The YouTuber rented a helicopter to find the answer to a question that appeared on the 2014 US Physics Olympiad team qualifying exam
A youtuber rented a helicopter to settle a Physics debate. Photo: Youtube
Both fiction and real life have many instances where people have gone to great lengths to solve a mystery or find some solution to a problem. However, Derek Muller, who owns a YouTube channel named Veritasium, took the ability to newer heights by renting a helicopter to find the answer to a physics question.
The YouTuber rented a helicopter to find the answer to a question that appeared on the 2014 US Physics Olympiad team qualifying exam. The question was based on a hypothetical scenario of a rope hanging beneath a helicopter. It had been popular ever since the paper was released, since no one could agree on the answer.
Muller made the scenario real by trying out the question in a helicopter and making a video on the same. The video has gone viral, receiving over 3 million views till date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-_7y0WUnW4
Before conducting the experiment, he asked viewers for what they thought was the correct answer. Surprisingly, when the poll results were declared, not many had voted for what actually turned out to be the correct answer.
Muller even attached a parachute and kettlebell separately to the rope to find out the correct answer. He concluded the 12.58 minute video by saying that depending on what was attached to the rope, the answer could be either of the options B, C or D, that were printed on the question paper. However, for a rope hanging without any attachments, as mentioned in the question, the correct answer would be option B.
Muller had gained fame earlier when he had uploaded a video showing how the wind-powered vehicle Blackbird could outrun the wind itself. The video ignited a controversy, with Alexander Kusenko, a physicist at the University of California claiming that Muller was incorrect.
The two later bet $ 10,000 on the issue whether a model vehicle built on the principle as Blackbird could work successfully. The bet was held in the presence of famous scientist Sam Caroll and celebrity science commentator Neil deGrasse Tyson, with Muller later winning the bet.