The Simple Secret of Runway Digits

[@CGPGrey]

If you enjoyed the video, please consider supporting the channel by signing up for the behind-the-scenes director's commentary: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYS5iamli7d8eMU

[@Jrian]

ok man

[@judethepotato]

ok

[@potterinhe11]

How could you pass up an opportunity to preform mathematics they are so much fun.

[@inemanja]

There is one system that is better than the perfect - standardized!

[@kyle-jones]

You're a treasure. Thanks so much for you and the team's hard work!

[@MarkRober]

The coriolis effect sneaking back was a twist I was not prepared for

[@Killz4Dayz]

Hey Mark, love your videos :)

[@N_twice11]

No one is

[@Gagagooi]

😮 It’s you

[@StripedSocks.]

Mark and CGP, yes.🙃

[@liondyi]

Agreed

[@TomLumPerson]

Me: "Why does this runway have the number 8 on it?" CGP Grey: "Iron atoms are quantumly magnetic"

[@altrivotzck6565]

Correct!

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

exactly.

[@blackmind2095]

🤣🤣🤣

[@niceone7927]

his answer is on point, as always

[@impofan6915]

it's what adhd does to a person, don' worry about it

[@Syy]

Grey has finally reached Phase 3 of his Cinematic Universe, where every video is constantly crossing over and cameoing with each other, and it is incredible.

[@nif4345]

i saw the hexagon one the airplane staff

[@pinkneko13]

I'm weirdly ecstatic to see the Captain and Quartermaster.

[@dorderre]

@@nif4345 And the A4 scaling down into the quantum realm one

[@trollbreeder2534]

The plane is operated by the same airline company (Bonnie Bee Airlines) as the one from The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use, and is probably even the exact same plane

[@Syy]

1. Presumably the guy sitting next to Grey on the plane is the same sucker who got cornered in Someone Dead Ruined My Life Again. 2. 3:42 is also from Better Boarding Method. 3. 4:00 Captain and Quartermaster from their respective videos. 4. 6:48 "Leading Zero in our hearts" is from American Highway Numbering. 5. 6:55 From the Social Security Card is Insecure video. 6. 8:30 Two in one here. The room forms with Hexagons, which are the bestagons, and the screen is pulled down by an Algorithm Bot. 7. 10:03 The Technically Correct nerd has been around for forever. 8. And the A4 paper scaling down to see the Iron atoms.

[@pranamd1]

Every time Grey said "We're not going to talk about physics", I got more and more excited, knowing he was foreshadowing all the glorious physics to come.

[@sanstheblaster2626]

I love how fascinated Grey is with literally everything that has a purpose. Highways, strange borders, flags... I never thought I would have ever been invested in these things, and yet here we are. These videos really make me appreciate how wonderfully complex our society is. You tend to forget that everything you see in your city had to be carefully crafted to precisely serve its purpose. Humans are cool.

[@iamjamieq]

I love the way he’ll explain that a system is designed a certain way, or a border runs a certain way, and then sarcastically and exasperatedly explain that this, this, this, and that exception exists.

[@0unavailableusername]

The podcast 99 Percent Invisible is also great for revealing the thought, complexity and history that goes into the stuff around you that you never think about

[@jamesdean5095]

This comment very rudely ignores Grey's fascinating with everything that also does not have a purpose. I present exhibit A: Tiffany

[@kruks]

"Humans are cool." And also awful. When will the poles flip on that one?

[@sanstheblaster2626]

@@jamesdean5095 I see that as a sort of... unhealthy obsession. We all know what happens when Grey tries to carefully explain and examine things that do not have a precise story or purpose. I present Exhibit B: Staten Island.

[@ClickyCrisp]

You have ascended video creation and entered a realm of pure humour, education and entertainment all simultaneously. Bravo Grey, bravo.

[@runneruwu]

WOAH ITS CLICKY CRISP

[@stephenj9470]

I feel like I just listened to a 17 minute long poem. The alliteration, cadence, and careful word choice was beautiful.

[@khuedinhvan1986]

ok

[@nuc2726]

@@khuedinhvan1986 k

[@vantruongthi9105]

ok

[@karlkuehn8908]

Agreed, but he still needs to learn how to pronounce Nevada

[@doggo6517]

That's how a grey do

[@colesrk]

As a private pilot it's a joy to see runways explained in such a fun, lighthearted way.

[@dongarnelos3775]

I remember Grey talking on Cortex about how many projects become a fractal where you get deeper and deeper the more you look into. This just feels like that - him starting an innocent video on runway numbers but then just falling deeper and deeper than he ever wanted.

[@starsixseven9259]

That has to be exactly right

[@Patmorgan235Us]

100% correct

[@sailorgallifrey1365]

Grey will get to the bottom of the rabbit hole to answer any question he finds interesting enough, lest we forget the Tiffany poem fiasco

[@azharyousaf6443]

Same

[@Johnny-uy4iu]

It reminds me of a Physics professor that would go into a dissertation and start with a simple scenario (like explain why the sky is blue), then their only question would be “Is that all?” and the candidate would just blindly drive themselves deeper and deeper into a physics rabbit hole exactly like this for the next couple hours trying to explain the universe in minute detail.

[@ThePootisPower24]

I really like the return of the piano music and the Grey at his classroom desk when the magnetic north discussion comes in. Feels nostalgic. CGP Grey is an all time great of KZbin.

[@Unknownlight]

Phenomenal video. The fact that there are so many references to previous videos is more than just a gimmick, or a fun easter egg. It helps emphasize the overall theme of this video, which is that _everything is connected._

[@PrograError]

not that it helped *agents of SHIELD* ...

[@PlebNC]

I liked the A4 paper grid as it zooms in on the iron atom.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

I definitively have noticed quite a few references (from obvious ones such as the social security number to A4 paper to hexagons) but that it fits the underlying theme is something I didn't realise.

[@masonm600]

Even if we don't want it to be *Shakes fist at indifferent universe physics*

[@CallippoShafai]

Have you watched Manifest? @unknownlight (ref airplanes and everything connected)

[@Tigerlady248]

"That we're NOT going to do" just gives the energy of Grey trying to understand this for 100 hours and throwing his hands up in a 'screw, it doesn't matter, I DON'T NEED TO KNOW' and I love it.

