Paraffin Paradox

Why is the wax block white on top and dark on the bottom?
This video is part of the Flinn Scientific Best Practices for Teaching Chemistry Video Series, a collection of over 125 hours of free professional development training for chemistry teachers - elearning.flinnsci.com
ATTENTION: This demonstration is intended for and should only be performed by certified science instructors in a safe laboratory/classroom setting.
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[@ThePaintballgun]

A real scientist would break it for science.

[@ThePaintballgun]

. For science

[@baudopl1]

Good one

[@0xEmmy]

A real scientist would try to replicate it.

[@klin1klinom]

A real scientist would have a bite at it first for own sanity check.

[@LifeEater]

Maybe see if you could mutate it a little or shoot it into space... for uh, science?

[@Nanamowa]

This man is a good teacher, he makes you think about what your doing instead of explaining what your doing

[@dominicgalloway4481]

The only problem to me is people grow up one way or another. They are either thinkers/problem solvers, or they are the kind of people who just go... oh whatever. X'D So to me I understand, but others it's like this is dumb.

[@ShuRugal]

Dominic Galloway their loss.

[@Will-yn4ww]

Obviously "your" English teacher didn't do the same

[@JT4GM4K3R]

Albeit he incorporates relativism in a non question begging sort of way, *inoculation*. Are you finished? Or shall we discuss the vaccination?

[@gordontang9640]

Bismuth LD it is designed for teachers, maybe that's why

[@goldigit]

Paraffin 'puzzle' might have been a better description rather than a 'paradox'. That would have saved about a million superfluous posts.

[@Surago]

Jon Goldney probably wouldn't of wasted 10 minutes of my life either

[@server7c879]

It is a paradox. It seems to contradict how one might think the material should work. Look up Paradox definition. You will understand better.

[@goldigit]

Server 7C8 Look up 'doofus'

[@server7c879]

Jon Goldney Lol anyway.. the reason most people complain is because this isn't as deep or intriguing as other paradoxes they've discovered. Also something new and unpopular isn't as easy to accept for mainstream seeking people. Good point 'doofus' nonetheless..

[@JatinSanghvi1]

But it makes a nice alliteration.

[@expandknow]

It's white That's a nice observation

[@MikeTrieu]

And then it becomes a question of how thin and how flat can you physically make it. There's an entire industry that grew around thin-film metallurgy. Amazing, indeed.

[@trollex1000]

its white on top and black on bottom , woahh dude thats racist LUL

[@szaboboldizsar651]

Genius!

[@reda29100]

ACKSHUALLY! being white and transparent is strange; like how can light be reflected but also passing through the material?

[@GollyGeeWilikers]

@@reda29100 i can't tell if you're joking...

[@Wes-xk6hl]

I really hope this guy is an elementary school teacher. this is so painfully slow

[@icampos89]

We have the best universities in the world. Nobody thinks about Denmark.

[@KateyMoseley]

The video is aimed at teachers, not students. As a teacher, I think the speed is right as it gives me chance to work through the questions he is asking and make notes about the lesson.

[@paulrastrick9532]

You really NEED to do that? Sorry but the basic concept is so obvious that I am slightly shocked that you find that necessary.

[@Oborowatabinostk]

Paul Rastrick What's wrong with being thorough?

[@codejunkes4607]

it is important to know the process of science, the process of proving a theory is generally slow and it is important that people know about science. I see people quoting science or use the word "science" or "scientific" in completely unscientific way and/or situation.

[@godfreypoon5148]

"It's cheap." "Why?" "Because you have one."

[@recruitymcfruity5232]

It's pretty simple to figure it out

[@fuckmemory]

he said that 8 months ago 0_0...

[@angusnorth4726]

Recruity McFruity it's easy for us to figure out because we saw it being made.

[@bigoldkid]

Ok, who used the "egg scrambler" on the language center of Aeolwn's brain?!!

[@travelforever8328]

Godfrey Poon x

[@mattsponholz8350]

This Instructor is a phenomenal Speaker. Seriously. He goes from point A to Z so seamlessly. Well Done!

[@mrm5823]

Some students may say, "sir, I need to go to the toilet!"

[@akicitaa.8233]

It's good that he's wearing those safety goggles. Blocks of paraffin have been known to go for the eyes.

[@s6th795]

I acknowledge that this is a joke, but if the paraffin is of cheap manufacture it may have air bubbles large enough to cause wax bubbles to leap from the pan during sealing.

[@serene9532]

@@s6th795 that was such a respectful way to present your thoughts. wow

[@escrows]

Right! Walter White didn't wear safety goggles even while spraying an open flame to change its chemical compounds.

[@lacrevette028]

Paraffin is actually explosive when heated

[@hcl2278]

i have you heard of what i is going with her

[@layladantour6542]

Yes the wax block is super simple, especially since he showed how to make it, but it's actually only a prop for the real lesson in this video, which is the method of teaching and asking questions that he is explaining along the way. What he's doing is teaching the teachers how to teach a class effectively. And to be honest, if I had not seen the wax block being made, I would certainly be curious enough and impressed enough to go along with making the observations and theories and trying to figure it out. It's pretty cool!

[@Labrynthetic]

The paradox is the perceived difference in color, and the colors remaining the same on the top and bottom, even when flipped. (The paradox spoiler) We were not supposed to see the blocks being prepared. We are not supposed to know that there is a piece of foil in between them. This video appears to be made for other instructors as a demonstration on how to teach the scientific method. So Imagine not knowing why the blocks change color. THAT would be a paradox.

