why objects fall to the ground. The script uses gravity to illustrate the relationship between mass, distance, and the force of attraction, highlighting the Inverse-Square Law, which states that the force of gravity decreases with the square of the distance between two masses.

💡Mass

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object and is intrinsic to the object, meaning it does not change regardless of location. In the video, mass is discussed in the context of Newton's second law, where it is a key factor in determining acceleration when a force is applied. Additionally, mass is distinguished from weight, with the latter being the force exerted by gravity on an object's mass, varying depending on the gravitational pull of the celestial body where the object is located.

💡Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity of an object with respect to time. The video explains it as how fast velocity is changing, and it is a fundamental concept in physics, particularly in Newton's second law, which states that force equals mass times acceleration. An example from the script is predicting the trajectory of a basketball mid-air, where knowing the forces acting on it allows for the calculation of its acceleration.

💡Inertia

Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its velocity. It is related to mass, as objects with greater mass have greater inertia. In the video, inertia is briefly mentioned as a property of mass, indicating that objects with more mass are harder to set in motion or stop once in motion, which is a concept crucial for understanding the behavior of objects under the influence of forces.

💡Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its motion. The video describes it as the energy of movement and explains that when potential energy is converted into motion, such as when a dropped phone falls, it gains kinetic energy. The script uses the example of a phone falling to the ground to illustrate the concept of kinetic energy and its conversion from potential energy upon impact.

💡Potential Energy

Potential energy is the stored energy of an object due to its position or condition. In the video, gravitational potential energy is exemplified by the energy stored when holding a phone above the ground. When the phone is dropped, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as the phone accelerates towards the ground, demonstrating the conservation of energy principle.

💡Work

Work in physics is defined as the product of the force applied to an object and the distance the object moves in the direction of the force. The video clarifies that work is not the same as energy, although they share the unit 'Joule'. Work is the transfer of energy from one form to another, as when lifting an apple against gravity, converting chemical energy in the body to gravitational potential energy in the apple.

💡Conservation of Energy

The conservation of energy is a fundamental principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. The video emphasizes this principle by explaining that when a car's brakes are applied, the kinetic energy is converted into heat energy due to friction, which is then dissipated into the surrounding air, increasing the kinetic energy of the air molecules.

💡Temperature

Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system. The video describes it as an indicator of how fast atoms or molecules are moving. It is related to the concept of kinetic energy, as faster-moving particles result in a higher temperature. The script uses the example of atoms wiggling to explain temperature, indicating that all particles in a system contribute to its thermal state.

💡Entropy

Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system, representing the number of possible microscopic configurations of the system. The video explains entropy in the context of thermodynamics, using the melting of an ice cube as an example to illustrate the transition from a more ordered state (low entropy) to a less ordered state (high entropy). It also touches on the concept that the universe tends toward increasing entropy over time.

💡Electromagnetism

Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces in nature, describing the interaction between electrically charged particles. The video introduces the concept through Coulomb's Law, which is analogous to Newton's Law of Gravitation, and further explains the relationship between electric and magnetic fields, including how moving charges create magnetic fields and vice versa, as described by Maxwell's equations.

Highlights

Gravity is explained as the force that causes rocks to orbit gas, illustrating celestial mechanics.

Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation is introduced, emphasizing the relationship between mass, distance, and gravitational force.

The concept of force, mass, and acceleration is simplified for better understanding, relating to Newton's second law.

Newton's first law, inertia, and the conservation of motion are discussed in the context of planetary orbits.

The difference between mass and weight is clarified, highlighting the influence of gravity on perceived weight.

Kinetic and potential energy are differentiated, with examples of their conversion during the fall of an object.

The concept of work is introduced, relating it to the transfer of energy through force applied over a distance.

The conservation of energy principle is explained, emphasizing that energy can be converted but not created or destroyed.

Temperature is defined as a measure of average kinetic energy, linking it to the movement of atoms and molecules.

Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics are discussed, illustrating the natural progression towards disorder.

The relationship between energy, work, and the usefulness of energy forms is explored in the context of gasoline and car engines.

Electric charge, current, voltage, and resistance are defined, forming the basis of electromagnetism.