[@temp_name_change_later]

He has a physics degree, he probably already did the math years ago and doesn’t want to relive the trauma

[@DemoniteBL]

It's probably more because explaining quantum physics would quadruple the videos length.

[@TheRealMarauder]

Or because he tried to explain it for that many hours and gave up

[@BuckFudweiser]

Relatable

[@grafi8430]

12:42 for anyone wondering

[@pieterpennings9371]

I love how everything seems like an incoherent tangent but its packed full of information which is explained at the right level with great enthusiasm and literary puns that make grey such an amazing KZbinr and everyones’ favorite party guest

[@abbycaldwell3166]

And for every little tangent that makes it into the video, there are probably dozens more that had to get cut for time. Alas, such is the struggle of trying to follow a relatively direct line down a fractalizing rabbit hole of knowledge

[@scylla1772]

I can just picture Grey typing up the script, mumbling to himself with increasing fervor that "this isn't a physics video. This isn't a physics video. This ISN'T--"

[@r22gamer54]

All the plot twists made it a physics video ;(

[@raywicks2781]

GODDAMNIT it's a physics video

[@pilkycrc]

Everything is a physics video if you keep asking “why” long enough

[@zeobide]

@@pilkycrc This is the best comment.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

As he types the script, the universe is standing right over his shoulder to remind him to talk about physics.

[@TaranVH]

This is the best written and most technically impressive video you have ever made. The culmination of all the work you've put in so far. I just hope you don't quit anytime soon. :)

[@mitlanderson]

Hope you're well Taran!

[@p_serdiuk]

We hope to see the culmination of your work one day as well

[@throwawayemail8450]

when did his animation get so smooth?

[@Arobsite]

@@throwawayemail8450 When he hired animators to do it for him (which is great, I'm not criticizing it, just stating facts).

[@starsixseven9259]

Really feel like the Metric and hexagon videos were made for this video's benefit

[@Bacabob]

As always, a pleasure watching you de-confusing confusion.

[@DonPidgeon]

Me at the start: "How can it take 17 minutes to explain runway numbers?" Me after 17 minutes: "TELL ME MORE!!!"

[@joeg5414]

I worked in airfield management in the air force and have a degree in geography. No way I could have turned explaining rwy numbering into a 17 min video though 😂

[@raznaak]

Did you get very far?

[@IHateUniqueUsernames]

He did say this isn't a physics video.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@raznaak Greased Lightning!

[@fungames755]

Same

[@RenderedUselessness]

These are the most concise, accurate descriptions i have ever seen, it’s worth the 10000 year wait for each one

[@tritamtran4603]

ok

[@johnsonnguyen6046]

"There is only math. That we're not going to do" As a math major, what a harshly relatable statement.

[@reyts62]

From one math major to another…. “This proof is left as an exercise to the reader” 😅

[@controlequebrado4455]

seems to work approach

[@Arturius01]

Yeah, but then it'd be a math video inside a physics video inside a geography video.

[@thewatcherinthecloud]

@@Arturius01 "It is all Math?" *cocks gun "Always has been.."

[@georgesconyers9769]

@@Arturius01 All science goes down to math. Though if you pester the math teacher enough, they'll throw a epistemology textbook at you, so I guess the humanities have the last laugh.

[@garlicxi]

I like how this video went from talking about runway digits to talking about quantum physics.

[@christianhinlo7231]

Lmaoo

[@valblome4913]

Great stuff! I'm a pilot and flight instructor, so I knew a lot of this content. I even considered skipping this one because of that, but I looked at the length of the video and thought, "I have to find out where he takes this..." I am 100% glad to have watched this. I learned a lot. I had no idea Canada named runways after true north. I also knew that magnetic north moved, but I'd never bothered to learn the physics of why. I will absolutely recommend this video to my students. (Also... Winds are named backwards, but there's an advantage to it! The runway is named the direction it goes, and wind is named from the direction it came from. Because you always want to takeoff and land with a headwind, this opposing system means the runway numbers roughly match the wind numbers. If a pilot checks the weather and knows wind is 300 degrees, then they know to land on runway 30 (or whichever runway is the closest to the wind number.) It's great - no critical thinking required - which is exactly what you want in the busy airport environment.)

[@THE-X-Force]

Wow .. thanks for that extra info!!

[@Arvl.]

Cool essay you wrote

[@jetkill97]

As a civil engineer who specifically works on airports, this video has made my day. 100% true. A lot of interesting science went on to figure out the font sizing for the runways XD

[@Bstingnl]

Now I want a video on runway font science. How did we get here?

[@rileyvonbevern4652]

As a pilot i concur

[@volundrfrey896]

@@Bstingnl This, I want to know about aviation typography!

[@garnet1918]

I want to know about the font sizing 👁️

[@dustinedwards5642]

As an electrical engineer, I too was pleasantly surprised, specifically with the explanations of the electricity and magnetics portion!

[@DrGold-ks1mp]

This is probably my favorite video of Grey's. The continued joke of physics turning into a special lesson, the topic changing from airplanes to geography to the many true norths to what magnets are, all beautiful. I especially love the obvious improvement over time, the little animations in this episode were fantastic, like when the classroom appeared, made of hexagonal tiles because hexagons are the bestagons. Lastly, the perfect choice to release this as a premiere, because it just keeps escalating and we have no idea how long until the video ends. 10/10, likely one of my favorite videos on this entire website.

[@mikegoddijn]

Everything always comes back to physics. If you keep asking "but why?", you will always eventually end up with the fundamental laws of physics. This video demonstrates that perfectly, trying to keep physics out of it for as long as possible, but in the end it's always needed to answer the deeper question at play.

[@alexm7307]

There was also an A4 paper callback when zooming down to the quantum level at 12:07

[@PianoKwanMan]

There was a team of people employed some number of years ago. An editor, someone to do the drawings, etc. I think Grey did it, in the beginning, there was Go- I mean, Grey

[@sfbptank]

@@mikegoddijn but, why?

[@blankcanvas4458]

I love The Rules of rulers video

[@BenTibbettsStudio]

I love everything about this: the way the script flows and alliterates and sort-of-rhymes; the way it ties into so many of Grey's other running gags; the way Grey's personality presents itself as the worst person ever to sit next to on an airplane; the ingenious move to place videos inside each other, Inception-style; and above all how well it demonstrates that no matter how hard you try to explain everything about a thing there are always more things to explain. This isn't Grey's most important video (that would probably have to be one of the more serious topics like Humans Need Not Apply, Rules for Rulers, or Spaceship You), but it might possibly be the best.

