Veritasium's Derek Muller Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED

[@shawnlinder1753]

This man literally has a doctorate in creating educational videos. That makes the most sense of anything I’ve ever heard. He really is one of the bests.

[@augustvctjuh8423]

ikr

[@chrisallen9509]

A PhD in physics who specialized in physics-based educational videos. That’s beyond just educational videos in my opinion

[@honor9lite1337]

Ok

[@ChaosPootato]

Veritasium and VSauce are the heroes of today's scientific communication to the masses, they kickstarted something very big and very important

[@jeryth057]

Agreed. I also enjoy Kyle Hill whose series about nuclear history is fascinating 😀

[@TheKazragore]

@@jeryth057 100% Kyle Hill is also fantastic. His Half-Life Histories are a real standout.

[@Tayfaan]

I'd like to put Steve Mould's name right here don't mind me.

[@ishangupta4304]

Not as scientific but I'm adding tom scott here please.

[@jpfidalgo7]

Also, SmarterEveryday, RealEngineering, RealScience, and Mark Robber, if I may.

[@salinatsai4799]

"I needed something to do, so I got a PhD." Okay.

[@CockatooDude]

You'd be surprised how many PhDs are made like that.

[@December28-ff7ou]

It’s true

[@ChickenNugsGC]

chill

[@ferdinandkuhn6975]

Yeah ig ima go get a PhD real quick. Hang on a sec.

[@honor9lite1337]

Good

[@KimberlyGreen]

A lot of his content goes over my head, but I still love being one of his Patrons. We need more Veritasium in all our lives.

[@justusmorelos2347]

LOL yeah, I've been watching him since I was like 13 and didn't understand a word he was saying! Same with Vsauce LMAO

[@veritasium]

Thank you for being a patron! And for all your helpful feedback!!

[@gpeterpete870]

@@veritasium why your eyes look so red? Hope you are okay

[@Skerrry]

Thank you for being a patron so that poor people like me can enjoy his content!

[@CybernerdShua]

Fascinating. Do you mind if I ask an example of what has gone over your head? I find he often puts things in a fashion that I can understand.

[@Melds]

The electricity debate was really interesting and seeing a lot of well-known engineers and physicists responding to it was great. I'd love to see more debate and interaction on core concepts like that.

[@seanaugagnon6383]

Yup. That was really great. He generated public debate and that goes a long way to educating the public and dare I say? Maybe reduces science deniers?

[@maxim8388]

That debate introduced me the ElectroBoom channel. Along with Veritasium he is one of the best educators over here

[@martinr7728]

In hindsight he wasnt "wrong", but the reason it became a debate is because he didnt explain a lot of the holes in his story. Without the follow up video (or others explaining it) I was doubting some of the things he was saying

[@lolilollolilol7773]

I was quite impressed by the first video, but indeed, the first one didn't explain everything in full details. But the second one achieved to convince me that Derek is right about his interpretation of the flow of electrical energy, if only because it is completely consistent with the Maxwell's equations and also simply because as he shows, the softwares that do calculations of the evolution of the EM fields using finite elements methods actually confirm his explanation. The reason why everyone was kinda suspicious is because almost all textbooks get it wrong by overly simplifying what's happening. It is testimony to his great physical insight that he understood what's really happening.

[@LogRobin]

I guess some people will never get to agree over this, but I think it’s due to different perspectives, physics and engineering. But the great thing is people do agree on the main point, which way the energy travels.

[@DionStabber]

The Australian accent was actually vastly better than I'm used to hearing in impressions, nicely done

[@programmer1840]

Yeh, I thought it was really good, lol. Surprising to hear someone with an American accent be able to do any other accent, haha.

[@MrEazyE357]

I mean he literally grew up in Australia so it seems like that wouldn't be very surprising.

[@nathaliedesrosiers2104]

@@programmer1840 breaks my heart to see American accent when I’ve always considered him Canadian 😅

[@acchaladka]

@@MrEazyE357 he grew up in Vancouver mostly, I thought he said. Has Canadian and Australian passports I believe.

[@AndrewMcColl]

"...that's a little bit Kiwi." Me, a Kiwi: Yeah, nah mate. Definitely an Aussie accent.

[@sudipchatterjee]

Derek is one of those people who make KZbin worthwhile. Thanks, Wired autocomplete, for giving him the spotlight here!

[@lnx0007]

Derek: "i think i have average intelligence" Also Derek: "I have a Phd in physics"

[@niikurasu2855]

physics education

[@lolilollolilol7773]

@@niikurasu2855 True but he has the kind of understanding of a true physicist.