Coulomb's Law is compared to Newton's Law of Gravitation, drawing parallels between gravitational and electric forces.

Maxwell's equations are introduced, explaining the interrelation between electric and magnetic fields.

The phenomenon of electromagnetic induction is described, showing how it powers wireless charging technologies.

The standard model of particle physics is outlined, detailing the composition of atoms and the role of quarks.

Radioactive decay and half-life are explained, highlighting the instability and danger of certain isotopes.

The speed of light and its dual wave-particle nature are discussed, challenging classical physics with quantum mechanics.

Einstein's theory of relativity is summarized, introducing time dilation and the bending of spacetime by mass.

The concept of mass-energy equivalence is presented, explaining the immense energy potential in atomic reactions.

Nuclear fission and fusion are differentiated, explaining their role in energy production and potential risks.

Quantum mechanics is introduced with Planck's quanta, challenging the classical view of energy as continuous.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle is explained, illustrating the limits of simultaneous knowledge of position and momentum.

The double-slit experiment is discussed, demonstrating the wave-particle duality and the role of observation in quantum phenomena.

Transcripts

Hi!

You’re on a rock.

Floating in space.

Surrounded by more rocks.

And gas.

And a bunch of nothing, mainly.

Oh hey, look at that, the rocks are going around the gas.

Hold on, what the heck, is going on here?

To understand, let’s look a little bit of Physics.

Wait, did I say a little bit?

To find out what kind of magic this is, we’ll have to go back in time.

Okay, not that far.

Stop!

Yeah.

That’s perfect.

This is gravity guy.

But most people call him “Isaac Newton”.

One important thing he said is that Force equals mass times acceleration.

Now what do all these words even mean?

Force is just a push or pull on something, in a certain direction.

Mass tells you how much of something there is, and it’s also a measure of inertia,

but we’ll get to that later, and acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect

to time, but that’s too many big words for my taste, so let’s just say it’s how fast

velocity is changing.

The key takeaway is that if you apply a Force to a fixed mass, you get a predictable amount

of acceleration.

If you know all the forces acting on a basketball mid-air, you can predict with 100% certainty

if the ball will go in the hoop or your neighbours windshield.

“Whoa, did an apple just fall on my head?”

Yes Newton, it did.

“That must have happened for a reason” said Newton, as he discovered that two masses

attract one another, making the apple fall.

Yes, even you, no matter how ugly you think you are, attract pretty much the whole universe,

at least a little bit.

Hey, can you put that on paper?

“yup” said Newton, who gave us the Law of Universal Gravitation.

In other words, how much two bodies pull on each other, given their mass and distance,

times a constant.

Bigger mass?

Bigger Pull.

Bigger distance?

Smaller pull.

Actually, a lot smaller pull.

You see, the as the distance increases, the Force gets smaller by the square.

That my friends, is the Inverse-Square Law.

Gravity is also the reason why the planets in our solar system orbit the sun.

They got their initial velocity when the solar system formed out of spinning gas, and since

there’s nothing in space to stop them from moving, they’ll keep moving.

Hey, that’s Newton’s first Law.

The sun is so massive, that the force of gravity keeps pulling the planets towards the sun,

but the planets are fast enough to essentially fall towards the sun but miss it, and this

goes on forever, creating a round orbit.

Actually, that’s kind of a lie.

Most orbits orbits are not perfectly round but more egg-shaped and pluto’s orbit is

just…a complete mess.

But you get the idea.

In this case, the gravity is what we call a centripetal force.

One thing many people confuse is mass and weight, and no, they are not the same.

Mass tells you how much of this blob there is, and Weight is the force of Gravity the

blob would feel.

To make things clear, your mass would be the same on the earth and on the moon, but the

“weight” you would perceive, is different, because the moon has a weaker gravitational

pull, meaning, a weaker force acting on your mass.

So really, you’re not overweight, you’re just on the wrong planet.

Aight, enough about Newton, let’s break some stuff.

If you ever dropped your phone, it might look like this: What the hell ground, why’d you

do that?

The answer is Energy.

You know, the thing kids have after eating gummy bears.