[@genogaron]

This feels like a magnus opus, with so many references to previous groundwork and information from previous CGP Grey videos. It feels like every 5 seconds you can point to SOMETHING that visually has been in another Grey video. I'm considering making BINGO cards for future Grey videos to see if he keeps doing it.

[@tritamtran7264]

ok

[@mardkam_triplesh]

@@tritamtran7264 thank you

[@McJethroPovTee]

I'll help you with the bingo. these should be one of those rhyming schemes alliterations the forest captain and quartermaster social security numbers

[@lowencraft1404]

@@McJethroPovTee and the A4 effect at 12:07

[@far2ez539]

@@McJethroPovTee Hexagon references too - the honeybee picture, the window when he went to geography time.

[@timmccaughey540]

"In the world of Quantum, words mean nothing." Is the most accurate colloquial take on quantum theory possible.

[@minesweeperify]

Yeah the sentence pretty much sums up my courses in quantum. Except we did the math :(

[@AndyZach]

I took two years of quantum and you've gotta think of words as 'guidelines' not rules. Just realize everything is a poetic, metaphoric description.

[@sidhantsood5373]

On an electron’s spin: “Think of an electron as a sphere that’s spinning, but in reality it’s not really a sphere and it’s not really spinning”

[@TheWulf899]

Meanwhile I'm sitting here waiting for him to explain it like Palpatine quitely saying " *do it.* "

[@APG19912009]

There is only math! That we’re not gonna do!

[@JHarris]

Hahaha, as a pilot my initial thought before watching : “It doesn’t take 17 minutes to explain runway numbers” After watching: “So thorough, fantastic as always CGP Grey”

[@AGamer075]

Same.

[@hariskhan01]

as a 15 yr old, I thought the same thing, also surprisingly, I knew about the difference between the magnetic and mathematical poles already, that math equations look terrifying though😅

[@FlyLeah]

As a student pilot i just learned about magnetism from this

[@Enjay80]

Small correction: Canada uses the magnetic numbering system for the runways as well, except for runways north of a specific parallel, when the true north and magnetic north diverge too much. So for your travels where 99% of people live in Canada, it makes no difference for pilots !

[@FirewaII33]

This. Basically there's "Northern domestic airspace" and "Southern domestic airspace." Simply, and quite inaccurately (look up a diagram for proper boundaries), northern is NWT and Nunavut, which uses true north rather than magnetic.

[@CinciRon]

That's why Grey said "When flying over her Territories" instead of "When flying over her Provinces."

[@FirewaII33]

@@CinciRonstill incorrect my friend. As a touch of Manitoba is included in the Northern domestic airspace, roughly halfish of NWT is included and nothing of the Yukon. But it's also a footnote of a fact in a random grey video, no one is interpreting it as malicious intent. Only clarifying the specifics of an interesting and confusing Canadian factoid.

[@CGPGrey]

Nice to be back : ) There will be a full director's commentary tomorrow, but for now there's a deleted scene to tide you over: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5CyiZupl5umj6c

[@SkimBeebul]

Loved the vid

[@kaythal1786]

Thank you for the phys.. i mean runaway video!

[@malte2505]

i thought you moved to mars

[@loogi_is_die]

Close the gap between the smiley emoticon

[@shawnlarimore5932]

CGP grey is the definition of a side tangent.

[@nathanwolberg5466]

"In quantum mechanics, words mean nothing. There is only math" That is the best explanation of QM I have ever heard.

[@bluwasabi7635]

A truly charming description.

[@entropie138]

I'm set to take Quantum next spring. Wish me luck.

[@soopahsoopah]

That's true of several other areas of science too, there's points at which in order to get any more granular words can't really suffice, but math can.

[@pendalink]

QM is confusing and sometimes counterintuitive because many of its features don't have macro-scale parallels to provide intuition like we can gain from everyday-life physical systems. However, many of its features do have those parallels, and despite fundamental limits on the observability of entire pictures at once, the vast history of incredibly successful QM experiments makes it possible for one to form a working picture and sort things into "confidently physical" and "purely theoretical/mathematical" descriptions. It just takes... years, and of course never really ends. But you can do it if you so desire! Best of luck.

[@samsanimationcorner3820]

@@entropie138 pushing F to pay respects.

[@Bonifatus]

"In the land of quantum, words mean nothing, there is only math." This is the best description of quantum mechanics I have ever heard and gels well with my motto of "The less you think about quantum, the more sense it makes"

[@raznaak]

Oh, so like time travel in most settings!

[@iwannaseehowlongyoucanmakethis]

its the MST3K Mantra but in real life

[@yoni5919]

This is my biggest roadblock when it comes to understanding quantum mechanics: you cant.

[@Apate-]

Must be why I can understand it easily. I already don't think about anything

[@mewmew8932]

My fav is “ Imagine a basketball spinning. Now imagine there is no ball, and no spinning, because that‘s not what spin means and scientists are bad at naming things.“

[@manslayerpupil]

I love when Grey has videos about him going off on tangents to random strangers, that person is looking for an escape. As if in reality, any one of us lucky enough to be in that situation would be hanging on his every word

[@Bstingnl]

"So there was this conspiracy guy next to me on the flight talking about how everything is connected, runway numbers, the flipping of the north pole and quantum physics. It was crazy, man!"

[@TimeBucks]

This is the best written video you have ever made

[@kakyoindonut3213]

disagree

[@kishungamer4036]

Nice video

[@umairalikhan3590]

Goog

[@aftabkhan8648]

Hi

[@aftabkhan8648]

@TIMEBUCKS™ Hi

[@MrMighty147]

I love how he made the video recommendations at the end so that the characters at the bottom are still fully visible. It's this level of professionalism and attention to detail that I truly love about this channel.

[@becauseimafan]

I'm so glad he did that, too!! 😁 Happens on some channels often enough that they'll just slap 'em on randomly and it covers up the ending joke, or whatever 🙄

[@jan.tichavsky]

Yeah, that will work until KZbin changes the UI again. One thing you can bet on in web design or life in general is that things will change sooner or later. Anyone remember the time of annotations?