[@johcokando2911]

The hallmark of a genius is the ability to explain complex concepts in simple understandable terms. That makes him a master of his field.

[@warmachine3943]

Physics is easier then maths if u know what i mean

[@IsomerSoma]

@@warmachine3943 not necessarily

[@workinghoustonian]

Veritasium, pbs space time, scishow, Kurzgesagt, smartereveryday, vsauce, & it's ok to be smart...all awesome science channels. Been watching these guys for years. Glad Derek is getting some love. Kudos Wired for this one.

[@teebeat]

and thebackyardscientist is pretty good too

[@sergiodavidsilvagutierrez3875]

Physics Girl too

[@workinghoustonian]

@@teebeat for sure 👍

[@workinghoustonian]

@@sergiodavidsilvagutierrez3875 she's awesome too. And Braincraft as well.

[@2424Lars]

Don't forget PBS Eons and Real Science, some of my favorite channels besides Veritasium!

[@bjs301]

Veritasium has been one of my favorite science channels on KZbin probably since it started. He never gets caught up in hype, and he addresses topics that people outside the science community never hear about. One of my favorites addresses the fact that most published scientific research is wrong.

[@justayoutuber1906]

most?

[@bjs301]

@@justayoutuber1906 Yep, most. The video is easy to find. But this really isn't a secret. And it doesn't mean there's a better way than the scientific method to understand the world.

[@panner11]

@@justayoutuber1906It refers to research that uses the 95% confidence bound. Which a lot of fields use, but due to biased outside factors, is a low enough bar to skew results as the video explains. Don't worry, fields like physics that use 5 sigma (over 99.999% confidence), would not to suspectible to those biases.

[@Lucsy3012]

Veritasium is one of the first channels I actively followed and his progression, consistency and ability to teach people is insane.

[@JoshuaPlays99]

I still have one of the shade balls he signed a sent out to people.

[@salikmehmood3690]

Even explaining the most complicated topics, he never gets boring. that's why i love this man.

[@ohiocitydave]

This is so relatable, honest, and vulnerable: "I wanted to be a creative person, but I was scared of being a creative person" Can relate. Love the content.

[@sophiaisabelle027]

Derek Muller seems very insightful. We can tell he has so much knowledge to share with the rest of the world.

[@radicalpaprika1720]

Just saw you under jubilees pregnant women video tf

[@veritasium]

Very kind of you to say! I would say the thing I was best at was being a science student - and I’m still one to this day. Every video requires that I learn a lot and then try to explain it as well as I can

[@volodyadykun6490]

Thanks amogus

[@AR_Animates]

Just saw you under Colin and samir's mark rober video wtf

[@mun0l196]

Mogus

[@samudithasaradindu]

"Currently live in LA, parents were South African, Born in Australia, Grew up in Canada and now I live in LA..." epic answer 😂🔥

[@OhOkayThenLazySusan]

He literally did his Phd on making videos on science lol. No wonder he's always spot on and beats everyone to the punch! 🙏

[@cmel7841]

As a complete science nerd, I LOVE his channel, and smarter every day, mark rober, physics girl and many others. His electricity series was the best discussion collaboration on youtube, really went down a rabbit hole

[@dat_dudedustin1823]

He doesnt think he's terribly smart because of his experience. Most who know next to nothing in a field of expertise can be very confident about what they know about it, while people with much more knowledge about it will feel that they're average. It reminds me of a quote, "the more the diameter of our circle of knowledge grows, so does the circumference of our ignorance." So in a nutshell, he knows enough to know he has a lot to learn.

[@Abubacker-kv3tu]

Vsauce dialogue

[@apurvsurya7205]

He is one of the best channel for science on KZbin, he doesn't over simplify things like Kurzgesagt or Vsauce, and actually goes into the details and concepts of the topics like the equations and maths used, how it was discovered, It may be a little overwhelming for an average viewer but its really knowledgeable and insight-full.

[@miss6me9]

I hope it’s not too overwhelming for the viewers. His videos are really approachable imo

[@hkr667]

By the very nature of the subjects he will always make a bad video for most people. Many will find them too complex for them. Some will find them to be too simplistic. But there's a pretty decent chunk of monkeys out there that his videos are perfect for. And he caters to them well. I happen to be one of them. For those that don't understand his videos, there are other channels that explain it in a simpler way. For those that already grasp the matter and yearn for more detail, there are other channels for them as well. One youtuber can never satisfy all people anyway. Derek is the right youtuber for me. I wish more people would realize this as I often see comments that x is wrong or that channel y should do it differently. Unsubscribe and find a channel that suits you better. For science topics, for movie reviews, for game reviews, for entertainment, for fashion or whatever. It makes life so much better.