Energy has the unit Joule.

And it’s not like Force, it’s doesn’t have a direction, it’s just a number, that’s

kind of chilling there, as a property of a thing.

You see, there’s two main kinds of energy: Kinetic energy, and potential energy.

In plain English, energy of movement, and stored energy due to some circumstance.

For example, when you held your phone, it stored gravitational potential energy, due

to being held above the ground, at a certain height.

Once you dropped it, the potential energy was converted into kinetic energy, as the

phone fell.

Then it smashed into the ground, and the phone absorbed some of the energy making the screen

go boom.

Work is defined as Force applied over distance.

For example: If you lift an apple by 1 meter, you would

have done about 1 Joule of work.

This happened by converting chemical energy stored in your body to gravitational potential

energy stored in the apple.

As you may have noticed, Energy and Work have the same unit “Joule”.

So they must be the same thing?

Uhhh, No.

Energy is the total amount of work that a thing could possibly do.

Work is just the stuff that actually happened and required energy.

You know, force applied over a distance, which most often implies converting energy from

one form to another.

If you try to lift a weight that’s too heavy for you, you’d feel like that took a bunch

of work, right?

Well, yes, but your feelings are invalid in the face of Physics!

Mathematically, no work has been done!

Because, work is a force applied over a distance.

And since you didn’t move the weight at all, no distance means no work.

The key thing to remember about energy is that it cannot be created or destroyed, only

converted.

Aka, the conservation of energy.

Okay, but a car, that’s moving has kinetic energy.

When the car stops, assuming the car doesn’t smash into a wall, where does that energy

go?

When you apply the brakes, there’s friction between the brakes and the wheels, causing

the car to slow down, and creating heat as a byproduct.

That heat is then dissipated to the surrounding air.

And that makes the molecules in the air move faster.

And things that move have kinetic energy.

So ultimately, the kinetic energy is transferred from the car to the air.

With this knowledge, we can define that Temperature is just the average kinetic energy of atoms

in a system.

You see, all atoms, not just molecules in the air, wiggle.

Like this.

The faster they move, the hotter things get.

That is temperature.

All that talk about hot stuff, I think it’s time we talk about Thermodynamics.

It tells us that jumping in lava is probably a bad idea, but more importantly, the absolute

mess that is entropy.

Literally, it tells you how much disorder there is in a system, indicating the number

of possible states a system can be in.

For example, get an ice cube, no not that one, yes that’s perfect, and put it in the

sun.

The sun will obliterate the ice cube and turn it into water.

Looking at the structure of ice and water, we can see that ice is more neatly organized

than water, which just kind of goes all over the place.

Also, the water could look like this, or this, or even this, but the ice will always look

a little something like this.

In total, the system went from low entropy to high entropy, meaning more disorder and

more possible microstates.

This trend applies everything.

The whole universe is on an unstoppable path to higher entropy.

It’s also the reason why time seems to go only forwards, or at least, that’s what

we believe at this point.

Practically, entropy tells us that some forms of energy are more useful for doing work than

others.

Burn some gasoline, and your car will move, spitting out heat and gas.

That heat and gas is pretty much gasoline, just in the form of higher entropy.

And as you can imagine, this stuff won’t really make your car move, and the gas won’t

spontaneously turn back into liquid gasoline.

Meaning, the form of gasoline with lower entropy is more useful for doing work.

Okay, but if you put some water in the freezer, will it not decrease in entropy?

Yes, BUT the fridge is not an isolated system and will heat up the room more than it will

cool down the water, increasing the total entropy.

Wanna see some magic?

Woah, what just happened?

Some electrons apparently moved through some wires and let there be light.

What is going on here?

Objects have a fancy something called a charge.

It can be positive or negative.

Or, if you have the same amount of both, an object is neutral.

Electrons have a single negative charge.

The flow of electrons is called electric current.

To describe it, we use three parameters: Current, Voltage, and Resistance.

Current is the amount of electrons passing through a wire in a given amount of time,

Voltage is what pushes the electrons to move, but simply put, it’s a difference in electric

potential, so you can imagine it as a slope that goes from high potential to low potential,

where the flow of current goes downhill, and resistance is pretty self explanatory.