[@johnchessant3012]

every reference 0:24 bonnie bee airline (The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use) 1:19 indifferent universe (Hexagons are the Bestagons) 3:42 big book of laws of the universe (The Better Boarding Method Airlines Won't Use) 4:01 How to be a Pirate Captain/Quartermaster 6:47 leading zero in our hearts (The Interstate's Forgotten Code) 6:54 Your Social Security Card is Insecure 10:09 more north/south poles (Where is Antarctica?) 12:08 Metric Paper 14:57 geomagnetic reversal (2012 & The End of the World) tell me if I missed any!

[@wufflykins4369]

4:15 Helm to 108 is a Fifth Element Reference

[@TechWiz717]

The music during the geography section is old school grey, used to feature quite a lot in his old vids

[@peacewind-aero]

@@TechWiz717 Immediately thought of the Canada US border video when I heard it.

[@azli2191]

8:30 uses hexagons for the transition

[@ducttapemaster1408]

Underrated comment right here

[@Sol_VI]

I just love how the video implies that Grey just randomly starts making a runway video and the guy sat next to him just has to deal with it the whole time

[@tryingmybest206]

Yes we all watched the same video

[@purgatory671]

@@tryingmybest206yes and he’s saying he enjoys that detail of the whole video.

[@tryingmybest206]

@@purgatory671 that's ridiculous, the comments section is for arguments and negativity only

[@cru_bii]

by saying that it's completely normal for him not to upload for a hundred thousand years, grey's confirming he's STILL SET on becoming immortal

[@carolynmcpherson2667]

Can't argue with *that* logic!

[@Znegil]

Well this time it was mostly the fault of Coronavirus. Since he got it twice and it had hit him badly

[@BigGhoul53425]

With an escape option ofc

[@rodh1404]

Yes, but I'm more worried about what kind of video would need that amount of time to produce...

[@LorxusIsAFox]

i do hope to see him at Entropycon!

[@PowerTrain]

he tricked me into watching a physics video after assuring me that no physics here, also now i know how magents work from quantam level

[@FlashGamer521]

maths

[@CCABPSacsach]

He went from an aviation video to geography to physics

[@cameronaustin9169]

As a flight instructor I really appreciate this video. I’ll be sending it to many early phase students. Thank you.

[@bobbydennis6729]

I’m a student pilot, I was already kind of past this point when I watched this video, but it absolutely reinforced my understanding of runway headings

[@NyxHunter]

4:15 Ok I may be reading way to deep into this but I wouldn't put it past Grey to have slipped in a reference. Helm to 108 could be a reference to The Fifth Element. When they are on the space yacht. Especially with the Captain giving the order, the second in command repeating it to the one stearing and the one at the helm replying. I know it's also just how ship navigation works. Repeat the order to make sure it's understood but having the same number at the movie felt deliberate

[@edinalewis4704]

Welcome to Fhloston Paradise!!

[@NyxHunter]

@@edinalewis4704 Yes!!!!! Someone gets it!

[@SoniasWay]

“There’s only math, that we’re not going to do” As a math major, what a relatable statement

[@pibyte]

I laughed so hard at that moment. :D

[@benschmitt7035]

As a physics major having done the math, i'm very glad he didnt I have enough trauma :)

[@isky6541]

@@benschmitt7035 I am now more scared to pursue the job of an electrician

[@TdrSld]

@@isky6541 IT's easy, just keep in mind that wires like to bite sometimes MUAHAHA!

[@mmalik8180]

Can you help me with some logic proofs?

[@briansmobile1]

I love aviation. And I love CGP Grey videos. AND I love tangents that come back together. And I LOVE physics! I giggled like a kid through this whole video!

[@AllHailZeppelin]

Same (for all of that)

[@valritz1489]

You can really feel the mounting mania and panic that comes from being a "Yeah, but why?" person in a world where the answers do exist, they're just always made up of about a billion other answers to a billion other questions.

[@Ahheck01]

This is what I find so satisfying about his videos - he leans into that fact and persists till it completes the loop of the story he set out to tell, even if it takes him down many bizarre roads. It's like watching someone super intelligent navigate a detective Choose Your Own Adventure that has infinite possibilities.

[@girlmadeofwires]

@@Ahheck01 honestly it just feels like how my ADHD brain works: going down an unknown number of *connected enough* tangents/rabbit holes that all stemmed from one thought until I'm following the breadcrumbs back up the chain of loosely connected thoughts to return to my original topic. Which actually makes me think about how it's weirdly similar to traversing a binary tree data structure, and-- see? just like that

[@Vallenthorne]

Also involves maths

[@Thelongestshrimp]

“There is only math, that we’re not gonna do” is genius.

[@TomLumPerson]

This is maybe my favorite explainer video ever, beautiful visuals and explanations, hilarious, great story, all for a deceptively complicated question, "if there's one thing the indifferent universe loves, it's repeating the same pattern across scales and domains" just wow!

[@CGPGrey]

[@Yagunitto]

OMG

[@karlkewbz]

Hi there!

[@seanthebeast300]

Why so little likes?

[@kairose3412]

woahh membership emoji?

[@altrestrictionsclrd]

As a real world pilot, I didn't think that what was a five minute discussion in flight school could be turned into nearly 20. Well done.

[@JimmyLundberg]

How much, if at all, does it bother you when the number is a little off?

[@ittixen]

With all the jokes and tangents and cool animations I feel that extra time is well spent!

[@soundscape26]

Yes, this felt a little bloated but the animations are cool.

[@rcoder01]

@@JimmyLundberg Not at all for me. In Aviation, the most important factor is safety and I'd rather have unambiguous, short runway numbers be the priority. If you're using a magnetic compass (mostly used in small aircraft) you're likely operating your aircraft mostly by sight, where a 10-degree visual difference can be easily corrected. If you're flying a larger aircraft, you'll probably be using true heading anyways, which means runway numbers already aren't accurate anyways.

[@Yokovich_]

Kind of crazy, I came into the video thinking I knew exactly what runway numbers meant and left having learned multiple new things.

[@shyguypro9876]

Now I just want an animated comedy of Grey explaining the world and universe to the same traveller who he keeps bumping into be coincidence and that traveller desperately trying to get of the situation as politely as possible.