[@melonneleh]

I like how he covers the topic fully, but sometimes I can't keep up but when I watch Kurzgesagt or Vsauce I might understand it better. Nevertheless, I love his channel.

[@egimessito]

Derek has an incredible ability to recall extremely complex information to his mind - so super intelligent and modest

[@kingluthor3535]

He has this almost Steve Irwin-like vibe where his passion in Science is just infectious. Thanks for keeping my (and apparently more than 12 million others) science curiosity well fed and hope you're staying safe and well!

[@dansaucelol]

The humbleness in saying that hes "average intelligence" is so down to earth. Love this guy. This is how you know somebody is smart, they don't brag that they are

[@cosmic_looper]

He's not average, he knows he isn't and he didn't say he was.

[@cloudbloom]

His channel is genuinely one of the best on youtube

[@k4ra953]

nice pfp

[@cloudbloom]

@@k4ra953 fellow Struggler🤝

[@ChaossX77]

He seems like a good and genuine person. Plus his videos are almost always entertaining and always informative.

[@Adi.Priya1]

In todays day and age it is very difficult to find someone with no haters. He is one of them. I think Veritasium is the very first science channel I found in KZbin.

[@shoemakerleve9]

I actually met Derek briefly when he was touring Relativity Space (3d printed rocket company video), really kind dude in person, acts pretty much exactly the same as he does in his videos.

[@brenda5511]

“An element of truth…” Brilliant!

[@R-Tex.]

Veratasium is a great science channel. Derek is a really good science educator as he makes complex subject matter simple and not dumbed down.

[@mrudulk20]

So glad to see one of my favourite content creators of all time getting the recognition he deserves for making YT worthwhile for so many people. I would love to see Tom Scott do such an interview as well.

[@Hartbreak1]

One of the few channels that I would subscribe without thinking twice. I love his approach of not taking generally accepted stuff for granted and doing his own research into topics. His electricity video sparked a lot of conversation online and people wanting to test his claims. Same with the video about the wind powered vehicle that could out speed the wind that propelled it. Few KZbinrs can spark that kind of debate and conversation (that isn’t about personal dramas).

[@Bazzabazeman]

Wise, charismatic, able to make people understand in a simple way, a real modern hero.

[@Jackalreid]

The Aussie accent was so subtle! It's on point. You can tell you spent many years here

[@MrWednesday.23]

Dereks video on learned helplessness was life changing, sincerely. Thankyou.

[@kofl_artist]

I've always loved watching Veritasium's content, super glad to be seeing him on WIRED. This video on my homepage really made my day

[@ClaudioBOsorio]

I believe Derek has motivated hundreds of thousands if not millions of people because of his videos. I always end up watching his videos and they turn out to be interesting.

[@jamesgaylard7574]

Being stubborn and not giving up till you get the bottom of something is exactly what makes you such a great teacher, the fact that you had to dig to understand the science empowers you to empower others - which is pure gold!

[@sergiodavidsilvagutierrez3875]

Derek is a legend! We owe him not only being one of the first youtubers online, so he basically founded the occupation, but also he did it by conveying complex physics in an educational way!

[@lotharbeck71]

Twisting the Dragon’s Tail was my introduction to Derek many years ago, and DAYUM did I get chills watching HBO’s Chernobyl when the nurses dumped the firefighting gear in the basement. “It’s all still there” I solemnly whispered to my viewing companions.

[@diegofernandez4789]

World's roundest object is my first Veritasium video and I got stuck with the channel over the years. Excellent content.

[@ishan_singh]

It's been years since I started watching Veritasium, and ever since then I haven't missed a single upload, truly one of the best scientific commentators out there.

[@debiduttadas476]

This guy just reminds me of my physics teacher the best teacher i ever had in my life who guided me to become who i am today . watching him makes me nostalgic

[@ANitinJain]

I go back to watching Veritasium videos multiple times(even the older ones) getting new insights and questions to think on. Still better than consuming mindless new content.

[@Jmp5nb]

Such respect for Derek who treats us all as learners, very cool.

[@vybs9235]

This is one wired interview I was dying to see, I love this guy

[@AGermanMan]

Always liked this guy - right up to the point he said he hasn’t read Harry Potter.

[@ericpenrose3649]

Veritasium has some of the most honest science videos out there. He is saying the best of what he believes is true and, most importantly, he says what he says he is saying. He doesn't make it sound like he is giving an authoritative expert opinion when he is not an authoritative expert on something. He does his honest best to convey the amount of scientific confidence that matches current scientific consensus, and if his personal belief/analysis is counter to that he makes it clear that it is conveyed as his opinion. Its not about being always right. Its not about saying phrases that are all technically true, but trying to convey something else when you put them all together. It not about the fools errand of extracting all of your own bias. Its about the constant effort to be as honest as possible, which he does better than anyone else I've seen, on KZbin or anywhere.

