Scientist Risked His Life To Settle A Physics Debate, And Then He Put The Video Online

How far would you go to prove a point that you were absolutely sure of? It's safe to say that most people — even the most stubborn among us — wouldn't risk our lives... but Derek Muller isn't most people. The popular YouTuber has a successful channel that takes some of the wildest ideas in science and physics and puts them up to the test. But it was one of his recent videos that took things to the next level. He had wagered money on the outcome of an experiment involving this bizarre contraption... but if things went awry, there was a chance he might not walk away alive. 

Physics question

Risking his wellbeing to settle a dispute? Yep! And it all began with a question of physics. Namely, “Can you get a vehicle powered by wind to go directly downwind quicker than the wind is blowing?” The guy who tried to answer that query is Dr. Muller. And he posted a video all about how he tried to win the argument, and later the bet, on his YouTube channel, Veritasium.

Controversial claim

To attempt to prove it was possible, Dr. Muller took a ride in Blackbird, a wind-powered car whose inventor insists it could outpace the wind with the breeze directly behind it. This claim had sparked quite the controversy, leading University of California Los Angeles professor Alexander Kusenko to put up some money to say the YouTuber couldn’t prove it.

Big bet

In fact, Dr. Kusenko was eventually willing to wager $10,000 that the Blackbird, or a model similar to it, could not achieve the feat. And the bet was certainly serious — so much so that such luminaries as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye were willing to act as witnesses. But who is the guy who insisted that a professor of physics was making a bad bet?

Physics educator

Presenter Dr. Muller was born in Australia, although he grew up in Canada. He returned to the place of his birth for his studies and ended up working towards a doctorate in physics education, which he eventually achieved. He wanted to turn his Ph.D. to use in the creative world, which proved quite difficult.