1 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: Daniel. If you had a tough problem to solve, who 2 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 1: would you ask? M M. I guess it depends on 3 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: the problem. Is it like a particle physics calculation or 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: something like a tooth extraction? Well? What if you wanted 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: to do a tooth extraction with particle physics? Well, you know, 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: usually you get the ideas nailed down and then you 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: just sort of hand it off to an engineer and 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: they figure out the details. Like we're like engineers are 9 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,879 Speaker 1: to steer assistance, Like we're just there to fix your problems. 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: You know, they're downstream, That's all I gotta say. I 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: don't know which position is better. Stream you start with 12 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,599 Speaker 1: the man, I see, I see. You mean the bad 13 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: ideas just flow down. We flushed them to track the engineers, 14 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: and the engineers turned into gold trickle down physics, I guess. 15 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: But at the very top, of course are the comics. 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: Hi'm Joramade, cartoonists and the creator of PhD comics. Hi, 17 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: I'm Daniel. I'm a particle physicist, which puts me solidly 18 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: downstream on the intellectual river from cartoonists but above engineers, 19 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: thank you very much. And I'm a professor. You see Irvine. 20 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: We're actually do experimental particle physics for a living, and 21 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: I'm the co author of our book, We Have No Idea, 22 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: A Guide to the Unknown Universe. Yeah, and so welcome 23 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: to our podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, a 24 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Media in which we examine all 25 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: things crazy and awesome about the universe, things far away, 26 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: things nearby. We ask all sorts of questions on this podcast, 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: and so today we'll be answering a couple of questions. 28 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: But we're gonna do things a little bit differently today. 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: So first of all, we're going to be answering how questions? 30 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: How two questions? And second of all, we're going to 31 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: be doing it with arguably the world's worst expert on 32 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: how two questions? So this is in some sense another 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: episode of Ask the Wrong Expert? But is this guy 34 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: an expert in everything or nothing? Well, if you are 35 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: on the internet, if you have access to the Internet, 36 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: which we're guessing you have because you're listening to this podcast, 37 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: thank you, yeah, thank you, thank you government agencies, and 38 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,239 Speaker 1: you have an interest in physics and science and math 39 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: and geeky stuff, then you've probably most likely have come 40 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: across the work of our special guest today. For those 41 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: of you listening on today's podcast, I will be the 42 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: only one who is not a famous web comic, and 43 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: I'll be the only one who does not have a 44 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: degree in physics. One of these things is not like 45 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: the other one in every sense of the word. And 46 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: so today on the podcast we have New York Times 47 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 1: number one best selling author of what If and the 48 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: creator of the super popular web comic x k C 49 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: D Random one Row. Welcome, Randall. Hey, thanks for having me. 50 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: It's super special to have you here today because not 51 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: only are you a cartoon robotisist who turned into cartooning 52 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: just like me, but it's pretty cool because you're awesome. 53 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: Feeling kind of left out here, You don't have to 54 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: have a robotics degree to be in this podcast. We'll 55 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: find a connection for you the later. Daniel, Yeah, you 56 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: you used to work at NASA, right, Randal? Yeah, I 57 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: worked there on three D vision stuff for a while 58 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 1: as an intern and then uh and then got hired 59 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: to work in a robotics lab on robotic navigation. Cool, 60 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: and at some point you decided to become a cartoonist. Yeah, Um, 61 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,400 Speaker 1: I was working on a contract basis in NASA. And 62 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: at the same time I was posting my comics that 63 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: I had was mostly like doodles from my old notebooks. 64 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: I was scanning them in and putting them on my website. 65 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: And then at some point people started sharing those around 66 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: and asking if they could order t shirts or prints 67 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: of them, and uh, and then before I knew it, 68 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: I was like spending a fair amount of time shipping 69 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: merchandise and handling that stuff. And and so when my 70 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: contract ran out at NASA, I didn't I didn't push 71 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: them to take me back. I was just like, y'all 72 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: try doing this comics thing for a little bit. And 73 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: I noticed on your website you have all of the 74 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: old original ones, like including like number zero, And I 75 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: wonder sometimes, like you ever thought about, like, you know, 76 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: going back and editing it, or do you keep all 77 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: those on there for inspiration for future people trying to 78 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: launch their own side careers or I don't know. I 79 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: try not to do the thing where I go back 80 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: and add c G. I uh, you know, walking the 81 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: camera and stuff. But you know, um so no, I 82 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: I just think of it as like I posted it, 83 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: and that's like the record of old of old stuff 84 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: I've put up. Yeah, you get a respect to archive, right, Yeah, 85 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: exactly calls robotics Randall working on robots, um. I don't know. 86 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: What I like about comics is that when I can 87 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: think of an idea for a robot and then draw 88 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: it and then it'll do what I want to draw 89 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: it doing. Whereas in real life building a robot like 90 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: way more of it was spent like debugging sensors and 91 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,719 Speaker 1: trying to figure out why, like why will this half 92 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: of it not turn on? Everything is working right, it 93 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: works right when I take it out of the robot. 94 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: What's different? You know that kind of frustrating debugging. So 95 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: comics are fun because that you can you can kind 96 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: of skip all of that because you get to just 97 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: draw the robot doing what you wanted to do. The 98 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: real world is very frustrating sometimes, I agree. Well, thank 99 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: you for joining us today, Randall. I know that you've 100 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: been criss crossing the country and giving talks and giving 101 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: book signing UM to talk about your new book which 102 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: is called it's called how to Absurd Scientific Advice for 103 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: Common Real World Problems. Yeah, and so it's an awesome book. 104 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: If anyone out there is listening and wants just a 105 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: really fun read to learn about science and physics and 106 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: do it in a way that is intrigue and interesting. 