[@spoomks]

The traveller in this video actually seems to warm up to Grey explaining it after a bit, which I find really wholesome.

[@kalyato_ha2917]

I love how poetic the videos are, and more so the fact CGP hits a tangent and goes with it, diving deep into the obis that is quantum physics... to the point of touching on; and just saying its easier (for everyone involved) to just hit the accept button and 'go with it', knowing how importantly complicated and mind bogglingly it is at that level, to suddenly go back to runways! fantastic watch! the use of quotations 'whirl around' and 'spin' to describe electrons... bravo! and for also the use of the A4 scaling to the iron atom zoom in! was fantastic! well done!

[@rmdodsonbills]

I was going to correct your spelling of "abyss" but then I realized we were in the quantum world where words mean nothing, and if words don't mean anything you can spell them any damn way you want. More power to you. :)

[@Cloud7050]

Metric paper!

[@pavelgaranin426]

Superbly worded. Thank you. Could not agree more.

[@jigpu2630]

As a life-long physics nerd who took a brief interest in geography and is now learning to fly, I 100% approve of every level of this video-ception.

[@LARAUJO_0]

Oh yeah, it's all comin' together

[@atrane365]

that's... oddly specific to this situation

[@bjornolson6527]

Perhaps a natural progression, these days. Highly Educated -> Curious.

[@matthenekk]

I thought the swirling core causing the earth’s magnetic field was high school physics… was that not common knowledge?

[@hudsoneyseleh9444]

I recommend you start studying for your written exam as soon as possible. It can make all the difference when it comes time to take the written, and the oral with your check ride.

[@nathanmereel2300]

The conversion to the geography video has got to be one of the smoothest and most satisfying things I have ever seen. And also the room being assembled by hexagonal modules and the window being a hexagon makes a great callback to hexagons being the bestagons. Fantastic and educating video.

[@seecreature8664]

Even the zoom in to the molecular level was a reference to the A4 paper video. There's so much in here.

[@AnnaHogendoorn]

Did you see the flight attendants skirt?

[@noot3778]

i love how this video starts off with "why not give airport runways number 1 2 3 etc." and ends with information that the liquid metal in the earth is spinning and creates a magnetic field around earth which is called the magnetic north pole

[@dr1303]

Regarding the leading zero: It should definitely be there, for clarity. If you hear "ZERO SIX" you KNOW without a doubt that it's runway 6. If you only hear "SIX" you COULD have missed a leading "TWO", so there's a potential that you think it's runway 6, when it's actually runway 26. If you expect two digits at all times, it may avoid confusion. Under this system, receiving only one digit should cause you, as a pilot, to verify the missing leading digit. Omitting the leading zero causes you to happily accept a faulty one digit runway number.

[@windowsxseven]

what if you only hear "zero" and there are two runways starting with that leading number? things aren't so simple pal

[@neigeshusband5327]

@@windowsxseven I mean its not worse than the 6/26 problem Daniel suggested, if anything its neutral

[@windowsxseven]

@@neigeshusband5327 it is

[@dr1303]

@@windowsxseven if you ONLY hear zero, you must verify. "Things aren't so simple, pal"... Yes. Yes they are.

[@dhawthorne1634]

My greater concern is expecting the leading zero that most airports use and turning runway 6R it into runway 65.

[@OtakuGekko]

As a student pilot who just got back from my ground school regarding weather, thank you for simplifying what we learn so the everyday person can understand easily. Edit: Some extra info he missed, pilots tend to not care too much about the runway heading changing all that much as every 2-3 months we get a chart supplement which gives us the updated airport info including when runway numbers get changed to account to magnetic north’s drift

[@danielvr]

Same here! I literally also just got back from some weather ground traning. Hope your training goes well (:

[@peacewind-aero]

The fact that Grey has created quality Ground School material without realizing he's made quality ground school material is sending me. Grey contribution to solving the pilot shortage. Hehe.

[@r22gamer54]

I wouldn't call this *simple*

[@BaconBeerBullets]

Mag north is the choice for pilots because a magnetic compass is one of the few instruments that is pretty immune to failure.

[@BaconBeerBullets]

I say as if im telling you something you didnt know. Just wanted to put it out there in case anyone wants to side with canada.

[@katelynking6569]

Classic CGP Grey. More information than I thought I could ever possibly want about something I thought I understood but really was clueless about. And yet, I'm here wanting to dig into sources and do my own research to continue learning. Thanks, Grey.

[@ZTimeGamingYT]

The crossover of multiple years of content that no one asked for but everyone needed.

[@MDMAx]

I'm speechless. This is beyond excellent. Your way of handling of information is art. To explain so many difficult topics in one go without a stutter or ambiguity is something else. Thank you for becoming a ray of knowledge for us all!

[@conorcorrigan765]

I'm a pilot from Canada, and Transport Canada absolutely LOVES throwing magnetic/true heading questions on their exams, usually not even related to the skill the question is testing. Ie: suppose you want to maintain track 170 in Northern Domestic Airspace with a TAS of 150 knots and the wind is at at 110 degrees and 40 knots, what heading should you fly to maintain track? If you do the calculation right but choose the answer given in degrees magnetic from the multiple choice you'll fail the question since all headings in Northern Domestic Airspace are given in degrees True. Pure, unfiltered Canadian-style pedantry. It's only applicable in Northern Domestic Airspace (anywhere north of Yellowknife and Iqaluit basically) which 99% of Canadians have never and will never go to, but damn it, they will make sure you learn it for the exam!

[@HiAndHello-w9l]

True, but there’s also places up there that are virtually only reachable by plain so I guess they would want you to take it seriously 😅?

[@kruks]

You're more an expert than me, but... If pilots didn't have that drilled into their head, how would that affect the 1% of Canadian pilots that do need to fly to the Norther Domestic Airspace? (And is it truly 1%?)

[@dinostudios6579]

Lmao. Here in the US the FAA just likes to screw people up with their true vs magnetic in wind reports.

