Awesome Science

The Slow-Mo Guys ignore all the warning labels on a bunch of small lithium batteries, exposing them to fire, and turning them into tiny rocket ships and bombs in front of their Phantom high-speed camera. We can only imagine how nasty large batteries would be if they blew up.

Epic How To provides a brief lesson in physics, and delves into but a few of the complexities that stand between us and the ability to turn an 88mph trip in a DeLorean or a blue police box into a journey through space and time.

Applied Science shows off a thermodynamic property of rubber bands – that they change in temperature as they stretch and contract, then takes advantage of this to create a refrigerator. It’s not very effective, but still a cool idea. That Shaper CNC router is awesome too.

While Kyrie Irving might believe the Earth is flat, most rational humans are willing to go along with the scientific evidence that’s right in front of us. In this classic clip from Carl Sagan, he shows off some very basic observations which prove this place is an orb and not a sheet.

Scientists from Disney Research are working on tech which uses something called “quasistatic cavity resonance” to emit magnetic fields that can safely deliver up to 1900 watts of wireless power to devices placed anywhere in a room. It’s still in its infancy, but the result is awesome.

The Science Channel’s series Street Science presents a neat experiment, mixing bulk quantities of the nasty goo inside of glowsticks to produce a variety of vibrant colors. The result is a new abstract painting medium. Needless to say, don’t play with these chemicals at home.

Ever wanted to know how the algorithms that drive modern computer systems and robots actually work? CGP Grey provides a pretty solid layperson’s primer to the concepts of machine learning and artificial intelligence in this informative video.

Elenco’s snap-together electronics kits are a great way for kids and adults to learn the basics of circuit building without tools or soldering. Choose from a variety of different kits which make hundreds of interactive playthings.

The Science Guy’s new Netflix series is a welcome dose of sanity amidst the political rhetoric, fake news, and hyperbole we’ve been subject to recently. Each episode explores a topic through a mix of discussions, field correspondents, and practical demonstrations.

We’ve seen the strange properties of these hardened glass drops before. Now see how one handles the deadly hydraulic press. It’s so strong that it damages the press tools before violently exploding. Hopefully these guys can buy a better high-speed camera soon.

What happens if you spin an array of super strong electromagnets at crazy speeds over a sheet of copper? Veritasium checks out a magnetic levitation device being developed to help understand how to build Elon Musk’s much talked about Hyperloop transportation system.

(PG-13: Language) The guys from Beyond the Press were inspired by CarsandWater’s red hot nickel ball experiments, but they supersized things by dropping a ridiculously hot steel weight into a thick sheet of ice-covered lake to see what would happen.

The Backyard Scientist adds a propane torch to his sweet rocket sled knife so he can heat the knife’s blade to over 1000ºF before launching it towards its inanimate victims at the end of the track. It didn’t stay glowing hot, but slow-mo rocket sled destruction is still fun to watch.

Reinforced steel beams are incredibly strong, but the guys at Purdue University have a machine that can actually rip them apart. The Slow Mo Guys turned their high-speed camera towards the carnage for our entertainment pleasure. The suspense was killing us.

It may look like a kid’s toy, but this simple contraption made from paper and string provides scientists in less developed areas with access to a critical piece of lab equipment at virtually no cost, and with no need for electricity.

Phenonmena and illusion demonstrator Brusspup shows off nine fun and fascinating science experiments you can easily do yourself. Each one uses static electricity to work its magic, so you can expect to get a few shocks along the way as you practice.

Fans of Mythbusters will immediately recall the havoc they wreaked whenever they placed objects at the end of New Mexico Tech’s rocket sled track. The Backyard Scientist decided to build his own miniature version and loaded it up with a knife, slicing various things in twain.

YouTuber exurb1a waxes philosophical on entropy, complexity, and the mysterious interplay between order and chaos which have somehow made every single thing we know and are (including Hot Pockets) possible.

We’ve long since moved on to LCD and OLED displays, which render images a frame at a time, but for many years, televisions and monitors used cathode ray tubes. This slow-mo video shows how the picture was “painted” line by line using a scanning beam of electrons.

To show off their nanofabrication process, scientists at Western University used elecrton beam lithography to create this microscopic silica and platinum snowman that measures less than 3 microns tall. For comparison’s sake, a human hair is about 100 microns thick.

SmarterEveryDay looks at the behavior of the unusually strong Prince Rupert’s drop when subjected to the firepower of a bullet. The 150,000 fps slow-mo footage reveals some truly fascinating properties as shockwaves travel through these tadpole-shaped glass droplets.

ElectroBOOM’s Mehdi Sadaghdar debunks the outlandish claims of Biba Struja, aka “The Battery Man,” who says he’s not only impervious to electric shocks (which Mehdi knows all about,) but that his body actually generates a meaningful amount of power.

ThinkGeek presents a unique take on the traditional hourglass with a version that’s filled with magnetic filings instead of sand. As the tiny metal particles fall to the bottom, they stand up forming unusual organic shapes. Keep in mind that it’s not for actual timekeeping.