107 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: So tell us a little bit about what the book 108 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: is about, and maybe a little bit about how you 109 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: thought about the idea for the book. Well, I'm I'm 110 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: always thinking of like wildly and practical ways to do things, 111 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 1: which which isn't usually my goal. I'll just be like 112 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: looking at a task, and especially if it's something that's 113 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: kind of repetitive or menial or like you know, boring 114 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 1: that I have to do a bunch of times, and 115 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: I'll think like, are there any other ways I could 116 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: do this? And I'm not trying to think of bad ideas, 117 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,599 Speaker 1: you know, but but most of them are bad ideas 118 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: or at least impractical in one way or another. But 119 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: what I find is like going over those ideas and 120 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: kind of taking them seriously for a moment, like as 121 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,559 Speaker 1: a as it's like as a hypothesis, and then thinking 122 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 1: like how would this work? What problems would I run into? Uh? 123 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: And and like what would then what would the side 124 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 1: effects of doing it with this way be? How hard 125 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: would it be? How expensive would it be? Um? That's 126 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: always really fun. It's like I like that kind of 127 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: analysis because I really like, like, I really like doing 128 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: math and and engineering and planning when there's like a 129 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: cool goal in mind. I always have a hard time 130 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 1: with when math gets really abstract. For example, like I 131 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: see an equation on a board and I'm just like, oh, 132 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: I hope I don't have to solve that. But if 133 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: that equation will tell me whether there are not I 134 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: can attach engines to my house and make it fly 135 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: into the air. Like suddenly, I'm way more interested. So 136 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: I was like, like, practical applications. Wait, so wait, I 137 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:10,840 Speaker 1: thought I thought you told me earlier you were physicists. 138 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: What is this interest in like real world applications? Well, 139 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: oh those? So I feel like I get along so 140 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: well with everyone who does physics um and I And 141 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: I think the reason might be, like the way I 142 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: see it is that physics is for people who are 143 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: too um, too practically oriented to go into like pure math, 144 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: but then at the same time like not concerned enough 145 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: with details and implementation to be engineers. So if you 146 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: wander back and forth between like the theoretical and the practical, 147 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: you have to walk that like narrow path, but that 148 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: takes you into physics because if you're too interested in 149 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: the abstract structures that you know, theoretical structures explaining things, 150 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: you get peeled off into like algebraic geometry eventually, and 151 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: and that has no connection to reality. Yeah, who needs 152 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: lee algebra? Right? But if you actually uh, actually out 153 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: after tracked, algebra has a deep, deep connection to reality. 154 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: Underlies the connection is that it funds to pull a 155 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 1: bunch of mathematicians start I always feel bad using algebraic 156 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: geometry is my example of a thing that I'm not 157 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: interested in because I'm like, I'm so sorry to any 158 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: algebraic gey im a trists out there. But yeah, then 159 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: but like at the same time, like I wanna you know, 160 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: I want to practical application, etcetera. But then like actually 161 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: building robots, I quickly get frustrated with like the practical 162 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: aspects of it and just want to think, like, theoretically, 163 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: how would this robot work if I had solved all 164 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,800 Speaker 1: these minor engineering problems, So like, yeah, right in between 165 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: the theoretical and the practical. I totally agree with you, though, 166 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: the best part of the problem is when you can 167 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: just hand it off to the engineers and say make 168 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: it work for less than a trillion dollars. Please. We 169 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,320 Speaker 1: figured out all the theory, now make it work. Yeah. 170 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: But you know, we were talking earlier a bit about 171 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: how it's sort of not just about um making something 172 00:08:57,520 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 1: or achieving something or getting to somewhere. It's it's about 173 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: but sometimes you discover along the way, and when you're 174 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: in the process of getting there, where your curiosity sort 175 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: of leads you in in in finding new things that 176 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: you maybe didn't think about. Yeah. I really find that 177 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 1: a lot of the time, especially with computers. I'll have 178 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 1: an idea for how to automate something that will save 179 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: and I think it'll take a lot of work now, 180 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: but it'll save me time in the long run, and 181 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:22,079 Speaker 1: it never saves me time in the long like it's 182 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: always I would have been better off just continuing to 183 00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: do it the other way, but in the process well, 184 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: and but in the process of building the automation too, 185 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:32,839 Speaker 1: I'll like learn to use some software library that doesn't 186 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: actually help me with the problem I'm working on, but 187 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: now I know how to use that software, and and 188 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,080 Speaker 1: then later on when there's a problem where it is 189 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: actually really helpful, I have a head start already like 190 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: I've already learned how to use it. So sometimes like 191 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: solving a ridiculous, you know, contrived thought experiment or word problem, 192 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:51,560 Speaker 1: or analyzing a plan that definitely won't work, we'll teach 193 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,280 Speaker 1: you something that then is helpful, uh with solving something else. Um. 194 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: And then also it's just sometimes really fun. And so 195 00:09:57,800 --> 00:09:59,439 Speaker 1: that's kind of what your whole book is about, how 196 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 1: to answer ing sort of scientific advice for common real 197 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: world problems. Uh, it's you sort of go into how 198 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: to do sometimes simple even simple or seemingly simple task 199 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,679 Speaker 1: and you sort of, um follow your curiosity and find 200 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaker 1: kind of the sometimes the worst possible way to do it, 201 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: but where you sort of learn a lot and think 202 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: about cool signs. I've always like hated moving because you 203 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 1: have to pack. It's so disrupted to your life and 204 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: uh and just takes over everything and takes so much work. 205 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:27,719 Speaker 1: And I started thinking, like, Okay, is there a way 206 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: I can avoid packing all these boxes? And I then 207 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: I was thinking, you know, my house is already a 208 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: boxing structure, all my stuff is in there. Could I 209 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,079 Speaker 1: just lift the entire house? And like, there's no way 210 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: that's gonna end up being less work than just packing 211 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: the boxes. But um, you know, I'm gonna let's tryport 212 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: you just maybe you know, because sometimes, uh, sometimes like 213 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: almost all the time, it's pretty clear, you know, this 214 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: isn't gonna be a bad idea, but like sometimes sometimes 215 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: you never know. Um, the like whoever was the first 216 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: person to you know, went like if you get a 217 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: cut and you're like, oh man, this looks red and swollen, 218 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,640 Speaker 1: it looks pretty bad. I'm going to take some of 219 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 1: this mold from a sandwich and just rub it on it. 220 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: Like that sounds definitely like a bad idea, but like 221 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: that's penicill and that's how that works, and that like 222 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: is that the true story that discovery pill? Yeah exactly, yeah, no, um, 223 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: I think it involved the earl of sandwich actually, oh 224 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,079 Speaker 1: yeah yeah and the duke of penicillin. You know, it 225 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: was a jest. It's not like these weird ideas always 226 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 1: turned out to be good, because like there's a lot 227 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: of stuff that you could rub on an infected wound 228 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: and it would make it much worse. Like so like 229 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 1: trying to figure out just a long trail of bodies 230 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: of people who rub things into their wound and but 231 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: the one person who picked the right mold survived. That's right. 