[@worldaviation4k]

UK Air law book 95% proper law about right of way rules of the air. Exam: 90% about the 1% of the book "you've got oil inside your aircraft and you landed in another EU country, what law.... blablabla"

[@sdmitch16]

@@HiAndHello-w9l If they can reach it by plain, they don't need planes and they can stop forcing this system on all those poor pilots 😋

[@_Hoagie]

Just want to note, as a Canadian pilot, the True North runways are only in the northern territories, where compasses are too unreliable to be used. The southern, bigger airports all still use Magnetic North for their numbers. You can tell if the runway uses True North since it will have a "T" after the number. I also haven't heard of trying to get more countries on board with true north? I'm not sure if that's a thing.

[@yrobtsvt]

It's called the Aviation Heading Reference Transition Action Group (AHRTAG) as shown in the video. "A Canadian-led multinational team of navigation experts from Australia, France, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA, the AHRTAG is chaired by Anthony MacKay, Nav Canada’s director of operational safety."

[@Yodah97]

The true north conversion thing sounds more like an politician's game than something from the aviation industry. Probably the brainchild of some bigshot somewhere who happens to also be an aviation enthusiast or something.

[@freeculture]

Rather than the exception it should be the norm. If the magnetic pole flips that would cause a ton of more harm. Even if it doesn't, its still moving, at this rate they are going to have to use a matrix of lights to change the numbers on the ground, its silly.

[@_Hoagie]

@@yrobtsvt Cool! I didn't know that!

[@kikixchannel]

@@freeculture "Flipping" or "moving" takes months, years, even decades. A single avoided crash by letting pilots use a normal compass to know where they are when visibility is horrible (and GPS doesn't show where you are facing) is going to save more money (not withstanding human lives) than the savings on paint and manpower for painting all the friggin numbers all over a country will.

[@tomkinsey4195]

Great video Grey! I’m a flight instructor, and you explained topic this very well. You got a bit more in-depth than I do with my students. I might send them to here for homework.

[@SilentEire]

This was extremely well written and executed. CGP Grey is the epitome of “quality over quantity” 👏

[@TheMightyZwom]

Definitely! I have literally never seen a bad CGP Grey video. That usually happens even to the best sometimes ... but not to Grey, it seems. Maybe he is simply *the* best.

[@starga-fr7qx]

17 minutes of to say something that can be said in less then 2 and you argue its not quantity??? ffs.

[@alexanderrobins7497]

Definitely worth the wait. (10,000 years may be excessive though.)

[@AbhorrentRed]

Yep, but no commitment to video series.

[@NighteeeeeY]

he and lemmino.

[@drewb.9301]

I'm personally really enjoying this running premise of Grey randomly accosting this one guy over and over with random bits of trivia you may have wondered about in passing but couldn't be arsed to google. Also greetings from Canada, where the runways never change.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

The random guy is my favorite recurring character.

[@Boffin55]

Actually they do change here in Canada, that entire section of the video is wrong. Only Northern Domestic Airspace has degT runways. (north of but not including Whitehorse,Yellowknife,Iqaluit)

[@St3lla-MaR1s]

Grey: makes a bunch of random videos that feel made as if on a whim. Also Grey: Connects everything in one video

[@foldervtolvr]

Quick little tangent: The reason pilots like to land facing the wind is because the wind is pushing against the wings which generates lift, thus the plane’s wings and flaps gain a ton of efficiency, so they can travel at lower speeds, which makes the landing easier and smoother

[@dansattah]

You're one of the best teachers ever. You managed to get me interested into physics when years of public school failed me.

[@TychoVan]

ThIS iS nOt a pHySIcS VidEo tHOuGh ;P

[@brendancross2767]

When you don’t feel like you’re being forced, your brain is a lot more open to learning new things

[@darkness74185]

@@brendancross2767 brains tend to shut down when we sense impending doom, which for most students is grades exams and deadlines. There's a reason most people go into math and physics with full interest and came out the other side with complete PTSD

[@DobraEspacial]

This video is PURE GOLD. Thanks, Grey.

[@FenrirSC]

As always an absolute pleasure watching your videos. Thank you very much for the awesome work over the years.

[@CGPGrey]

Glad you like them!

[@andrewmvula2790]

@@CGPGrey 👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌simply perfect 👏👏👏👏I envy you?? 😂😂

[@Exp.Expenria]

@@CGPGrey I just wanted to find out why runways have those numbers😭💀

[@luzherrera4463]

I'm a physics student and OMG the physcis bit was so amazingly done. The use of true terminology like "curl", explained in such an easy way was stunning. You perfectly described one of Maxwell's equations, the curl of a a magnetic field being proportional to the current passing through, which is in a mathematical notation 🔻xB= mu • J, with the triangle multiplied by B being said curl, J current density and mu the permeability of space. It's so well done and I didn't expect such an insight into such a complex yet beautiful physics topic in a video about airport runaways Keep it up friend!

[@sosme99]

As a physicist, I appreciate you including so much physics in your "non-physics" video.

[@rogerwilco2]

Yes.

[@heichan8657]

As not a physicist, I appreciate CGP Grey including so much non- physics in your "physics" video.

[@KanLuxiang]

The best way to teach ppl physics is to tell them that it isn't physics until after they've learned it.

[@oneway7449]

As a cloud engineer, i find this video very interesting

[@beyonddoodling8658]

“Repeating the same patterns across scales and domains” is such a beautiful quote. Makes you wonder how much more similar the Earth is to a single atom of iron to the unknown that the Earth is shown as here

[@shanieboi86]

I think this is why quantum is such a tough pill to swallow, it blows this elegance away.

[@CraftyF0X]

Wait till you learn about fractal geometry...

[@Hex...]

Unfortunately this only tends to apply to the macroscopic, although not too macroscopic

[@yetanother9127]

I came into this video already knowing the answer boils down to "it's compass bearings", yet I watched the whole thing anyway and ended up learning things I never knew about how magnets work, because Grey has the ability to make just about any topic interesting even two or three sidebars deep. (I also learned that aviation still relies heavily on magnetic compasses--I would've thought they'd moved on to gyrocompasses the way maritime navigation did, especially considering the gyrocompass was invented around the same time the airplane was!)

[@Treviisolion]

Apparently according to wikipedia Gyrocompasses don’t work well when moving quickly East to West, which is a decently common direction for airplanes to be moving in, and they typically described as moving quickly. That said I did not know gyrocompasses existed and that’s pretty cool that they do.