[@Zinkx.]

RIIIIIGht MIND = BLOWN I dont get how peeps can't understand this fact??? lmaooo

[@eksynn]

i accidentally watched this whole thing. and i felt unwittingly calm afterwards. and then i accidentally liked and subscribed.

[@TURNAROUNDJIMME]

I dunno why this was in my recommended feed, but it was very calming to watch.

[@martinsoendergaard-jensen9602]

I saw it everywhere in my recommended. dafuq

[@kastro4460]

Dmunnyjuan Xd It also appeared on my recommended. But it's actually a good video and lesson :)

[@lemmontree6638]

It was in my recommended but I already watch a lot of science videos so I wasn't surprised

[@johngrasso6224]

Dmunnyjuan Xd same here.

[@derekwilson62]

Mr. Rogers teaches college...

[@hellomynameisbob462]

what is the paradox?

[@WilliamHButtlicker]

Hello My Name Is Bob My exact thought.

[@rob98000]

Hello My Name Is Bob it's white on top but black on the bottom, but every time you flip it, the black and white do not change positions

[@rob98000]

hisham borgol who was that directed at?

[@samuelgordon4681]

ikr

[@tw8245]

Again like we've said before, LOGICAL paradox, not a physical one.

[@camgood2437]

He's even wearing a green shirt like Mr. Mackey lol..

[@MICRO.p]

He is

[@camgood2437]

MMMKAY? MMMKAY...

[@KHos73]

Cam Good yeah kenny

[@tabaks]

Cam Good, hold on to your day job.

[@bertjesklotepino]

MMMKAY!!!! But, very interesting, this complete waste of time.

[@theapotheosisofgdot2294]

The paradox is how you lose 10 minutes of your life!

[@0neWhoKnocks]

The paradox is the block of wax not uniformly diffusing the light entering it, top half lit and bottom half dark. The paradox isn't meant for the viewer of this video, but for students, who haven't seen the video, in a classroom setting to introduce them to the scientific method and get them to think through a problem scientifically. Although I'm betting your post was made in sarcasm haha.

[@BeachRumminbummin]

Jacob Manley your humor sucks

[@0neWhoKnocks]

Sure, makes sense...

[@GrowingDownUnder]

i'm gonna start trolling people with this video now...tell them to watch the whole thing big surprise at the end

[@pumpuppthevolume]

xD

[@DevinDTV]

He's calling it a "paradox" because of the "white on top, black on bottom" thing. The students are lead to believe that the block is opaque and that one side is white and one is black, meaning that if you inverted the black, the white side should be on the bottom. It stays on the top, and that's the paradox. Obviously the block isn't actually opaque, hence the misunderstanding in the students. A paradox is just something that's unintuitive. There aren't any "real" paradoxes which are actual logical contradictions with themselves. That doesn't exist.

[@Falcrist]

Yup. It's a paradox. Definition of paradox one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases or if you prefer google: a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. or any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.

[@Shonicheck]

Well they do exist though, like the famous "naive" set theory paradoxes, or things like "This sentence is false". There are tons of paradoxes, since our systems of knowledge are inherently flawed, hell we even have a whole-blown theorem on that!

[@SpydersByte]

what are you talking about there are no real paradoxes? There are many! Just because this example isnt a true paradox doesnt mean true ones dont exist.

[@AstralKetamineX]

logic can defeat logic

[@jothamread]

Calm down mate, even from 7 years later.

[@calanon534]

This is absolutely fascinating. I didn't get to take chemistry in high school.. I think I'm going to end up watching all of these.. so, thank you.

[@manp1039]

same for me. Sadly, my school didn't have chemistry. I really enjoy learning about chemistry. Have you watched the The Royal Institution (Ri) Science Christmas Lectures. Thise are also pretty amazing too.

[@theotheremily]

apparently the paradox is that there is no paradox...

[@aaronmicalowe]

All a paradox is is a seemingly contradictory logical statement in the mind. It doesn't have to be complex. The mystery is why KZbinrs can't understand what a paradox is.

[@BruceBoschek]

Very nice tool for teaching a method. After nearly 60 years as a scientist I would also ask you to remind the students over and over again that their hypotheses are just and only that. Just because an idea provides a very good explanation for a given phenomenon does not mean that the idea is correct. It is just one of perhaps many possible explanations. This basic concept gets forgotten in science and causes a great deal of unnecessary confusion and a lot of "barking up the wrong tree." Thank you for your efforts.

[@senjusan6359]

I am glad that there are scientist who still think like this. A lot of main stream science forgot about that, and they mistake their hypotheses with truth.

[@AFmedic]

@Bruce Boschek - So true! The problem with science classes these days is "who can remember and spit back facts and answers passes with higher grades" The process of getting an answer (which I feel is more important) is totally ignored. When a person who was just taught memorization comes across a new problem they are totally stumped, where as a person who is taught the way shown here will be better able to arrive at a possible solution. Even if it may be wrong, it is still better than scratching your head and saying DUH???. If more students were taught this way there would be less people believing the earth is flat, believing in astrology and the other pseudo-sciences.

[@nickys5578]

Humm actually you can teach memory as people who go to those memory competitions do the same thing and there was a journalist who wanted to study these mass focus weird headsets that these people use to train with and entered compositions himself and won. By the way these compositions have a LONG LIST of numbers and you have so long to memorize as much as you can and then once the number orders are gone one must (sometimes with time breaks) rewrite as best you can the exact order of the numbers and this young reported did it and won having no previous experience and no extra aptitude for remembering sometime the break can be as long as a week.