232 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 1: And we can't interview dead people in the podcast, which 233 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: is why you're here today and not all those other folks. 234 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: But I think there's a there's a really interesting lesson 235 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,080 Speaker 1: here that connects, you know, not just engineering, but also 236 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: physics and just following your curiosity and sometimes you discover 237 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: stuff that's totally unexpected. And you know, on this podcast 238 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: a lot we talked about these things like you're interested 239 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: in X, and then along the way you discover why. 240 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: And the universe is filled with fun mysteries to unravel, 241 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: and so that's part of the joy of doing physics 242 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: and sometimes abstract geometry. Alright, alright, I'll learn. We just 243 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,319 Speaker 1: gotta come up with a good for him to to 244 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,960 Speaker 1: that will require learning about that. If you want to move, 245 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: you can turn your whole moving process into a computer 246 00:12:24,520 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: script if you learn algebraic geometry, I promise. Alright, alright, 247 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: we'll talk dot slash move dot sh alright, So to 248 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: them the program, we are going to be asking you 249 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: randall um, and we're going to be trying to answer 250 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: together three how two questions, And so the first one 251 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: on the list is one directly from your book. But 252 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: before we keep going, let's take a short break. I 253 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: love your book. That is hilarious And for those of 254 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: you out there who are interested in science with a 255 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,439 Speaker 1: healthy dose of silly humor, then you know, that's probably 256 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,440 Speaker 1: why you're listening to this podcast. You're going to really 257 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: enjoy this book. But make sure when you're reading it, 258 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: you know, in a public place, or people will think 259 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: you're weird for giggling so much. Um. But one of 260 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: my favorite chapters of this one chapter twenty six, how 261 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: to get somewhere fast. And you know, it talks all 262 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: about you know, movement on Earth. But one of the 263 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: most fascinating bits is is at the end you're talking 264 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 1: about how to get around the universe right and how 265 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: especially if you wanted to get to the edge of 266 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 1: the universe in a fast way. Is that the idea? Like, 267 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: how how it's the fastest way to get to the 268 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: end of the universe. Yeah, well, I was thinking about 269 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 1: how you know, they're there are all these limits of 270 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: like the speed of light and stuff that the limit 271 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: how quickly you can get somewhere, But there are also 272 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: the more practical limits, um, if you want to if 273 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: you want to travel from here, you know, to across 274 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,840 Speaker 1: the country or across town or whatever. Um. Most of 275 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: the time you aren't limited, but you're limited by traffic 276 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 1: or whatever. But if you are able to rid of 277 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: all of those limitations, you've still got a kind of 278 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: fundamental limit by how fast the human body can accelerate 279 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: and over really brief intervals UM. People can handle handle 280 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: fairly high accelerations, especially if you're a fighter pilot you 281 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: have one of those suits with the compresses your legs 282 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: so the blood doesn't all drain from your head. Over 283 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: longer periods of time, we don't do a great if 284 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: we are accelerated faster than you know, like Earth gravity, 285 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: that's when our body squishes or is that just when 286 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,120 Speaker 1: we pass out? Um? No, Like the idea is that 287 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: like we're always existing at one Earth gravity of acceleration um, 288 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: because Earth's gravity is pulling us down and so you know, 289 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: your blood is uh, you know, being pulled down to 290 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: your feet when you're just standing um. Which is why 291 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,000 Speaker 1: like if you if you like injure something, you're supposed 292 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: to elevate it to like keep it, I don't know, 293 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: from keep it from bleeding, uh as much I think 294 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: This is something that a lot of people don't really realize. 295 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: They're a where of the fact that there's a speed 296 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: limit to the universe. They don't think often about how 297 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: long it would take to get to that speed limit. 298 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 1: Right the imagine how you press the button and jo 299 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: you're going half the speed of light. Of speed of light. Yeah, 300 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: if you made a rocket that you know, you press 301 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,119 Speaker 1: a button, it moves and it's and it just accelerates 302 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: up to the speed of light. If it doesn't, you know, 303 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: in a week, that will be crushed against the back 304 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: of the room you're in by the acceleration and it'll 305 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: it'll like you'll just be a puddle in the back 306 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: of the rocket, and no amount of mold will help you. 307 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: With the sandwiches, you can actually be turned into it 308 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: pretty tasty. Same to that point, So you're saying that 309 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: there's there's a speed limit to the universe, but there's 310 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 1: also also kind of an acceleration limit to the human body. Yeah, 311 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: and this acceleration limit um is actually it does have 312 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: sort of practical consequences. You're on Earth, um generally, our 313 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: modes of acceleration don't involve accelerating at one g uh 314 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: you know, at this high speed especially, you know, it 315 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: gets added onto the gravity that we're already feeling. So 316 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: if your car accelerates too fast and you're pressed back 317 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: into the seat, it's uncomfortable, you know. So you have 318 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: for example, yeah, I think that the very fastest cars 319 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: will do about one g of acceleration sideways. Um. And 320 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: that's on top of the one g already pulling you downward. 321 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: And because of the way you add you know, forces 322 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: that are in different directions, it means you'll be experiencing 323 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: a total of about one point four ges diagonally yea, yeah, 324 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: and people and that's okay, you can handle that for 325 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: a while. It doesn't feel that comfortable. But at that acceleration, 326 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: it takes you, you know, a good thirty forty five 327 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 1: minutes to get around the world because you have to 328 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: accelerate up and then you have to accelerate back down 329 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 1: at the other side. Oh so if you if you 330 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: do the math and accelerated that speed at that exploration 331 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: and then right away start decelerating it that, yeah, exactly, 332 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: then you would take you how long to be around 333 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,040 Speaker 1: the world. To get to the other side of the 334 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: world will be like thirty forty five minutes in that range. 