[@veritasium]

This is one of the nicest comments I’ve read - thank you!

[@ericpenrose3649]

@@veritasium I'm glad my comment managed to reach you. You've made an honest channel thrive on a corner of the internet that is addicted to clickbait and sensationalism, and that is amazing and hope inspiring. Thank YOU!

[@dlerious77]

One of the best channels ever created! Thanks Derek

[@i2357mbusiro]

I'm so LUCKY to be Mentioned as part of the +12.7 million SUBSCRIBERS

[@CDEggebrecht]

This man said he got his PhD in making educational videos and it shows. Love them all.

[@The.Half.Blood.Prince]

Derek considering his IQ just above average made me question even my existence

[@timluz1166]

He is clearly wrong on that.

[@MADGennaro]

He said ”about average” not ”above average”

[@keplisard2751]

"People who say they're smart are often the exact opposite. The smart ones never consider themselves smart enough" - Some smart person

[@yitzakIr]

I’m a programmer and I don’t believe in IQ, I’ve met criminals and CEO’s and the criminals came across more intelligent

[@ross-carlson]

Studies have been done that show that the vast majority of people massively over-estimate their own intelligence while massively under-estimating the intelligence of others. In short we all think we're the smart ones and everyone else is a moron. I'm sure Derek knows this and as such fights this bias as much as he can. Just remember that roughly 50% of everyone you know is dumber than you are - and 50% are smarter. The sad thing is thanks to the Dunning-Krueger effect those that are actually less intelligent are very confident they are far more so - and in our modern society that can be very, very dangerous. Flat earthers come to mind....

[@SurajKumar-ln8ij]

He is an international asset we should keep him well at all cost

[@hero227]

Veritasium is one of the best channels on KZbin, full stop. Educational, informative, and fun. All the necessary ingredients for great content.

[@kirtisawant9288]

One of the best social media people to interview! One of the best channels on KZbin.

[@saurabhmhatre7137]

Areh wahh...marathi girl ji Veritasium che videos baghte 😁

[@emmanuel-kingalabo9685]

I found the veritasium channel in my last year of high school, and I believe the video on electricity has really helped me to understand the whole concept of electricity.

[@keplisard2751]

"People who say they're smart are often the exact opposite. The smart ones never consider themselves smart enough" - Sun Tzu, probably

[@boris978]

Dr. Derek, the cinematographic physicist. A hero.

[@Billybobble1]

It's funny he and his team have so many issues naming the videos, he's one of few channels where I see the notification, I watch the vid, often never even seeing or caring what the title is, I just know it will be quality content.

[@lemonringo566]

If Derek is planning on having a Q&A session, we might need a 5-hour video XD

[@mateullahamiri2832]

I appreciate Derek, such an excellent channel in terms of education and big science breakthroughs in history of knowledge !👍

[@jeffro7856]

OMG, I have been following Derek for like a decade, crazy seeing him on mainstream stuff.

[@jimbo_bp8309]

I think his way of explaining things in his videos really boosts the interest part of our brain that learns things rather than the part of our brain that keeps information. 😀

[@crystalsau]

Finding out that I go to the same university that Derek did for his undergrad is the highlight of my day

[@jacoL8]

I owe all my interest in physics to derek, this man is a legend

[@m.hprince6514]

One of my favourite KZbinr, loved it

[@Tonatiuth]

This guy makes some of the best videos on Internet. Period

[@erichgonzalez6685]

He finally talked about the Harry Potter thing!!!! I've been wondering for so long!

[@AmazingOwnage]

Derek is an inspiration to many, including myself. I am glad channels like his exist to spread some knowledge and decompose scientific ideas into more a more accessible format.

[@erik4177]

Definitely unique and consistently exceptionally high quality content. I also really like the narration of his videos. Hands down one of my favorite youtubers.

[@Jack-kz4nb]

"Like an empathy thing." OH YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN MATE.

[@Rubrickety]

“I’ve got some time to kill while I’m in Australia… guess I’ll get a PhD.” 😮

[@TerabyteTy300]

Had to let the masses know that he is indeed far beyond average intelligence. He did a video where he tested his IQ and he is actually a genius! Like most brilliant people he thought he was only of average intelligence.