[@aiocafea]

i knew the magnet-related things but i did find out about runway numbering systems now! i am also glad for rehashing familiar knowledge partly because it was entertaining, and partly because it gives me perspective on how every tidbit holds infinity within it, expanding vastly into other fields and subjects

[@AfroMonk]

Gyrocompasses also can have the problem of tumbling which if you turn too quickly it can cause it to tumble making any readings from it incorrect. You also have to constantly correct the gyrocompasses using an external source after any extended turn.

[@Dheinamar]

15:30 was that a subtle hint at the immortality of Grey?

[@bushpilotfritz7784]

Hey! Just one small detail: Canada actually uses magnetic north to number most of the the country's runways. In an area called "southern domestic airspace". However, in the creatively named: "northern domestic airspace", true north is used for a number of reasons. Particularly navigational errors that happen at high latitudes, like magnetic dip and northerly turning error. Great video btw.

[@RusteyGuy]

I had to check the comments to make sure someone else pointed this out before I added the same comment. Thanks!

[@allisterschreiber9920]

I was just about to say the same.

[@krissp8712]

He covered this at 16:30

[@lordvalen8133]

@@krissp8712 No he didn't. What he says there implies that true north is used in all of Canada, which it is not.

[@movedaccount9958]

@@lordvalen8133 "All her **northern** runways"

[@DrakiniteOfficial]

I loved that "couple hundred thousand years since my last upload" bit. That was great. Also, your video quality never disappoints! I love the different approaches you took while explaining different things.

[@Asaelus]

This is a great all-rounder on runway numbering! A bit more info: Especially in General Aviation (Light Aircraft) pilots will/can use a Heading Indicator/Direction Indicator over a compass when establishing themselves onto a heading/runway because unlike magnets that can "dip" when banking (turning) or accelerating, a DI reads correctly. The DI is powered by a (usually) electrically-driven gyro. In addition, most General Aviation pilots flying cross-country will have a GPS with them (or even built into the aircraft itself) and so the thought of navigating by magnetic fields alone is long gone. As for jet-powered aircraft (Heavy Aircraft mostly), these planes land with the assistance of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) that uses radio waves and an instrument in the aircraft that guides the pilots to the correct altitude and heading. The runway numbers for most pilots are to help visualise which general direction an aircraft should approach from and to differentiate the runways from each other. Heck even the ICAO airport I fly from stopped changing the names even though they're (technically) ~10 degrees off.

[@heartscaless]

ILS is used on most fighters as well, it's really helpful during inclement weather

[@victorvillegas09]

DI is usually vacuum pump driven though

[@heyzeus97862]

as @Victor Villegas points out, Heading Indicators/Direction Indicators are typically done by Vacuum pump driven Gyroscopes. But also, because a DI doesn't point to anything isn't directly linked to what is north, they don't give accurate headings unless you set them to with..... a magnetic heading indicator aka a compass. also because its a gyro they can process and also tumble. so they are not truly replacements for compasses.

[@ZioStalin]

@@heyzeus97862 True!! Also, the principle behind the naming convention is that it's supposed to work ESPECIALLY when your instruments for any reason stop working. Magnetic compasses are the ultimate redundancy and safety.

[@j3ffm1s7r0]

This has to be the only channel where I get excited about videos about RUNWAY NUMBERING 😅

[@Asdjakf]

As someone who calculates runway designators as part of my job, this video is a huge YES! And I wholeheartedly support NAV CANADA's magnetic to true project, count Norway in!

[@ChaosDesigned]

Why dont the airports just switch to a digital display on the runway? That way the number can be updated on the spot and glow in the dark to be seen in less than ideal lighting. Just like a giant TV but on the ground like Time Square.

[@theteddychannel8529]

@@ChaosDesigned Unreliable? Expensive? Unnecessary? There are multiple reasons i guess

[@tams805]

@@ChaosDesigned What if the power goes out? That could be the main power supply, or simply a wire to the lights. What if it gets hacked? What about when they resurface the runway and have to dig out and then reinstall the lights? All when you can just use some paint.

[@_human_1946]

@@theteddychannel8529 i think its a joke

[@AtomicAlchemist]

@@ChaosDesigned making a huge TV that also has enough thick glass on it to be able to hold up an airplane driving over it that can also malfunction unlike a painted number seems expensive and unnecesary. And the lights are nice but we can just use a normal lamp to light up the number (dont we even do that already on most airports?)

[@Pyrobob4]

CGP Grey videos are what you get when the kid who kept asking "why?" never stopped asking "why?" This video delightfully showcases how Grey's mind works. Diving ever deeper into habit hole after rabbit hole, never satisfied without at least a partial understanding of all the details and niches. I'm surprised we didn't get a sub-sub-sub-sub arc about WHY the earth rotates.

[@gothamlives4278]

His team probably drew the line at that point.

[@gothamlives4278]

"It's time to stop!"

[@procrastinator41]

It’s fun, because it matches how I think, without all the intermittent google searches.

[@Reverend_Salem]

this is why i normally have no idea how many tabs i have open on my phone because chrome on android stops counting at 100

[@theyoten1613]

This guy is so deep on the spectrum it's orbiting around him. Same.

[@zeybarur]

As a physics major, I fully understand and appreciate both the multiple attempts to run from it and the reluctant acceptance of their futility. I freaking love physics, but boy does it scramble the brain

[@MeanMachine1992]

It's actually quite endearing when you get used to it. My brain can't process information without involving physics and math in some sort of way now as it has become fun to play around with, even useless miscellaneous information like estimating the amount of kinetic energy of my car that is needed to pull up in my driveway 😂

[@nebojsag.5871]

There's a reason physics inspired Lovecraft's horror fiction.

[@kimngo1629]

ok

[@flambambam]

I start college in two weeks, and I can't wait to get into the thick of it. Too bad I don't get to delve into quantum mechanics until the end of undergraduate studies...

[@cheoa1473]

ok

[@michaelarowan4174]

This is probably one of my favorite videos youve ever done!!! I did not sign up for over half of what I got when clicking on the video, but got everything I signed up for! Brilliant and so much fun! Love learning from you!

[@parasaurlolphusxd1440]

5:33, Grey and Co.’s animation just keeps getting better. Small details. There was absolutely no need to pixelate the objects on the radar screen - but they did and I love it.

[@PogieJoe]

They're excellent!