335 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,000 Speaker 1: There are some funny details there, like if you if 336 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: you accelerate fast enough and you get up to a 337 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: high enough speed, because of the curve of the Earth, 338 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: there's sort of the centrivigal force flinging you outward that 339 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: cancels out gravity um, And so if you're moving it 340 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: like orbital speed, you don't actually feel any acceleration from gravity, 341 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:04,360 Speaker 1: which means you could afford to do a little bit 342 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: more acceleration uh forward because you would have less force 343 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: on your body that you know, you have more acceleration 344 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 1: budget to work with. But then if you go too 345 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:16,160 Speaker 1: fast the curve trying to follow the curve of the Earth, 346 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: you have to it's like you're being swung against the 347 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 1: outside of a curved wall as you're going around it 348 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: too fast, and that you know, centrivigal centriviugal acceleration of 349 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: anyone how you do it um that starts to become 350 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: a problem. So just like if you go too fast, 351 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: sticking to the Earth is hard. That takes extra force 352 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: um and an extra stress on your body. So if 353 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: you wanted to go a light speed and stay on 354 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:40,440 Speaker 1: the Earth's surface, which sounds like a dangerous way to 355 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: drive your Lamborghini. Yeah, that'd be a definitely a scenario 356 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: where you end up as a puddle on the wall 357 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: of whatever vehicle you're in. Am I the only one 358 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: here who doesn't have a Lamborghini? It did I miss 359 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: out on the you don't hand use the official podcast 360 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: Lamborghini Coop. There's a sign up sheet outside you used 361 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: to sign up. I know so little. All I know 362 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,639 Speaker 1: is that that car sounds fast and expensive and actually 363 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 1: know if it's a good high acceleration comp if you 364 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,120 Speaker 1: wanted to accelerate to the speed of light. It's interesting, 365 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:07,239 Speaker 1: you know at one and then basically you're saying you 366 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: have to accelerate at one g. That would take a 367 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,879 Speaker 1: shockingly long time. Yeah, it's it's actually kind of weird 368 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: to me that it's it's a really long time. Um, 369 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: if you're going to accelerate, I you're gonna accelerate for 370 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: more than you know, a few minutes in a car 371 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 1: or whatever you want it to be at Earth gravity, 372 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: you want to accelerate it one G and not any 373 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: more than that, because like long term, it'll take a 374 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,119 Speaker 1: toll on you. Um. But and if you want to 375 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: get up to the speed of light. Uh, if you 376 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: have no relativity from what I just think about how 377 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 1: long it takes to get your speed up to around 378 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: that range. It's about a year, Like it takes a 379 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: year to ramp up to the speed of light. Yeah, 380 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: which is both really long but also weirdly short, because 381 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,679 Speaker 1: I think of the speed of light as being unimaginably large, 382 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: but it's weird. So it's weird that it's kind of 383 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 1: within a human you know, time frame. Wait, I thought 384 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: it was impossible to get to the speed of light. 385 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: Are you saying, like, get up to the speed of 386 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: light or what do you mean? Yeah? Well, so you know, 387 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 1: to get up into the range of the speed of 388 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: light is on the range of a year. But as 389 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: you start to get near it, things get a little 390 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 1: bit more complicated because that's when relativity comes in and 391 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,360 Speaker 1: suddenly the math stops being like addition and subtraction and involves, 392 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: you know, at least a few more symbols. Yeah, it 393 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: gets a little none in there, But it depends a 394 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: little bit on how you state the question. Right. If 395 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: you state the question is how much acceleration are you achieving, 396 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,400 Speaker 1: then you can say, well, I'm accelerating by this certain amount, 397 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,439 Speaker 1: but if that takes more and more energy as you 398 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: get closer and closer to the speed of light. But 399 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:28,879 Speaker 1: it's also it's a funny sort of coincidence of numbers, 400 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 1: Like the number of seconds isn't in a year is 401 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: about three times ten of the seven, and the speed 402 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: of light divided by Earth gravity is about three times 403 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 1: ten of the seven. Sort of funny coincidence. Takes one 404 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: Earth year to accelerate at one G to one C. 405 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: It's like we were It's like we were meant to 406 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: go at the speed of light. It also makes you 407 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 1: wonder like if we were on another planet where the 408 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: gravity was much much stronger, right, like say we're not 409 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: a super Earth somewhere, and we could tolerate five G, 410 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: then we could be more of an interstellar species because 411 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: we could accelerate it five G. Right, So some aliens 412 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: out there there are much better at exploring the universe 413 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 1: than we are. They'll they'll get there five times faster, 414 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,200 Speaker 1: they'll accelerate five times faster. Right, they'll get to the 415 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: speed of light faster. But you know, in the end, 416 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 1: if you're going fifty light years, you know the times 417 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: been accelerating decelering doesn't actually matter very much. I think 418 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: that's what you were saying. Yeah, Well, the funny thing 419 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: is with relativity UM, when you when you subject yourself 420 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,880 Speaker 1: to that kind of acceleration um in one sense from 421 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: someone watching from the outside, Uh, it looks like you're 422 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,440 Speaker 1: getting up closer and closer to the speed of light, 423 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: but then your speed kind of plateaus. But because of 424 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: the way time is changing for you, you'd be plateauing. 425 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: You know, your speed would be leveling off as you 426 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:39,920 Speaker 1: got near the speed of light. But they would also 427 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:43,639 Speaker 1: see all the clocks on board your ship running slower. Oh. 428 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: I was going to ask that when you say it 429 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,199 Speaker 1: takes a year, is does it take a year for 430 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 1: me on the ship in my arm light speed Lamborghini, 431 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,600 Speaker 1: or would it like take a year for someone watching 432 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: me from the outside. Well, for the first year or so, 433 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 1: your clocks will be mostly in sync, and then as 434 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 1: you get near that speed of light, they start to 435 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:05,919 Speaker 1: diverge and you're for you, it feels like, uh, your 436 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,000 Speaker 1: clock is still running normally, You're still under one g 437 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,880 Speaker 1: of acceleration, and you see mile markers in the universe 438 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: going by you faster and faster and faster. But part 439 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,679 Speaker 1: of the reason you're seeing them go by faster and 440 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: faster and faster is because your clock has started running 441 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 1: slower from the perspective of the rest of the universe, 442 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 1: so to you, it feels like it's taking less and 443 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:29,440 Speaker 1: less time to pass each marker um. But that's that's 444 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 1: partly because your your time is running slower. On your 445 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: ship right, or another way to look at it is 446 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 1: your stationary and the universe is moving past you faster 447 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: and faster, and moving things get shrunk by relativity, and 448 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: so with's a mile to somebody else now becomes smaller 449 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: and smaller distance to you. This whole relativity stuff is 450 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,879 Speaker 1: all mind bothering, right, And the thing people should remember 451 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: is that your clock always runs at one second per second. Right, 452 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: clock that's sitting next to you, not moving relative to you, 453 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: always runs normally. Other people's clock always move slowly. So 454 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,160 Speaker 1: you're on the LFE Bi Lamborghini, you see earth clock 455 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: running slowly, they see your clock running slowly. And the 456 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: last crazy factor remember is that people don't have to agree. 