[@magicckiller9643]

I'm glad to see Derek here🤩 8 years ago his videos made me falling in love in science)) It was interesting to know something about him Thanks you, Derek, and WIRED for this opportunity👍

[@DenisRyan]

Great videos, great guy. Lovely to see him get chances like this to extend his positive reach to new audiences.

[@sakuranovaryan9261]

Derek knows absolutely well how to nurture love for knowledge in people. I found him thru Vsauce. And have never left.

[@sanidhyasuresh5288]

All these years and I didn't even know his name was Derek Muller 😭😭😭

[@TheSftv]

I would go to the ways of saying a normal Feynman in the ways he tries to teach. Im truly humbled to be a part of his yourney. I've learned alot!

[@kinkonskadoosh1892]

He's such a wholesome dude

[@ebutuoy1708]

“I had to do something in Australia while i waited” Everyone else- goes surfing Veritasiam- gets a PhD about teaching videos effectively

[@brandonm8901]

Fantastic science communicator. Went into the same field myself after being a fan for many years

[@Joeyzoom]

I have two of those viral shade balls, both signed by Mr. Derek Muller himself. I'm honestly quite proud and thankful of that.

[@prathammaliya7633]

Finally Derek is getting the recognition he deserves as a successful EduTuber. Derek : i consider myself an averagely smart guy Me: °__°

[@Pl2achya]

Thanks for letting me know him more. He's a very good guy.

[@green4black]

He says his accent is generally North American, which is broadly true, but as an American (US) I hear his default, usual accent as Canadian. Most Canadians speak a bit more crisply than we do and of course there are certain vowels that are pronounced differently. That’s what I hear in Derek’s accent. I’d be interested to see if Canadians agree or if to you his accent falls somewhere in between Canadian and American.

[@stubbysidwell]

The most interesting Veritasium video I watched was about how trees grow and what trees are made of. SUPER simple and SUPER blew my mind.

[@epicdaniel508]

Derek is an incredible person!

[@ThePumpkinToad]

I don't believe that he believes he's only average intelligence but works really hard. It's a good message to send, and that's why it's something smart people say

[@xilefx]

Explaining complex stuff in an easy way; finding analogies, the core of the issue and what's interesting about that I think he's to humble regarding his intelligence.

[@LightBlueVans]

twisting the dragons tail was the first content i ever watched of Derek’s! it’s such a fantastic documentary- i watched it quite a few times

[@Putzq]

I think that it's like 95% certain that Derek is above average intelligent (I mean, he has a PhD in physics), but there's somewhat of a taboo about saying it out loud unless you're a certified genius.

[@justins5756]

He’s at least a 150 iq

[@jemandindentiefendesintern3096]

It would seem very arrogant, even for someone who has taken some IQ test or whatever to claim to be very intelligent. It’s just never a good look to claim superiority.

[@rodolfotapia5909]

It’s not everyday a famous KZbinr has a PhD, especially in Physics Education Research. I had this introductory Physics professor who had a PhD in P.E.R. and his “specialty” was teaching how to code vectors and physics equations and then using qualitative data on how well students recollect the information.

[@1pho3nixmatt]

Watched his videos for a long time. He's fun. Seems like he'd be a cool guy to hang with.

[@sudiptakashyapsharma3721]

Derek is so good at explaining and demonstrating things that my physics teacher used his video to show us YDSE, but muted the video so he can explain what's going on. He even suggested us Veritasium.

[@harshitraj6751]

the man with no hates Derek Muller❤‍🔥

[@jjustinjjames5357]

Would love to meet him just to say thank you. So much respect for his vision and what he's achieved. I love his videos! And by the way, your Australian accent wasn't that bad... still got at least one appendage planted here in Australia! Keep creating!

[@Peachcreekmedia]

He has a doctorate but doesn't put it in your face!!! I wish more people would do that.

[@noobletzzz1267]

I binge watch all of his vid since entering college and until now. Now, do i get any ideas on whatever his videos all about? Definitely not if im being honest most of the time. But my god is it so interesting to watch his videos basically explaining science & math stuff.

[@ironman4do]

"I don't think I'm terribly smart" - Derek I was bored and needed something to do, so I got a PHD in teaching physics. - Also Derek (paraphrased) You're a scientist Derek. One of these statements does not support the conjecture of the other...

[@time-to-think]

Super stoked his fave video was his confirmation bias video!! I completely agree - to the point where it would be on my list of top 10 videos every person should be required to watch at some point. It even inspired me to make my own video on the subject: "How to avoid being wrong"

[@Pionike]

derek legitly could be an actor with that speed of changing accents

[@PorkchopSandviches]

"So I need to do something here in Australia while I'm getting ready to go to film school, and I decided to enroll in a (physics) PhD" whatever you say Derek lol