[@Cloud7050]

I really wonder how he makes these! They just keep improving, especially when 3D scenes and moving cameras started getting involved, yet with the white paper effect staying

[@Reallytallsocks]

Grey is that uncle that is always out of town and never reaches out to talk to anybody, but shows up once or twice a year to tell you stories about his travels before vanishing at 3 am while everybody is sleeping. I love it.

[@carolynmcpherson2667]

Me, too.

[@222aint]

great description!

[@yourmum69_420]

do you have an uncle who does that?

[@whyiseverysinglehandletaken2]

@@yourmum69_420 everyone has an uncle who does that edit- I think

[@konstantin_d.m]

@@whyiseverysinglehandletaken2 I strive to be the uncle who does that

[@ArtemisOSX]

As a pilot, it was fun to come in to this video expecting to already know the content, but still get some fun new tidbits. Great work as always!

[@Novodantis]

Same!

[@rodrigoolmos2142]

I love the attention to detail in 5:42 where the clouds that show up later begin creeping in from the sides

[@passerby3724]

Fog of the future, really dense

[@Obstreperous_Octopus]

CGP Grey: (explains the topic clearly and simply, in a satisfactory way) Me: (sees that the video is less than half over) "Oh. Oh no. It's about to get complicated, isn't it?"

[@Mysteroo]

As a dude currently studying to be a pilot, 10/10 video. Honestly helped some things make sense

[@Auriacularia]

@viiont eooiy this is noT a PHYSICS VIDEO

[@madmike159]

I love how Grey talks about physics in this. It's the same way I talk about a lot of stuff from my engineering degree. Forgotten most of the content but non of the trauma.

[@MikeDeLue]

A fun supplement to this could be the other runway designations that aren't L, R, or C. Runway 4S/22S in Wasilla is a Ski/STOL strip, and 2W/20W here in Fairbanks is our water landing strip (our ski strip just gets called that on radio). I hear there are more for ultralights and all that jazz.

[@quindanning]

6:37 Love the attention to detail with the Australian Coat of Arms having the colour scheme used by CASA, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Also the "geography video" music at 8:35

[@muno]

The entire video style changing to 2013 Grey for the geography section is my new favorite thing

[@DaSauceDatsBoss]

Can’t even overstate how well done these videos are. ++Information, +++Intrigue, +++Language use, +++++Nerd. I love it

[@ricardokowalski1579]

4:19 the transition from boat to airplane is great visual storytelling The production value of this video is great. Even if you care nothing about runways, it still is a lesson on how to make audiovisual content engaging

[@elcanaldelucas6187]

Other video cameos: 0:12 airport codes apparently, even if this video came out before. 0:17 airlane from better boarding methods 4:00 pirates video 6:46 i think interstate code video 6:53 social security number video 8:30 bestagons 8:32 algorythm bot 8:40 more bestagons

[@AmericanAviator1]

Even as a pilot, this was unexpectedly more complex and fun than I thought it would be!

[@dr-skelebones]

Do all the Canadian runways use the Map North system, including the ones too far from Magnetic North to really be affected? Or is the system just for the territories/Labrador?

[@tristanleblanc_]

@@dr-skelebones just the Northern airports use True North

[@tifskrans4464]

I really love these modern CGP Grey videos, taking us through the WHOLE but simplified rabbit hole of information grey falls in when looking for video topics

[@CapSora]

One quick addition: Canada actually uses both Magnetic and True North numbering systems at the moment; the Northern Domestic Airspace (which conveniently dodges major population centers) uses the True North numbering system, and the Southern Domestic Airspace (where most people live) uses the magnetic north numbering system, presumably to be in line with the rest of the world. They are, however, trying to switch everything (worldwide, not just in Canada) to use True North. Oh, Canada.

[@CGPGrey]

Note the very careful use of the word "territories" in the video.

[@iamaerix]

@@CGPGrey How dare you be careful, this is KZbin!

[@philb5593]

@@CGPGrey Technically correct is the best kind of correct.

[@jmcbresilfr]

@@CGPGrey Well ackchyually, the airplane in the animation at 16:37 goes through Labrador and Québec, none of the territories (sorry, I love technicalities, which is why I love this channel too!). Anyway, excellent video Grey, I learned a lot from the great explanations and I was very entertained, as always!

[@andreaiacco18]

@@CGPGrey Note the very careful use of the word "addition" (instead of "correction") in their comment ;). Just kidding the video is absolutely great as always, really appreciated the "videoception" too

[@dimblesrimbles3936]

I hope the whole team of people who work on these videos are really proud of this video. The quality of design and animation present here is seriously pushing the bar of quality for not only educational and informational videos on KZbin but in general. Seriously, this is something I wish I grew up with, it's insane how nice it can be to learn about these niche subjects, even if there's nuance left on the cutting room floor for the sake of time.

[@dariosunseri5326]

Yay! I literally started flight school in July in Canada! All of Canada isn’t on the true north system, it’s actually split into northern and southern domestic airspace with the SDA (99% of the population) using the magnetic system and only the most northern remote areas using the true north system

[@bblvrable]

Makes sense since 99% of domestic air traffic and 100% of international air traffic will be within the SDA, and most (all?) of those airports wouldn't see enough of a change in compass heading to ever need to renumber.

[@12321dantheman]

in that case why is canada trying to persuade the rest of the world to use true north?

[@bblvrable]

@@12321dantheman It'd be better to have a single system in use globally, and as the video explains, the magnetic system that's in use breaks down when you approach the poles, and could have global consequences if there's ever a major shift in the magnetic poles.

[@AntiVectorTV]

The cute little references sprinkled throughout this video prove that Grey has fully established his own Cinematic Universe.

[@anonymouspotato2]

what references?

[@noahmichel6237]

@@anonymouspotato2 pirates,bee’s and hexagons they all link back to he’s other videos

[@cru_bii]

@@noahmichel6237you can't miss the background music when the classroom showed up!

[@aadityamohta6966]

also the zooming into the electron level, it uses the A4 video

[@steamkaptain9234]

@@aadityamohta6966 yes, i'd really love if he'd turn that into a them, zooming into things. its very interesting.

[@Enter54623]

This is a great representation of how I have to explain ideas to people in general it’s so hard to lose people I’d love to be able to explain the things I’m interested in in a manner like Grey