457 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: Like on the Lamborghini, you can see one thing on Earth, 458 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:15,479 Speaker 1: you can see another thing that seems to contradict, and 459 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: everybody can be correct even if they contradict each other, 460 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: because there's no actual, absolute truth in the universe. It's 461 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,959 Speaker 1: all just relative. The weirdest consequence of this, in my opinion, 462 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: is like that as you're excelled, if you were able 463 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: to keep accelerating one g, which right now we don't 464 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,560 Speaker 1: have a way to do. Um, there's there's there. There 465 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,919 Speaker 1: are a couple of really wild proposals out there that 466 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: involve nuclear bombs, uh that I'm I'm very into, but 467 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:42,399 Speaker 1: are probably not practical. To see how much he's smiling 468 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: when he says nuclear bombs, But this is why I'm 469 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: glad you just keep things theoretical and on paper exactly. 470 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:54,879 Speaker 1: The nuclear bomb thing is something that a couple of 471 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: theoretical physicists are very excited about, and all the people 472 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 1: who actually have to deal with like the the actual 473 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: like nuclear material and stuff, are like, what are you thinking. 474 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: But so other than other than those weird proposals from 475 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:09,880 Speaker 1: the theoretical physicists, we don't we don't have any technology 476 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,200 Speaker 1: they'll let us accelerate it one g. But we also 477 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: don't have any any clear reason to think it's impossible. Um, 478 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:17,640 Speaker 1: so if we did have a way to do that, 479 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: and we were accelerating, we we could get up in 480 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: within a year or so to near the speed of 481 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: light as and then the relativity starts to come in. 482 00:23:24,359 --> 00:23:26,880 Speaker 1: But if we keep it, If if you're in this Lamborghini, 483 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 1: you keep accelerating at that speed at one g U, 484 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: your your clock starts running slower, and it feels like 485 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,719 Speaker 1: you're get moving faster and faster and faster. UM. It 486 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: feels like you're reaching other parts of the universe in 487 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,719 Speaker 1: less time than it should take you. So it's as 488 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,159 Speaker 1: if you're going faster than the speed of light. If 489 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 1: you sit down and do the math on what that 490 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: converges towards, like how okay, if you let five, ten, 491 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,359 Speaker 1: fifteen years go by on your ship, you'll get closer 492 00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: and closes speed of light. Your time will stretch out, 493 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: So it's like you're living longer and longer um, and 494 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: it actually gives you time to reach way farther than 495 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: you You stop aging in a way take a long 496 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,640 Speaker 1: time for people on Earth, you could you maybe could 497 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,879 Speaker 1: get to the other side of the universe. Yeah, so 498 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 1: the you know, getting trips across the galaxy, it might 499 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,119 Speaker 1: be like a hundred thousand light years, so it should 500 00:24:17,119 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: take you a hundred thousand years moving at the speed 501 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:22,080 Speaker 1: of light. But after those first few years, you've gotten 502 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:23,959 Speaker 1: close enough to the speed of light that time on 503 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: your ship is barely passing. So someone outside watching you, 504 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,919 Speaker 1: it'll still you know, uh, my ten thousand years might 505 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:32,960 Speaker 1: pass at the universe in the universe, or a hundred 506 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:36,239 Speaker 1: thousand years might pass in the universe, but for you, 507 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: very little time. You know, you'll get those first few 508 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: years and then your clock slows to almost to stop, 509 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: which is why so many listeners writing with the question 510 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: what is it like to be a photon? Because they 511 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: wonder like, can photons think it's time frozen for a photon? Um? 512 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: And unfortunately we've never been able to interview a photon 513 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: on the podcast, so we don't know the answer. We 514 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,200 Speaker 1: haven't won our show all the time here in the room. 515 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 1: But you know, none of them stopped to Yeah, they 516 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 1: they for a photon, the entire universe has contracted to 517 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:07,879 Speaker 1: a single point. They have a single moment in time, 518 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: like time doesn't pass for them at all because they 519 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: are moving at the speed of light. How can you 520 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: even build a clock or have a clock as a photon, 521 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,679 Speaker 1: how do you measure time as a photon? Because you 522 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: can't build a clock out of light. Everything is moving 523 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: at speed of light relative to you. If there's a 524 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 1: funny crazy heart answer watches that. Well, the coolest thing 525 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: about this one g of acceleration is if you look 526 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 1: at like, okay, in a human lifetime, how far can 527 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 1: you get? And you find that it takes you about 528 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: about thirty years to get to where you can go 529 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 1: almost arbitrarily far, like crossing the entire observable universe. It 530 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,640 Speaker 1: you know, billions of light years. And it's really that's 531 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: another weird coincidence that, like the size of the universe 532 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 1: is about how far you could go in one human 533 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: lifetime at one G of acceleration thanks to relativity slowing 534 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,160 Speaker 1: down the clock for you, right, And that's the observing 535 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,560 Speaker 1: universe today. And of course that if the universe was 536 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: sort of static and waiting around for you to do 537 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,920 Speaker 1: your tour. But of course the universe is expanding, right, 538 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: So yeah, that's the problem is for you it only 539 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: takes thirty years, but the but for the rest of 540 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: the universe, a lot of time passes. So the universe 541 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 1: is expanding, and you'll feel like you're going faster and faster. 