[@TheNinthGenerarion]

Nicky s from what I've heard about the event, which isn't much, all that the reporter had to do was simply use the same technique that a large number of participants used and he simply used it better than everyone else

[@somelivesdontmattersldm8776]

Bruce Boschek like gravity?

[@tw8245]

This is a logical paradox people, not a physical paradox. Designed to teach that things that defy standard logic can be explained and "figured out" using simple methods of observation and thinking out of the box. Great video.

[@LunchBXcrue]

Timothy Williams this^^ its kinda hard to get why it's a paradox when you've seen the first part of the video and you know why it's darker on the opposite side of the light source but it is a cool logic experiment to get kids or students to use observation

[@tw8245]

Standard logic would prove that since the bottom "block" is darker, that when you flip it ---UNKNOWING THE SECRET--- that the top block would be darker. Common sense. Its contradicting itself because the reasoning behind the "darker" bottom is unknown, there fore can be assumed that it would be darker on top too, when flipped. If this were real life application, you theoretically wouldn't know that there was the piece of aluminium in the middle, so standard logic applies until the contradiction is brought out.

[@Necronaut]

Common sense would tell you there is something in the middle blocking the light, so no paradox. To a child it's a magic paradox, to anyone else it's dumb.

[@liveleaky7571]

Timothy Williams you're handsome

[@TheInfamousTacos]

Necronaut You're missing the point Jackass. Of course it's obvious there's something in the middle. The point of the video is to show even if something isn't what you thought there is an explanation.

[@shanemaritch]

This dude is a wonderful teacher. Wow we need more like him

[@user-mi5nj8gj5p]

Phil I've worked with paraffin wax but this for manufacturing Chavant hard styling clay for the automobile industry and the resins used was a smelly affair especially when you use Portuguese resin, Japanese wax and adding Zinc oxide for the mix to catalyse the whole mixture once poured into metal moulds . The following day measure 72 kg of grease put into a dough making machine after 40 minutes you add 120kg of sulphur powder into the mix just before a 15 mins a clay dyed additive is added and volia your Chavant clay . It was a smelly job to do when you boil red oil steric acid produced from beef and mutton fat .

[@mikemagee77]

So glad he wore his safety goggles around all that wax.

[@spankieweasalcakes9274]

Solid wax at that. If it was fluid or gaseous I'd appreciate the safety measure.

[@DavidMunson]

If it *were* fluid or gaseous. Because it *was* fluid in part at one point in the demonstration. Tongue in cheek, because if we're going to nitpick safety, might as well have some fun with grammar along the way.

[@daheadsmiter2052]

Those corners look shard and dangerous...

[@aquastreak11]

Can't you read that poster in the back in Comic Sans?! "Always Protect Your Eyes!"

[@monkeyjuju7441]

I thought that was a green plastic visor like old people in 90s Vegas movies wear... shows how much I pay attention

[@BeardFaceSuper]

IMO You should have shown us how to set it up after. So we as the audience could go through the thought process with you.

[@Neverod8doreveN]

David Butt He's teaching Teachers how to teach. Not teaching them about the subject matter.

[@BeardFaceSuper]

Neverod8doreveN Would it not be beneficial for the teachers to go through the process as well?

[@Neverod8doreveN]

David Butt No because that's not going to help with his explanation of what and why he is doing it.

[@BeardFaceSuper]

Why? The information would still be there at the end on how to set it up, but the audience of this video would be able to go through the process.

[@Neverod8doreveN]

David Butt Look I'm pretty sure this teacher of teachers knows better than you or I. You assume that the teachers don't already know the subject. You know what they say about ASSuming. You're confused about what this was showing. That's why you keep going back to the same thing.

[@rhytymic]

People are making comments on the block itself, while the whole purpose of the video is in the teaching method. This is a 3rd grade teaching material, and this guy did a good job in demonstrating it

[@KarstenJohansson]

I like this style of teaching. You don't provide information, just clever questions and tools that lead to an answer. Introducing the flashlight and then asking "Is there any way you would like me to use this to make an observation?" is a nice ironically Socratic way to teach this subject.

[@wesss9353]

we need the myth busters to blow it up

[@qixalinc6465]

Damn right!

[@Rouxkat]

The myth busters aren't all that fool proof... For example, they once "busted" the myth of peeing on an electric wire won't shock you.. well I once I peed on a wild reserve electric fencing wire which I did not know was under the tall grass resulting in an indescribable surge to my once proud man parts grinding up and ripping every single nerve individually sending an alarm signal to my brain to "give this man hell" I was never the same again.. I still occasionally cry in the shower.

[@senjusan6359]

Myth busters are making so much mistakes in their experimantations that I cant even understand how people can even think that they have any credibility.

[@BonzaiThePenguin]

Suusi Ke Making mistakes doesn't give you 0% credibility, it's possible to be largely credible or somewhat credible.

[@BonzaiThePenguin]

Ewan le Roux Um, the Mythbusters CONFIRMED that peeing on an electric fence can result in a shock, you're confusing it with peeing on a train track.

[@Ludix147]

we did something like this in seventh grade. our teacher gave us little wooden boxes and we had to figure out what's inside by comprising or own experiments. At the end, she didn't tell us what really was inside them.

[@ceejayc6502]

Have you since recovered?

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

It was a cat.

[@LeOssiTrollterrible]

MichaelKingsfordGray me ? why do you assume that ?