This is Coulomb’s Law.

Wait a minute, this is just Newton’s Law of Gravitation in disguise!

This tells us that electric charges attract each other in a similar way masses do.

Opposites want to cuddle, while like charges literally couldn’t think of a more disgusting

thing than to be with one another.

These four equations explain pretty much all of electromagnetism.

But don’t be scared just because they look scary!

I mean, yeah, they do, but it’s simpler than it seems at first.

The first one states that if there is an electric charge, there will be an Electric field, or

this big E, emerging form it.

Add another and you have an electrostatic field.

These lines tell us in which direction a charged particle would feel a force at any given point.

The second one tells us the same for magnetic fields, AND, even though electric charges

are cool and can be alone, magnetic poles, are not.

They’re very lonely.

There will always be a north pole together with a south pole, and a single pole can never

be alone.

Okay now here’s where things get kind of freaky.

You know how electric charges only act on other charges, and magnets only affect other

magnets?

Well that’s only true if they’re not moving.

The third and fourth maxwell equations tell us that a moving magnet creates an electric

field, and a moving charge or electric field creates a magnetic field.

One consequence of this is that current can seemingly come “out of nowhere” by moving

a magnet next to a conductor.

The moving magnet creates and electric field, which makes the electrons inside the conductors

go crazy.

That is called induction.

It’s the reason why your phone charges when you put in on the charging pad, even though

it is not directly connected to a cable.

In other words, electric and magnetic fields are so tightly linked that they are the two

parts of the same bigger thing.

Let’s say we have a charge.

Since it doesn’t move, it has a static electric field.

If we accelerate the charge, there will be a magnetic field around it.

That magnetic field interacts with the electric field, which again changes the magnetic field,

and this is a sort of chain reaction that makes the electromagnetic field radiate outwards

into space as an electromagnetic wave.

Depending on the frequency, the human eye can actually see this, it’s called light,

but most of the spectrum is invisible to the human eye and is used for things such as Bluetooth,

wireless charging and confusing human apes into thinking magic is real.

Hey, can we go back to the water and look at those molecules?

Yeah, those, what are they made of?

The molecules are made of Atoms.

Atoms are made of a core and some electrons.

The core is made of protons and neutrons, both of which are made of quarks.

They’re strange yet charming, from up top down to the bottom.

Oh yeah there’s some more stuff, like for example the overweight brothers of the electron.

All of this together makes up the standard model, which we believe to be the smallest

things in the universe.

At least that’s the excuse we have for not knowing what quarks are made of.

Fun Fact!

Depending on the number of protons in the core, you get different elements.

Depending on the number of Neutrons in the core, you get different Isotopes of the same

element.

Most of which are a little overweight and very unstable.

So they fall apart, into smaller atoms.

That releases ionizing radiation.

Not so fun fact: That stuff will kill you.

Do not play with radioactive atoms.

If you have a large group of atoms, you can predict when half of those will have fallen

apart.

That’s the halflife.

Depending on how unstable an isotope is, it will survive a certain amount of time.

Some don’t want to live, some really don’t want to live, but some will live far longer

than you probably will.

Oh yeah, did I mention that light is like the fastest thing in the universe?

To be exact, 299, 792, 458 meters per second in a vacuum.

“That is pretty fast” said everyone.

Also, “Light is a wave” said everyone.

Why?

If you shoot it through two teeny tiny slits it creates a fancy pattern due to interference,

which is just a wave thing.

You see, when two waves cross, they can add up, or cancel each other out.

These gaps, are the spots where they cancel each other out, so in this case, light behaves

like a wave.

“Nah, screw that, everything you know is wrong” said Albert Einstein, probably smoking

crack, after hearing about the photoelectric effect and discovering that light comes in

tiny packets called photons.

I sure hope that doesn’t unravel a whole new area of phyiscs, haha.

“Anyway” he said, as he continued to casually drop an absolute bomb on the entire field

of physics with his theory of relativity: He assumed the speed of light is constant

because it arises from two other constants.

He also assumed the laws of physics are the same for everyone, regardless if moving or

at rest.