542 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:22,920 Speaker 1: But then you'll also be like, wow, the universe is 543 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,119 Speaker 1: getting bigger, faster and faster, and like the expansion of 544 00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: the universe is accelerating, which you know we've recently learned, 545 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: but to you, it would be seemed to be accelerating 546 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: much faster. It would be doubling in size in a 547 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: few years. So you would actually never be able to 548 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: catch up to the edge of the universe at this 549 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 1: even even if you could accelerate to near the speed 550 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: of light. Yeah, because the universe doesn't follow these rules, right, 551 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,720 Speaker 1: there's no speed limit to that. Yeah, well, it sounds 552 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: like that's the answer to how to question? Which is it? 553 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: To me, it seems like the answer is to just 554 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: go for it, right, Like, don't miss around, don't go 555 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,200 Speaker 1: at half the speed of light, don't go at three 556 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:59,480 Speaker 1: quarters of the speed of light. Just keep going otherwise 557 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,880 Speaker 1: you're been a die old age on the way. Yeah, 558 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 1: once the Andrews and one g Lamborghini. Let's let's talk 559 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: to u Elon Musk about that, the Italian Elon Musk. 560 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,359 Speaker 1: All right, that's great, and so we have another how 561 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,520 Speaker 1: to question for you randall this one about dinosaurs and 562 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:33,159 Speaker 1: black holes. But first let's take a quick break. Alright. 563 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 1: We're answering questions today with a super special guest, Random 564 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: Row of x K c D Comics and the author 565 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: of the new book How to Observe Scientific Advice for 566 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: common real world Problems, And so we had a listener 567 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: actually write it in with a totally relevant question for you. 568 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: It's a absurd scientific question with maybe a real world solution. 569 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,919 Speaker 1: And so here's a question from a listener. Hi, Daniel 570 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: and Jorge. My name is Chris, and I'm an avid 571 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: listener from North Carolina. I've read about how scientists can 572 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,399 Speaker 1: resolve images of stellar objects behind galaxy clusters that have 573 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,639 Speaker 1: been warped and magnified due to gravitational lensing. So I 574 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: started thinking about black holes and came up with this 575 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,680 Speaker 1: question for you. If we were someday able to build 576 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 1: a theoretically perfect telescope, would we be able to resolve 577 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,919 Speaker 1: a billion year old image of ancient Earth that's been 578 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,640 Speaker 1: gravitationally lensed back to our telescope around a black hole 579 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: half a billion light years away, where with the photons 580 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: have diffused too much for an image to even be 581 00:28:29,119 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: resolvable at that distance. Thanks, and keep up the great work. 582 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 1: So that's a totally awesome question, right, Yeah, I guess 583 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: the question is really sort of like, how how could 584 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: we take a picture of the Earth from a long 585 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: time ago? Like if we wanted to get a picture 586 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: of dinosaurs or maybe the first life forms on Earth? 587 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: How how can we possibly do that? Yeah, And a 588 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: lot of people writing with a similar question. They ask, 589 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: is the light if the light from the stars that 590 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: are really far away is just arriving now, so we're 591 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 1: seeing stars that are billion years old, if they're billion 592 00:28:57,640 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: light years away, does that mean that the light from 593 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: the Earth is out there somewhere so other people can 594 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: see it, Right, And that's a common question, And it's true, 595 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 1: like light from the dinosaurs is out there somewhere. Somebody 596 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: a billion light years away is training their telescope on 597 00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:12,800 Speaker 1: the Earth. They're seeing the Earth a billion years ago, 598 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: which probably didn't have dinosaurs on it or whatever. Yeah, 599 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: And I love this idea that because if you look, 600 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: you know, most of the time, light goes in a 601 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: straight line, unless and if you don't have a mirror, 602 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 1: it gets bent by gravity, it steers around a little 603 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: bit when it goes past a star. But if you 604 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: want to make it do a U turn, you you've 605 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: got to have something really really dense and really heavy, 606 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: like a black hole. But like in principle, this idea 607 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: is sort of it could work, you know, because when 608 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: there are paths that light can take going around a 609 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: black hole where it comes in and just does a 610 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: U turn, skims really close to the you know, it 611 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,280 Speaker 1: comes kind of near the event horizon, but it doesn't 612 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: quite fall in and it and it just slingshots around 613 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: it and comes right back at you. Help me paint 614 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:57,360 Speaker 1: the picture here, guys. So you're saying that an image 615 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: of the earth, like we're giving up photons all the 616 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: time time, and those photons have an image of us, 617 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: like a snapshot of of you know, when I took 618 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: a shower thirty years ago, or an outdoor shower I 619 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 1: was showing with some dinosaurs and uh, and so that 620 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 1: light leave family podcast. I was giving some dinosaurs a shower. Yeah, 621 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 1: my pent dinosaur um. And so that image leaves the earth. 622 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:25,120 Speaker 1: And you're saying that that image can actually come back 623 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: to us and possibly we can possibly capture it right, 624 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: and and the physics here, remember folks. Is, photons don't 625 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:32,840 Speaker 1: have mass, but they can be bent by gravity because 626 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: gravity bend space right a curve space. And we see 627 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,440 Speaker 1: this all the time because because we see light bent 628 00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: by heavy stuff that's between us, like dark matter, stuff 629 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: between us and the source of the light. Yeah, and 630 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:46,600 Speaker 1: so there are paths that the light could take around 631 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: a black hole to come right back to us, and 632 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: would be like looking at a mirror. If you if 633 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: you could take a photo of a black hole up close, 634 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: you'd see a bunch of rings of light around it, 635 00:30:56,080 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: and those rings represent images of you know, other stuff 636 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: around the black hole that but for the light. The 637 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: light will have followed paths that loop around it, and 638 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: sometimes there will be even one to three loops before 639 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 1: it comes back to concentric rings around the black hole 640 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: that represent images. But the images closer and closer to 641 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: the black hole have made more and more loops around it. 642 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: And so there's light that can orbit a black holes 643 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 1: not inside the event horizon, but outside the event horizon. 