[@Ludix147]

Brandon Hanks I've been struggling for the last couple of years, but I'm feeling better. No for real, we don't know anything for sure, and I have a pretty good idea of the box :p it was a magnetic ball and some kind of maze :D

[@Freakschwimmer]

XtreeM FaiL's underrated comment is underrataed!

[@sgtrock68]

This video is 10 years old. It is my observation that in 2023 most ALL fields of science needs to return to this class on proper scientific method for a refresher.

[@Scudboy17]

This is an example of great teaching. He's not teaching his students the answers to a test. He's giving them tools they can apply to every type of problem or question. Indirectly He's teaching logic, critical thinking, problem solving, how to recognize biases and incomplete reasonjng, and ultimately the scientific method. It can take a lifetime of effort to overcome personal biases, but if you learn early enough that you are jumping to unfounded conclusions and engaging in confirmation bias, you will save yourself a whole lot of unlearning most have to go thru later in life, if ever.

[@Trevor.Morrice]

love that he is wearing goggles

[@marvinkitfox3386]

Considering that at one point he used a hot surface, to melt a material that also tends to smoke and splatter and burst into flame if overheated, I should hope he would wear safety goggles.

[@Trevor.Morrice]

Marvin Kitfox I have skied all my life, this in turn means I have waxed my skis all my life. Never once has paraffin wax "burst into flame" You have to take a blow torch to it for even stay lit for a few seconds. If anything a smoke mask would be more useful because of the low smoke point.

[@jakobnev5973]

Well, he is working with chemicals.

[@redtails]

It's a pan with water XD. Do you wear safety goggles when cooking food?

[@RexOedipus.]

redtails cooking bacon,yes

[@JackpineGandy]

Critical thinking is difficult when you are not used to doing it. He leads the class through the thinking process and that is why it seems so painfully slow. I think he is a good teacher.

[@jvc0107]

"Is there something specific you would like me to do with the flashlight?" I think that sentence might be "problematic" with a class of 12 year olds. *LOL*

[@aroundandround]

It’s a perfectly fine and engaging pedagogical video to me. Why would it have 12K dislikes to only 30K likes?

[@Munenushi]

because there is not "paradox"... it is deceptive in title, deceptive in prototype, and misleading in many ways. It is a simple lesson that could be taught without the lies and deception and 'magic' of hiding the material between the wax blocks. It is a child's lesson that utilized deception to teach a modus operandi of thinking...

[@GearZenChannel]

Why did youtube tell me to watch this???

[@TMTSYSTEMSATL]

lol

[@GopherAtl]

no idea, it's been telling me to watch it for days now. Apparently youtube's suggestion algorithms have lost their minds.

[@_lithp]

Do you VSauce or SciShow?

[@GopherAtl]

I watch some science-type videos occasionally, but not often enough for them to pop up nearthe top of youtube's recs unless I'm currently *watching* science videos. This has been almost continuously at the top of the recommended "up next" list for me for days now, completely independent of what kind of video I just watched. It's odd in my experience for a single video to keep appearing in that list for so long, so for some reason their algos *really* thought I was gonna like this. This video seems perfectly fine for what it is, but why this particular 4-year-old video intended to teach teachers how to teach science is being pushed at me more aggressively than I've ever seen youtube push anything is quite mysterious. I can only assume a bug or artifact in some latest tweaks to the algos or the video indexing/metadata db.

[@LynxOnyx-LynxGraphics]

GopherAtl It's KZbin. I keep getting recs of this girl with videos named "What girls like about guys" or something similar to that. I've never watched anything similar to it.

[@alekseykonovalik5965]

This actually is fascinating. If you think of it as an model of how scientists study the world around us, making experiments until there is a theory that stands up to all their experiments.

[@johnathanhenley2251]

I am very impressed. As I've gotten older and gained a well-earned appreciation for the scientific method, I knew the answers for this demonstration. I want to thank Mr. Stevens for giving me a failing grade when I didn't finish the assignment of collecting bugs for my 7th grade science project. I earned the failing grade; I also learned several years later about the importance of entomology and the role that it has in the overall ecosystem. I am grateful that Mr. Stevens held me to the same standard as anyone else. Athletes don't get a repreve regardless of the level at which they compete. Also, stay hydrated. Super important.

this man sounds like google voice

[@ARISTO_Music]

nope , not even close

[@Myndale]

Lol, funny coincidence. You know that Android widget that activates when you say "OK Google"? That just activated a few minutes ago on my phone when he said something that started with the word "ok".

[@worddunlap]

"Is their something you'd like me to do with the flashlight?" Indeed, find the class gerbil that vanished.....

[@paddymills]

I came for a paradox

[@Peter_S_]

LOL! :-)

[@GeoffBosco]

Seriously...his students better be fifth graders.

[@LouisJasper]

The paradox occurred when he flipped the wax. The darker side should have been on top but instead it became white.

[@SolSmoke]

that is not a paradox.

[@yikes6969]

SolSmoke yes it is

[@starrysock]

Are you happy youtube? I finally clicked on it, you can stop recommending it to me even though all I ever watch on youtube are memes and music videos

[@jasonsexton8869]

Interesting project. I've seen something similar with alabaster stone. A deep crack in the stone causes something similar, in that light will not pass cleanly through, and you get a light and dark side to the stone. I've used this to determine how bad the cracks are, and if i'll need to soak the piece in superglue to shore up a bad crack midway through carving.

[@hollowsoul666]

the paradox is that he's wearing those safety glasses for no apparent reason

[@misturfixit45]

Uhh, he's doing lab work. Safety glasses at all times in the lab, noob.

