The Surprisingly Complex Way That Scientists Measure Sea Level

Most of us have probably never given a second thought as to how sea level is determined. It’s basically where the ocean starts, right? Not even close. It turns out there are countless factors that have to be taken into account because the oceans simply aren’t at the same level all around the world.

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A Quick (Crazy Quick) Explanation of Negative Temperature

With Minute Physics videos we pretty much expect to have the universe explained to us in . . . a minute. Or maybe a few minutes. But this rundown of temperature and how to achieve "negative temperature" only takes 10 seconds. Impressive.

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There Are Actually Lots of Ways to Time Travel

Okay so yeah, we can’t actually do all of this time traveling in practice, but there’s a lot of jumping around that physicist know would work in theory. And if they could just figure out how to create negative energy, also known as exotic matter for some reason, we could build spinning cylinders and wormholes to our collective heart’s content. And as Minute Physics points out, don’t forget the type of time travel we all do constantly. It’s quotidian enough to be kind of annoying, but it’s actually kind of great to remember that we’re all moving through space-time all the . . . time.

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How To Improve Your Chances of Surviving a Lightning Strike

It’s no secret that finding yourself outside and exposed during a thunderstorm greatly enhances your risk of being struck by lightning. But it turns out there are some simple tricks you can use to increase your chances of survival if the clouds do decide to strike you from above.

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Comparing the Universe To the Pixels In This Video Puts Its Massive Scale Into Perspective

Taking advantage of its medium of choice, Minute Physics makes the incredibly vast scale of the observable universe a little easier to comprehend by comparing it to the 2,073,600 pixels in this 1080P video. But be forewarned: drawing similarities between the earth and a single pixel in this clip isn’t going to help if you’re already suffering from feelings of insignificance. More »

What Is the Universe? (In One Minute)

What is the Universe? Is the Universe everything there was, is and will be? Is the Universe everything we can observe and things we know exist but haven’t been observed yet? I mathematics part of the Universe or do they exist outside of the Universe? This one-minute-long video shows exactly what the Universe is—but proceed with caution, as it may give you a bit of a headache. More »

What Would Really Happen if an Unstoppable Force Met an Immovable Object?

The Joker thought he had found the answer while dangling at the end of The Dark Knight, but have you ever really wondered what would happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The folks at Minute Physics did, and as usual brought a mountain of entertaining science to explain how such an interaction would unfold. More »

In Case There Was Still Any Doubt, Here’s the Top Ten Reasons We Know the Earth Is Round

At this point it’s hard to find a skeptic who would raise an eyebrow at the notion that our planet is round. But every family has that one uncle or cousin who’s so caught up in conspiracy theories they’ll question anything. And if you happen to find yourself in a tedious argument defending the spherical nature of the Earth, Minute Physics has put together a useful top ten list of irrefutable facts proving our home is indeed round. More »

Will We Ever Be Able to Predict Everything?

As super computers get more and more super, you’d think that eventually we’d be able to calculate the position and interactions of every atom in the universe and be able to accurately predict the future. In fact, this was once a widely held belief in science, until quantum mechanics arrived and put an end to that theory. More »

How Quantum Mechanics Was Born From the Need For a Better Lightbulb [Video]

Some of mankind’s most remarkable scientific discoveries came to light as a result of research that had nothing to do with the breakthrough itself. And such was the case with quantum mechanics. Back in the early 1890s the German Bureau of Standards asked Max Planck to design a lightbulb that produced the maximum amount of light with the minimal amount of energy. And his research into saving the bureau a few dollars on its energy bills led to the study of quantum mechanics which could one day let us unlock the secrets of the universe. More »