Now think about it: If two people turn on a flashlight, but one person is standing still,

while the other person is on a moving train, wouldn’t the person standing still see the

other person’s light as going faster than the speed of light?

The reality is: NO!

It would be the same as their own flashlight.

That’s impossible, except if time passes slower for that person from the perspective

of this person.

In other words, if the speed of light is constant, time must be relative.

Also, gravity is not actually a Force, sorry Newton, but rather a consequence of masses

bending spacetime.

Einstein thought that the universe is a mesh of space and time, and anything with a mass

bends this fabric.

Also, all objects move freely on a straight line when moving through space.

Gravitation is simply the result of objects following these bent lines, which appear straight

to them.

If you have a hard time understanding this, you can imagine two people on earth, walking

in parallel, straight lines.

On a short distance, the straight lines will never meet.

Now imagine one standing on the east cost, and one the west coast of the US.

If they both walk north, eventually, they will meet at the north pole.

Because of the curvature of the earth, they ended up at the same point even though they

both walked “straight” relative to themselves.

“Oh yeah by the way Energy and mass are kind of the same thing” he added, which

explains why atom bombs are so frickin powerful.

According to this formula, even just tiny atoms can release a humongous amount of energy

by giving up just a fraction of their mass during fission.

What is Fission?

It’s the same thing Oppenheimer used to make this thing go boom.

You see, there’s two main ways to gain energy from changing nuclei: Fission and Fusion.

Fission aims to split the nucleus of an atom into two or more smaller nuclei, which is

most often achieved by blasting the core with neutrons.

Fusion is the opposite, where you combine two smaller nuclei to get one bigger one.

The energy came from something we call a “mass defect” where the resulting nucleus is lighter

than the starting nuclei.

This “missing” mass is what was converted to energy during Fusion.

Fission and Fusion are cool, but you have got to be careful or you might just blow up

the planet.

That totally didn’t almost happen before…multiple times.

Hey remember when Einstein said light is a particle?

He accidentally discovered a whole new field of physics which he though is just a giant

hoax: Quantum Mechanics.

This stuff is crazy.

Another german guy called Max Planck said “yes, Einstein, you’re right.

Light does come in tiny packets.

Actually, all energy comes in tiny packets”.

Or “Quanta”.

He is the daddy of Quantum Mechanics.

Wanna know where an electron is inside an atom?

It’s here!

And there!

And everywhere, at the same time, actually!

That’s a superposition.

It’s not in one state, it’s in multiple states at once - at least until you measure

it.

Then it chooses one cozy spot to be in.

Schrödinger gave us an equation that gives you a probabilistic model of where you can

find it if you were to measure.

You can imagine this as a cloud, and the denser it is, the more likely it is for an electron

to be there.

But still, where exactly it will end up once you measure it, is random.

Speaking of observing particles, they’re also super sensitive about their private data.

Look at these two images of a flying ball: in one, you can clearly see where the ball

is, but not in which direction it’s moving, and in the other you can see where it’s

moving and approximately how fast, but not where exactly it is at the moment.

That is essentially Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle: You can never know both the exact

position and the exact speed of a quantum particle at the same time.

Okay, let’s recap, a small thing can be a particle and a wave at the same time, and

when we try to look at them, weird stuff happens.

But you know what, it gets even weirder.

Think back to the double slit experiment: We know that a light beam acts as a bunch

of waves and we get interference.

But here’s the weird thing: Even if you send individual photons, after sending enough

of them and detecting where they end up, you get interference.

Like, how can that be?

What did a single particle interfere with?

Well, we think it interfered with itself, because it acted as a wave and went through

both slits at the same time.

That’s a superposition.

“Okay, well let’s just measure which slit it goes through”.

Uh, yeah, that’s not going to happen.

Once you start measuring which slit the photon goes through, it stops acting like a wave

and the interference pattern disappears, as every particle chooses just one of the slits

to go through.

Sounds kinda suspicious to me.

Anyways, all this knowledge is going to cost you one subscribe and a thumbs up, thank you

very much, and you can decide if maybe you’d want to tip with a comment, perhaps?