[@CODEnterprise]

As if the "Always Protect Your Eyes" poster behind him wasn't a clue. Maybe you should have your eyes checked Oroborus you near-sighted nitwit.

[@veefrain6232]

the oroborus It is standard health and safety on labs .

[@jamesslick4790]

That's technically NOT a paradox.

[@harlemsar]

it is, as kids, don´t know how it was build, and wont expect color to remain the same after turning the piece. The result is contrary to logic.

[@ZevHoover]

ah, the famous pair-o-blocks paradox

[@RobertLee-en2bt]

I had Mr. Long as a chemistry teacher while he was employed at Rogers high school.....will never forget the wind/air science

[@snort455]

What a great teaching example. Such a demo could serve one their entire life.

[@monsutahanta6576]

There is no Paradox in this video...

[@eugene188]

Nope, but it is such a great way to introduce students to the basics of making scientific observations as well as a low stress way to do science.

[@hux2000]

Congratulations! You found the hidden point to this video - the secret, most important thing about it! Over half a million people watched it and all they learned was a whole bunch of stuff about the scientific method - observation, hypothesis, useless stuff like that. But not you! Hoo boy, no! You saw through all that to the real issue, which was of course the inaccurate, incorrect use of the word "paradox". All of us are now better for having had that cloak of secrecy lifted! :high five:

[@FuzzyDabeast]

DragonHunterX X Paradox-a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

[@FuzzyDabeast]

DragonHunterX X Paradox-a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

[@FuzzyDabeast]

The assumption that light could pass halfway through an object then abruptly stop is alarming, but upon further investigation the the foil in the middle provides a reasonable explanation.

[@01zyga]

Why is this on my recommended list?

[@MrPertairadom]

I was just listening songs, when suddenly Paraffin Paradox :D

[@vamte]

cus you're part of the new youtube social experiment which is basically there to prove that ppl will click on any fuckin video shown/recommended directly at them even tho u had no interest in it at 1st

[@MrPertairadom]

Next recommened is Top 10 Mind Blowing Paradoxes, what youtube want from me? :D

[@Igotthatjizz]

01zyga Same question man

[@hellboy6507]

Because youtube is fucked

[@JohnDoe-eh4id]

I like this type of courses keeps me engaged. This is so different from being force fed ugly greek letters (mathematics)

[@MilkyCao]

i kinda wish they showed this for photography classes because while it's nice for science, it may help students learn some of the effects of light on opaque objects. (like the fact that a shirt of any color casts light onto objects and we don't realize it as much as we probably should.) I dunno maybe i'm reaching a little but honestly this would be a fun learning tool (the object more so than the way he's teaching it, not that it's a bad way of teaching scientific method, just that i'm referring to the object)

[@voidtalongaming4637]

Actually I enjoy what most will say are "nitpicky questions" like "shine the light how?" when you are testing things you can't assume anything. Proper documentation and observation are critical. Interesting video.

[@justinhollmer7026]

This was uploaded 3 years ago... All comments are from a few hours ago. Why?!

[@ThePrankDudes]

Justin Hollmer KZbin's algorithm puts videos that seems to fit a particular audience and put them on that audience's recommended feed. And that's when a whole heap of people end up on a video at once.

[@bugglemagnum6213]

theres a conspiracy

[@anadice9489]

suddenly started showing up in people's recommended videos youtube algorithm shenanigans

[@SamFirthDesigner]

Yeah but it's good though. Shared.

[@DamianGabrielDan]

some adults still fail to understand reality so this presentation is still relevant in teaching them how to understand the world they live in.

[@zevfarkas5120]

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, teach teachers." This man does not fit that mold.

[@afelias]

I think only one step is missing here, and it's that the guesses should have been challenged eventually. So if someone says that the thing is so because of some reason and another says something else, ask them to challenge each other on it and let them figure out a variant of the experiment that would falsify their own or each other's positions. Then carry out that test for them. It's important to include the deductive element in the scientific method, after all.

[@vinishshetty8055]

light passes through the top block but is stopped by the aluminium sheet which casts a shadow on the block below making it look dark.

[@svp-3015]

so you're saying light doesn't come from the bottom?

[@vinishshetty8055]

FlatTireGaming if you notice the paraffin is opaque light does pass through both the slabs but the top slab gets more light because of the overhead lights and the bottom slab suffers from the shadow cast by the aluminium sheet which makes it look dark.

[@KentFredric]

I suspect its more than just obstruction: a plastic sheet would obstruct, but this is aluminium. So not just a shadow, but the aluminium is *highly reflective* , so the light reaches half way *and* is reflected back out, contributing further to the illumination of the top layer. The trick here is knowing that the reason the layer looks "white" in the first place is because its causing *light scattering*. I'd be interested to see what you got if you shone a strong laser at this.

[@fernandomorales4691]

So simplehonestly like 5th grade level science.

[@Skemr023]

you can see the reflection of the light from the lights in the classroom on the professors cap, the light direction is from the cielling so it bounces off the aluminium lighting up the upper block. This experiment would work the same way out on the sun... The only way I see this experiment not working is on a very dark and cloudy day.

[@kstringer24]

Call this the paraffin problem or observation or conundrum, but not paradox.

[@ricopin]

So many armchair scientists getting a hard-on discussing if the word 'Paradox' is well chosen or not. But no one can actually appreciate that this is a nice way to introduce people into the scientific method.

[@add859tankionline]

Plot twist There was no class. He was just asking questions to himself.