644 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: Is light that can essentially never leave even as though 645 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,400 Speaker 1: it's not inside the event horizon. Yeah, forming this this 646 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:32,920 Speaker 1: like photon sphere around the black hole. That's what you're saying, 647 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,280 Speaker 1: there's an image of right now, there's an image of 648 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 1: me going around a black hole multiple times. Well, that's 649 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: where we run into the practical problems here, which is 650 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 1: that that there are these paths that light can take, 651 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: but you're only giving off so many photons. There's only 652 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 1: so much light coming off of you. You're saying, I'm 653 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: not very bright. None of us are very brilliant. Yeah, no, no, 654 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: we're compared to how big and empty spaces. None of 655 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: us are very bright. I think that's through on a 656 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: couple of levels. Um, so we're giving off photons. But like, 657 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: if there were a black hole right here and we 658 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,560 Speaker 1: illuminated you with really bright light, you might be able 659 00:32:09,600 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: to pick up an image of you around there and 660 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: for you elliminute illuminated by normal, healthy natural lighting. Uh 661 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 1: that the odds of picking up a photon came off 662 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: of you and circled the black hole and came back 663 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: are negligible. So you just take a picture and that 664 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,640 Speaker 1: you you would be represented by none of the pixels 665 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: in that photo. Well, I think what happened to my photon? Like, well, 666 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 1: let's talk about what single photon is different? Right, I mean, 667 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: the question is about an image, and that's like a 668 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 1: collection of photons that you know, get to travel around 669 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: the black hole and be reconstructed looking like Jorge, but 670 00:32:38,080 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: a single photon. Right, we see single photons from things 671 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: a billion light years away. That's how we see stars 672 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 1: because photons get here all right. Photons don't get like tired, 673 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,240 Speaker 1: they don't run out of energy right. Time is frozen 674 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:50,600 Speaker 1: for them. So a single Jorge photon could go around 675 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,120 Speaker 1: the black hole and come to Earth couldn't be identified 676 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: easily as this one, because we need a whole bunch 677 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,200 Speaker 1: of or photons to see to be like, oh, hey, 678 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,520 Speaker 1: these form the shape of his face, you know, and 679 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: then we can identify. But that takes so many that 680 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: the odds of getting one of them is already slim, 681 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: and the odds of getting all of them together, uh 682 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: take that all take the same path, is just too low. Well, 683 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 1: we could just pass that problem off to the engineers, 684 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: right exactly, Just like I was going to say, I 685 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:18,040 Speaker 1: try to autograph all of my photons, so if you 686 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: see one with my signature, that's that's you know, it's 687 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,360 Speaker 1: for me. So you're saying the likelihood that a photon 688 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 1: will survive the trip to the black hole and bag 689 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 1: is negligible because we'll hit something, you'll out because because 690 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: there's the one path that would come back to Earth. 691 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 1: If you hit just the right angle on the black hole, 692 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: it'll make a loop around and come back to Earth. 693 00:33:39,240 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 1: But for almost every other angle it'll loop around and 694 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: come off in some completely different direction. It's like you're 695 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: trying to It's like you're you have a basketball and 696 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: you're trying to throw it another basketball across the court, 697 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:52,720 Speaker 1: but it has to hit the basketball and bounce back 698 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,240 Speaker 1: to your hands. And so like the odds, almost every 699 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: time you try that, even if you're really good at 700 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: aiming and you hit the best at ball sitting on 701 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:02,640 Speaker 1: the other side of the court, it's just gonna hit 702 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,080 Speaker 1: it and bounce off to the side, not even on 703 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:07,720 Speaker 1: a YouTube video. Well, with a YouTube video, you get 704 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 1: to try so many times. Did you ask Sequila Neal 705 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,640 Speaker 1: to try that? I did not. UM. I had a 706 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 1: lot of fun asking people for for advice for my book, UM, 707 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,239 Speaker 1: but I wasn't able to reach Mr O'Neill. But the 708 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: I did actually try. I did actually try asking a 709 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: radio astronomer a question that's very, very similar to this 710 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:31,040 Speaker 1: because I was thinking black holes are all so far away. 711 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 1: It's like the basketball shot you. There's no way you 712 00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: could make that, you know, it's and the photons would 713 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: take so long to get there and come back. You know, 714 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:38,959 Speaker 1: we wouldn't be able to get a picture of you, 715 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,400 Speaker 1: um and into long after we were all gone. But um, 716 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:46,080 Speaker 1: there are other objects near us that we could bounce 717 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 1: signals off of it. And And they aren't black holes, but 718 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: maybe they could be reflective. And so I talked to 719 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:53,919 Speaker 1: a radio astronomer and said, you know, are there any 720 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:56,160 Speaker 1: big clouds or something where we could send out a 721 00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 1: signal of radio waves and they would somehow resonate and 722 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:01,719 Speaker 1: bounce back, and then we could pick them up here. 723 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: And because you want to watch TV from forty years ago, yeah, 724 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 1: I was thinking that'd be a great way. You could 725 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:08,120 Speaker 1: store a bunch of data. You just put on the 726 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 1: radio telescope, send it out and then forty years later, 727 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: you know, if the thing is twenty light years away, 728 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,239 Speaker 1: forty years later, that data comes back to you. You 729 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:16,920 Speaker 1: didn't have to you could. That could free up your 730 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 1: hard drive space like a radar or exactly and something 731 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: to yourself. Yeah, And she said, no, there isn't There 732 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,520 Speaker 1: isn't anything out there beyond the Solar system like that. 733 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:29,279 Speaker 1: But we, she pointed out, we do use the Arecibo 734 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,640 Speaker 1: dish as a radar dish. We bounced signals off of 735 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: asteroids and then pick up the reflection from them. So 736 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: it's like it's not just it's not just a telescope. 737 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: It's like a giant flashlight. And I think that's so cool. 738 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: World's biggest flashlight. All right, So it sounds like the 739 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 1: answer of how to take a picture of the early 740 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,799 Speaker 1: Earth is um with a lot of luck, that's right. Yeah, 741 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:51,800 Speaker 1: And so I think it's totally possible for those photons 742 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:53,680 Speaker 1: to go out there, come around a black hole, and 743 00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: come back to Earth. But practically speaking, it's going to 744 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: take a really bright source and a really big mirror 745 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 1: and a huge teles cipt tog out this photons. Cool. 746 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 1: Al right, Randall, we have one last question for you. 747 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:06,919 Speaker 1: We're running a bit out a time, but I did 748 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,000 Speaker 1: this is more of a personal question, and I'm making 749 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 1: it sound really serious, but I've thought it'd be fun 750 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:19,680 Speaker 1: to ask you that I was gonna say. I thought 751 00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 1: it'd be a fun question to ask you how to 752 00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: make a web comic. If you had to answer the 753 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:26,920 Speaker 1: question how to make a web comic, what would you answer? 