[@oddarneroll]

I think you left out the most important part, testing your hypothesys and peer review. That wold made a good lesson better.

[@JaroslawFiliochowski]

He stated that "until all agree" about the observations. That's kind of peer review. You surely could work in some other ways to introduce peer reviewing into your lessons.

[@willemm9356]

Indeed. I was waiting for the bit where he would say 'and now you ask your students to think about ways to test their hypothesis' but it never came...

[@ceejayc6502]

I smell a Nobel Prize here!!

[@chaosincarna]

The comment section: Where everyone knows better, and has a masters degree in whatever the video is on about, despite them not paying attention to the video.

[@billrussell7672]

peer review leans on the ability of other people to understand it is a false table leg, example : if tesla relied upon edison to peer review, he would have been rejected example: if isaac newton relied upon the catholic church for peer review he would have been burned at the steak. if voltaire had been peer reviewed by Tesla, he would have failed. peer review is at best an allowance for others to grow as scientist not a conclusive estoppel of bad science. that takes a scientist that knows the old physics to a masters degree with 1500 hours of experience or more (actual master), and a openness to the new data without prejudiced something I never find open scientific minds the field is so vast that the normal brain shuts down as if the brain is of a limited capacity

[@deathpenguinjoe3644]

k I think I'm not dumb but I still don't see the paradox

[@matthewhirz4769]

a scientific paradox is different then a philosophical paradox but both involve an end result that defies logic, the bottom always being darker than the top defies logic '

[@stephankinder6603]

Matthew Hirz the logic is that it has a shade though? is it like a Schroedinger's cat sort of thing? like they cant know, so its a paradox?

[@matthewhirz4769]

Stephan Kinder i think the logic is that the bottom half is a darker color than the top half so when its flipped over and the bottom is still darker it goes against the logic

[@stephankinder6603]

Matthew Hirz If you are under a shade and flip the shade over it would be more illogical for it to get brighter though

[@matthewhirz4769]

Stephan Kinder they didn't get to see the box being made, they don't know for sure, and they don't experiment on it until after the flip. the way the teacher sets the scene they've only just seen the completed box from one orientation

[@MatthewCordaro]

Don't know why there are so many downvotes. This is a great way to approach the scientific method.

[@did_I_hurt_you_feefees]

I miss when science was based on verifiable observation. Today we're told to ignore the obvious and they call it "science". This was a pleasure to watch and reminded me of my high school science teachers.

[@OliverdelaRosa]

I would enjoy to have teachers like him

[@soccerandtrack10]

you only listen to the teachers who are your friends,those are the ones we actually learn from. and also what bastards do,we listen,then we do 👉 the opposite of them.

[@soccerandtrack10]

😂😂

[@misterfunnybones]

Take the wax. Put it on your skis or snowboard. Go ride on the snow.

[@RodCalidge]

Ian Wiatric The extra K is cause I really mean it. LOL

[@aesth1cc]

That's not even a bad idea; both sides should be equally "colored" because of the sunlight being reflected by the snow.

[@mikoliism]

Don't use paraffin lol

[@tommyodonovan3883]

misterfunnybones Is there WiFi?

[@hola_chelo]

snowboards are for sand in my country.

[@hedition9346]

I don't know what paraffin paradox is, but I think it is when youtube recommends something you don't wanna watch, but you still watched it till the end anyway and comment on it.

[@iNEEDmoney6238]

Everytime he says „Aluminum“ i die a little inside

[@Rollacosta27]

This is not a paradox, very easily explainable. It deals with the refraction of light given from the ceiling and the foil on the inside. Wherever the light source is will determine the lighter side.

[@donktheclown]

If not already mentioned in the video, I think you may be close, Professor. Perhaps the differently textured sides of the aluminum foil (one side is polished and the other side has a matte finish) have different reflective values, which would also contribute to the overall effect? ...IDK....JMO

[@Ciph3rzer0]

He's using the more colloquial version of the word. "A statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true"

[@Rollacosta27]

Ahh I see, thank, you. I forgot that there was a different definition.

[@rfldss89]

sure, but imagine youre the student. you see that it's white on top and dark on bottom, so you flip it on it's head and it's still white on top and black on bottom. If you don't know what the block is actually made of, this change of colour will seem very unintuitive and intriguing. so yes, to the student it's a paradox (as long as the mistery isnt elucidated of course).

[@donktheclown]

You're right, Rafael. This is quite intriguing to anyone....

[@colaboytje]

Why is he wearing safety glasses the whole time? It's not a paradox in any sense.

[@somemaycallthisjunkmeicall133]

colaboytje You're not looking deep into it.

[@CTimmerman]

Aluminum is an ingredient in thermite; can those goggles stop steel beams?

[@ciananmortem3127]

Because science! Erm...well

[@wakingupthegods1281]

colaboytje because he wants to look scientific 😂

[@derekTHEdirector1]

The reason why the top bar appear brighter than the lower bar is because lighting. Light coming from the ceiling (light source like fluorescent or incandescent light) passes through the top bar and "touches" the aluminum foil and bounces back up.

[@SomehowStillSane]

My 10th grade chemistry teacher had one of these sitting on a table. He never did a demonstration or anything that I can remember, but he told me what it was when I asked about it.

[@exeel_gt1421]

(dont delete)it's not a paradox bcuz you put aluminum in between the block and bcuz light is not goin to pass thru the aluminum the bottom half is darker and lighter colour on the top bcuz the light from the light bulb is shining on the top and the top part absorbs most light and the bottom absorbs less light Thus it's not a paradox :)

[@exeel_gt1421]

if u delete this comment il be upset...

[@FlinnScientific]

All we ask is no profanity - these videos are made for students and teachers. Debate is fine.

[@DadaIorian]

What a great reply. True science invites criticism and debate.

[@zaceryhammond1144]

FlinnScientific if only everyone could be open minded like this ppl would probably learn a lot more a lot faster

[@tranceonline]

This was the first thing i thought about. even with no plate inbetween them, the layer which is on top will be more bright because it gets more light than the one at the bottom. Easy as that

[@votpavel]

basically you want students to use common sense to analyze something/someone for scientific research,the question is how far can you go to analyze something without destroying the entire thing

[@edlaprade]

It is obviously made from two blocks. Therefore the simplest way to figure out why it does what it does is to take it apart. Who cares if its the only one? Once you know how its made, you can make more.

[@TheIronman119]

RE-L Mayer well when using the scientific method dissection is a part of analyzing something but for this specific demonstration being able to open it up wouldnt generate the critical thinking thats trying to be achieved, its the whole teach someone how to fish rather than give them a fish

[@Dethas1991]

Also, sometimes you are analyzing something that you cannot dismantle, like gravity, and then you need this type of thinking.

[@counterfit5]

Dethas1991 maybe *you* can't dismantle gravity

[@Dethas1991]

counterfit5 yeah, right...

[@crazyobservations3080]

Well there's ten minutes of your life that you will never get back

[@beegun5124]

I'm horribly apathetic about the subject (Curse you autoplay!) but honestly I could listen to this on loop for a really long time. What a great voice.

[@buddyzee]

came here for a paradox, left disappointed

[@azrielackerman3790]

But there is a paradox. It's the paradox of certainty. What you observe may sometimes be false, although evidence of its falsity cannot be proven.

[@imagamingdragon2091]

I did too but I noticed there's a sentence that is a gem out of context Why isn't the black on top (WHITE SUPREMACY!!!) (i am not a white supremacist)

[@acryingfan9324]

same haha

[@soccerandtrack10]

I know right?

[@NickC_222]

I've gotta say, at the end when you say you "don't like to teach 'the' scientific method," I really respect and appreciate that. As a science teacher a lot of people might at first assume that statement is sacrilege, but I get what you're saying. Instead of teaching 'the' "one" scientific method that everyone knows, you're allowing room for other equally valid methods, but furthermore, you're also specifically teaching your students *how* to think as opposed to *what* to think, and man that's such an important distinction, probably more important in the science lab than anywhere else. So much of public school, in my experience, was being taught 'what' to think- being forced to memorize and regurgitate facts as opposed to understanding concepts and events, and that just didn't work well for me. I get that there are time restraints with what, 200 days in a school year? Less? Anyway, I caught the distinction you made about " 'the' scientific method" vs 'method's of scientific exploration' and I admire that approach and wanted to say something about it.

[@MrQwerty15ification]

As a student I completely agree! Every time one of my science teachers start going over the scientific method I always think "what if I don't want to make a hypothesis until after the experiment? Why do I need to make one before hand?"

[@Zekian]

Can science be a deductive body of knowledge?

[@tpat90]

If you make a hypothesis, you will watch for more specific criteria. You don't make an experiment to get a hypothesis, but you try to underline the hypothesis. That's the point of the experiment. You can actually make an experiment to get an idea of a phenomena, but you always have to repeat the experiment after you arranged the hypothesis. The more you think about something, the better you can react and see it. If you see two chemicals react and you see some yellow gas in the bottle, you might think it's toxic or dangerous in any way. Thus you might need extinct the procedure at that moment and the whole experiment was for the bin. On the other hand if you thought about the reaction like 3-4 hours, thought about any product that might build up and you can react to the situation, without risking the experiment. The point is just to think about it, before it happens. So you are prepared for the situation.

[@Zekian]

Can you show hypothesis to be False? How?

[@lLenn2]

@Zekian Yes, by providing 1 example that doesn't follow the hypothesis.

[@KuK137]

Any 'scientist' caught saying "aluminum" should be summarily laughed out of the room and told to go educate himself...

[@nohabs15]

Oh dear. I watched this third grade video now I'll be getting "FlinnScientific" forever

[@tubedude54]

If you pay attention in the beginning you see that the 2 blocks exhibit this light dark character even before he places the foil in it.

[@gs-yp3gm]

I would say that is fooling around with students

[@baudopl1]

Actually is good them think , this will help then with dhis kind of thinking if anyone finds some kind of different material of something like this. Sorry for my bad english.

[@Sincee1809]

No it is showing people how scientists think when they want to figure out how something works

[@JebBradwell]

THIS IS PERFECT! The world's best teaching comes from situations like this :) I love this! So much!!!

[@clintonleonard5187]

I came for a paradox, I stayed for the ASMR.

[@Michael_00001]

Why is he wearing safety glasses beyond the point of melting the wax?

[@arcxcc]

Michael Kirst the heat plate could explode, i dunno.

[@eugene188]

Probably cuz he is old school and doing it out of habit. Whenever you do a lab, putting on safety glasses is a great habit. But for somebody that needs to wear glasses like me I always hated it.

[@xperrosinsangrex]

Because he is teching school kids so it is a good way to exemplify safety.

[@GodismyJudge47]

Michael Kirst. Nerd

[@tracertong3229]

It's a good habit to actively build. Even when you think you don't need it.