754 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:29,640 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know what advice to give here, 755 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:33,360 Speaker 1: because to me it seems interesting how many people uh 756 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: kind of stumbled into it by accident, Like you know, 757 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:38,600 Speaker 1: for me, I was drawing. I was drawing comics in 758 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,200 Speaker 1: my notebooks. I wasn't thinking about publishing them. Uh. And 759 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:42,799 Speaker 1: then I eventually went back over them and said, oh, 760 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:45,800 Speaker 1: some of these I want to put these online somewhere. Um, 761 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,880 Speaker 1: but I wasn't really planning. I figured that career it 762 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:50,560 Speaker 1: sounded kind of cool, but it was like not open 763 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:52,600 Speaker 1: to me because you got to know how to come 764 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 1: up with jokes and also how to draw. And when 765 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 1: I was a little kid, I was saying, oh, I 766 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:58,840 Speaker 1: don't know, sudden coming with jokes sounds hard, and I 767 00:36:58,920 --> 00:37:01,400 Speaker 1: definitely don't know how to raw. I guess the cartooning 768 00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,320 Speaker 1: is probably a bad career. So I was trying to 769 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,480 Speaker 1: do other things and then and then just stumbled into 770 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: it by accident. So are other cartoonists mad that you 771 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:10,960 Speaker 1: can be so successful just drawing stick figures? Oh? I mean, 772 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: I know, it's it's it's definitely it definitely saves time 773 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,759 Speaker 1: and hand hand vessels. But no, it's a it's a 774 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: thing that that I just feel like I was I 775 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:21,319 Speaker 1: really lucked into right place, right time, you know, I 776 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:23,720 Speaker 1: was doing this and and it I feel really lucky 777 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:25,040 Speaker 1: that I've been able to make a career out of 778 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 1: this without having to learn to draw faces, which is 779 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,560 Speaker 1: really hard. That's something I've always had a really hard time. 780 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 1: But so I'm in awe of people people who can 781 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:36,160 Speaker 1: actually draw faces, you know, like like you, I always 782 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: imagine that you put a lot of care and a 783 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,200 Speaker 1: lot of attention into each stick figure, like you think 784 00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:43,200 Speaker 1: really about the post and well sure, it's like you know, 785 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:45,279 Speaker 1: if I'm drawing with like five lines, I'm gonna make 786 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: those five really good, right. Yeah. And you were telling 787 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 1: me earlier that, um, there are actually a lot of 788 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:52,439 Speaker 1: physicists who have become cartoonists, like you keep a list. 789 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, well, I mean it's just it's kind of surprising. 790 00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: You know, I think your your degrees, you know, engineering 791 00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:01,840 Speaker 1: but close But Bill, are you rounding up engineering into physics? 792 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:10,200 Speaker 1: You know we're neighbors. Um yeah, no, aside from me, 793 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:12,440 Speaker 1: there's uh, you know, there's Zach Wieners Smith who does 794 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, he has a physics degree. Bill Aiman, 795 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:20,240 Speaker 1: who did Fox Trade, he also has a physics there really, um, 796 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,720 Speaker 1: but my favorite fact about that is that of all 797 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 1: of the people, of all of the physics majors who 798 00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:28,000 Speaker 1: got physics screes but then left physics to go into 799 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,279 Speaker 1: cartooning and uh, and then of those people, of the 800 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 1: ones who were born on October seventeenth, I am not 801 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:39,160 Speaker 1: even like the most successful, because it turns out Mike Judge, 802 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:42,359 Speaker 1: who did Beavis and butt Head and Office Space, he 803 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:45,240 Speaker 1: also has a physics theree and also shares my birthday. 804 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:49,399 Speaker 1: That is wild, No, I haven't I feel like he's 805 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: just like my my birthday twin rival out there. Well, 806 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: there you go, folks, proof that a physics degree is 807 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:57,279 Speaker 1: guaranteed success in life, no matter what field you end 808 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:00,759 Speaker 1: up in, or maybe only cartooning, or or maybe it 809 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,320 Speaker 1: says that physics is such a terrible career choice and 810 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:11,359 Speaker 1: most people would rather do cartoonings. Well, you mentioned you're drawing. 811 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:13,080 Speaker 1: I have a question about that. I've noticed in a 812 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,440 Speaker 1: lot of your recent work you have actually really detailed 813 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: and sophisticated three D drawings. Of stuff. I wonder is 814 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:20,319 Speaker 1: that something that you developed later You ever thought about 815 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,319 Speaker 1: like modifying or adapting your style of drawing people, or 816 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:26,799 Speaker 1: is that is your comic styles would have frozen now, 817 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: you know people. People sometimes ask if I've taken a 818 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:32,239 Speaker 1: drawing class, and sometimes they ask it in a way like, oh, 819 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 1: so did you do art school? And I'm like, what 820 00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:35,520 Speaker 1: does it look like? I did art school? Sometimes they're like, 821 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,160 Speaker 1: have you ever thought about taking a drawing class? Like 822 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:41,440 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, thanks, but no, the only the only 823 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 1: drawing classes I've taken. I took a few technical drawing 824 00:39:43,640 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 1: classes for like drawing blueprints and stuff, and learned, you know, 825 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,160 Speaker 1: a little bit about how to do how to do 826 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: those kinds of shapes for like diagrams, which I think 827 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,400 Speaker 1: was actually really it was helpful over comics, but almost 828 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: more helpful for physics. I feel like the number of 829 00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:57,320 Speaker 1: times you've had to when you're doing a physics class 830 00:39:57,360 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: you have to draw a three D cube on a 831 00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:02,920 Speaker 1: on a board to try to explain something like cubes 832 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:04,319 Speaker 1: are hard to draw, but like you could learn to 833 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:06,080 Speaker 1: do it. So I feel like that almost that's a 834 00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: drawing class that, like physicists should take because they should 835 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:17,320 Speaker 1: all learn cartooning just just basically alternative. There. I'm working 836 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,600 Speaker 1: on it. Well, I think that you know, all of 837 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:21,839 Speaker 1: your work and your books and your comics, they really 838 00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:25,320 Speaker 1: sort of reflect your personality and your curiosity, and especially 839 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 1: this latest book, how To, I think it really reflects that, um, 840 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:30,839 Speaker 1: you know, the mind that you have where you sort 841 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:32,880 Speaker 1: of go into deep dive on a simple question and 842 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:36,960 Speaker 1: discover all these interesting and amazing things about the universe. 843 00:40:37,280 --> 00:40:41,000 Speaker 1: It's the mind of a physicist. Well, I'm really I'm 844 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,120 Speaker 1: really glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, and I mean that 845 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: in the best possible way. Well, thanks very much for 846 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:47,760 Speaker 1: joining us on the podcast and for answering how ridiculous? 847 00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:51,279 Speaker 1: How two questions? Yeah, if you're interested in getting Randall's book, 848 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,400 Speaker 1: just a quick reminder, it's called how To Absort. Scientific 849 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:57,480 Speaker 1: Advice for Common Real World Problems. That's right. It's out 850 00:40:57,480 --> 00:41:00,120 Speaker 1: in hardcover from Riverhead and we totally recommend the you 851 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: pick it up. Thank you so much. Well, thank you 852 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:03,520 Speaker 1: so much for having me on. This was a lot 853 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:14,120 Speaker 1: of fun. Before you still have a question after listening 854 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,240 Speaker 1: to all these explanations, please drop us the line. We'd 855 00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, 856 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:23,840 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Daniel and Jorge That's one Word, or 857 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:27,920 Speaker 1: email us at Feedback at Daniel and Jorge dot com. 858 00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:30,720 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and remember that Daniel and Jorge Explain 859 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,680 Speaker 1: the Universe is a production of I Heart Radio. For 860 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:36,759 Speaker 1: more podcast from My Heart Radio, visit the I heart 861 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:40,439 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 862 00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:41,240 Speaker 1: favorite shows.