[@sandmastermaster]

Haha I wish he didn't show us how he made it so I could guess.

[@PrimeBeefer]

That's great and all but how is this a paradox?

[@awalkthroughinthepark4609]

f it's light on top and dark on bottom, then logically, when flipped over, should be dark on top and light on bottom. It may not be as cool as being in two places at once, but a paradox nonetheless.

[@JonasDekimpe1992]

The statement that its white on top and black on bottom is false. the correct statement is that the top looks white and bottom dark. Going from this logic, even after turning, the top looks light and bottom looks dark. No paradox, just inaccurate information

[@misturfixit45]

It may surprise you to learn that we live in a logical universe. All paradoxes are based on incomplete information, name one that isn't. The classic example "this statement is false" relies on an infinitely recursive attempt to define the statement, ie missing information.

[@JonasDekimpe1992]

Mistur Fixit instead this scerario is not about mission information, its about incorrect information. (it looks darker instead of it is darker). Here's another paradox: What would happen if Pinokkio said his nose will grow?

[@misturfixit45]

Easy way to find out: have him say it. If nothing happens, we now know that his nose does not always grow when he lies. If it grows, we now know that his nose does not only grow when he lies. Record the results Either way, we are able to fill in the missing information (presumably incorrect information). Exactly the point of the above experiment.

[@wpwentzell]

Wow, there are a lot of dislikes for a video that is pretty straightforward and educational.

[@fig8man]

For two minutes iI was yelling at my screen "FLIP IT OVER". lol

[@LinusScrubTips]

why so many dislikes. good for teaching the scientific method etc for young students (elementary maybe middle school).

[@Neverod8doreveN]

LinusScrubTips People have got mad because it doesn't conform to their belief of what a logical paradox is. That's my guess anyway.

[@timmowarner]

Also, it wasn't a guy saying "Look at this cool thing!" that was over in 30 seconds.

[@LinusScrubTips]

Dude it's a 1 day in school experiment not a mislabeled cure for cancer lol.

[@LinusScrubTips]

Teachers name their experiments stupid shit all the time. It really doesn't matter is my point.

[@LinusScrubTips]

Dude who cares.

[@sixshotsimon3124]

1.5 speed has never been more appriciated

[@speedbuggy16v]

the top is refracting light from the overhead lights which is a white light, AKA full spectrum if you will. The bottom is refracting the light from the slate table below it, which is reflecting a black or grey color of the visible light spectrum. The aluminum foil creates a reflective barrier to separate the two halves.

[@aaronmicalowe]

Actually, because the aluminium is reflective, it's reflecting, not refracting. If the light was passing through the aluminium and coming out the other side a different luminosity, then it would be refraction.

[@Dutch_Prepper]

Good thing he was wearing safety glasses ...

[@the3Dandres]

i hope this is for grade 8 students cause this is too simple to be baffled about

[@Jijijijijij5]

They just threw the word "paradox" in there to make it more clickbait-y. Either that or the person who uploaded this honestly doesn't understand what a paradox is.

[@Turtle_God]

maybe that's just the name of it, rather than the video creator's fault

[@misturfixit45]

Seems pretty obvious they wanted it to alliterate with "paraffin". Anyway, 'a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true.' is a good enough definition for Oxford. It seems contradictory that rotating the block wouldn't cause the colors to also rotate. But you're right, they shoulda called it something stupid like "paraffin mystery" to save you the trouble of broadening your understanding of words.

[@volconis]

The problem with his presentation is the 'no kid left behind' which translates into the kids sitting there like a bump on a log giving zero response.

[@RaPiiDHUNT3R1]

Does he realise 90% of the students will stop caring because he's doing in a 40-60 minute lesson, what you could do in 2-5 minutes, guess you've gotta fill all of that mandated time with something. He could've at least gone through what defined rational & irrational observations and establishing priori.

[@userPrehistoricman]

This video was demonstrating a certain example or exercise that can be performed in class. Why are you complaining? It's clear this isn't supposed to fill the whole lesson, and that there would be other content to it.

[@TheGrandMasterFunk]

If I wanted 2-5 minute shows I'd go watch scishow. But I don't want 2-5 minute videos, what I want is some guy with a monotone voice talking about sciency stuff for about 8-9 hours while I'm working and just listening in the background. This video will do fine, along with the rest of FlinnScientifics playlist. :D I'm sure he realizes that comments like mine and yours are helpful for him, and may adjust his videos lengths accordingly. Or he could also make 5 minute long- oh wait he does make 5 minute long videos.. guess he's on top of things

[@chaosincarna]

Sad. Very sad statement. Some people may lack an interest in creative thought, but there are many who value such a thing. In that case look at your phones and flunk out. You'd be surprised what a student interested in learning can provoke in a teacher, the invigoration of educating when they want to learn. No matter how jaded a teacher gets, it still kills them to see kids assume they know everything, or take pride in knowing nothing.

[@RaPiiDHUNT3R1]

chaosincarna Well I was one of those kids that got disinterested if the lesson was too slow, I still love learning, when you read a book you can go at your own pace or documentaries have enough stimuli to keep it interesting. Everyone has their own pace but a classroom is a one size fits all operation unfortunately.

[@kenneth9874]

It's called class's participation...

[@ThatSoddingGamer]

I can't recall my school (Elementary or High School) ever doing something like this, a practical introduction to the scientific method.

[@grendelum]

This why science teachers are the coolest... great video on the scientific method !!!

[@tenet-rotas]

now lets learn about the methamphetamin paradox