Physics, Space & Chemistry: what Hacker News watches
8 topics, 577 videos. Pick a topic for a focused list, or scan the 100 best-scored across the whole area below.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2021–2026HN considers it the best experimental rebuttal and clarification of the Veritasium wire debate, with real measurements.
- 8 HN recommenders 8 months 2017–2023HN commenters send people to it whenever a thread confuses the speed of light with a light-specific limit, and several say it deepened their understanding of relativity.
- 6 HN recommenders 7 months 2020–2024Used as the standard reference in threads about light speed, clock synchronization and untestable assumptions in physics.
- 6 HN recommenders 6 months 2013–2022HN people recommend it as a masterclass in explaining physics clearly without condescension, accessible without formal training.
- 4 HN recommenders 6 months 2021–2025HN commenters point to it as an equation-free, charming way to hear Feynman explain physics to laypeople, including his famous refusal to explain magnetism with simple analogies.
- 8 HN recommenders 6 months 2020–2026Called the best visualization of general relativity by many commenters, who say it cleared up long-held misunderstandings of gravity.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2019–2025Called a favorite and a masterpiece by commenters as the clearest accessible explanation that there are only waves in fields, and what physics still doesn't know.
- 5 HN recommenders 6 months 2018–2022HN commenters point to it as a lucid, general-audience lecture that shows how wrong common conceptions of time are, often in threads on entropy and the arrow of time.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2014–2024HN commenters recommend it as a short, clear explanation of why moving charges create magnetic fields.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2025S Sean Carroll · lectureHN commenters recommend the series as engaging, substantial physics with just enough math for non-specialists.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2021–2026Often recommended as an eye-opening field-based explanation of electricity, though it was also controversial and criticized as pedantic.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2024–2026Praised as the clearest visual explanation of transmission lines, impedance and signal propagation, with several commenters saying it made it all click.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2026HN returns to it as a model of intellectual honesty and good explanation, often linking it in discussions of why-questions and science communication.
- 8 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2026Recommended as an engaging critique of string theory hype and its effect on public trust in physics, and often cited alongside Peter Woit's writing.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026HN commenters recommend it as one of Veritasium's best videos and one that has aged well.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2023–2026HN considers it among the clearest accessible explanations of what refractive index actually is and how light moves through transparent matter.
- 7 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2025HN links it as a go-to intuitive explanation whenever gravity as spacetime curvature or free fall comes up.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2018–2026HN commenters point to it as an approachable explanation of how symmetries give rise to conservation laws, including the story of Emmy Noether.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2026F firewalker · interviewCited constantly as the classic answer to 'why' questions, on explanation, frames of reference and the limits of physics.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2025S sdfhsfh · explainerRecommended as an entertaining, accessible way to get a feel for light and electric fields.
- 6 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2018Recommended in kilogram-redefinition threads as a clear, short explainer of the Avogadro and Planck approaches.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2011–2013Recommended as a short, joyful example of Feynman's accessible way of explaining physics, which a transcript cannot capture.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2024B Belfer Center · lectureHN recommends it as an entertaining, clear explanation of nuclear weapons basics from a policy expert.
- 7 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025HN links it in threads on bikes, countersteering and control systems as the clearest demonstration of how bikes actually steer and balance.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2024HN commenters say it made entropy intuition click and point to it in threads on energy, heat and equilibrium.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2025Recommended as the cleanest visual explanation of time and space switching roles past the horizon, and a gateway to the channel's black hole videos.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2022–2025It is the go-to accessible explainer whenever HN discusses Helion or alternative fusion designs.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2023HN points to it as an accessible long-form introduction to Wolfram's ideas and a window into his passion, though some are critical of his claims.
- 8 HN recommenders 4 months 2019–2021Recommended for correctly predicting the features of the real black hole image and clearly explaining the lensing physics behind it.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2018F FQxI · talkHN commenters recommend it as an accessible introduction to scaling laws and to why cities keep growing while companies and organisms eventually die.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2024Praised as an excellent, accessible account of why the kilogram's definition changed, in redefinition threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2020–2022HN uses it as the primary source for Weinstein's theory, though some commenters note he never published a full math paper.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2022HN recommends it, and the whole channel, as a clear and deeper-than-usual physics explainer.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2023T The Quagmire · lectureStrongly recommended for its funny, human account of Los Alamos, which one commenter calls almost a stand-up act.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023HN recommends it as an accessible way into Wolfram's physics ideas and his personality.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2026M MITCBMM · talkHN recommends it as a clear argument for why deep and cheap learning succeeds, often alongside the associated paper.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2023HN points to it as a short, approachable starting point on warp drive physics from a channel commenters like.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN commenters call it the best explanation of how holograms work, and one says it transformed their understanding.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2024HN recommends it as the best non-mathematical explanation of the Higgs field, deep but accessible to lay viewers.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2026N nebulajr · interviewHN returns to it constantly as a classic on the difficulty of explaining fundamentals and the limits of analogies.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2021M Michigan Engineering · talkHN commenters point to it as a credible debunking of the popular but wrong explanations of how wings generate lift.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2025HN recommends it as a sobering counterpoint to the Feynman myth for people whose view comes from Surely You're Joking.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2025HN recommends it as the clearest intuitive introduction to thinking about a fourth dimension.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2016–2020HN commenters point to the PBS Space Time series as a high-quality, bite-sized way to learn modern physics concepts.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2025Recommended as high-quality physics communication and as an introduction to Noether and energy non-conservation in cosmology.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2025Commenters call it a short, clean, visual explanation of the infalling-particle question and of Penrose diagrams.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2024Cited as the best explanation of mirror reversal.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2026HN cites it for the field-based picture of power transfer, noting it was controversial at release but the experiment largely backed the creator.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2012–2019Recommended as an intense, insightful look at Bussard's IEC fusion work, frequently cited in fusion threads for his claim that it could be developed for about $200M.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2014–2025HN commenters link it as a quick, intuitive explanation of angular momentum and why spinning clumps of matter flatten.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2015–2021HN uses it as a quick, clear demonstration of the Magnus effect behind spinning-cylinder ships and planes.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023Recommended as the clearest footage of a whip tip going supersonic, and cited in shockwave discussions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2023F Fermilab · explainerHN commenters link it to correct the widespread misconception about why light slows in a medium.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022HN recommends it for Feynman's intuitive explanations and his joy in understanding how things work.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2022HN points to it for a clear explanation of photon sieves versus Fresnel lenses and for showing what interference patterns actually look like.
- 5 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Frequently linked whenever wind-powered vehicles come up, as the clearest visual explanation of how the craft works.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2022HN recommends it as an accessible walkthrough of Penrose's ideas on consciousness and cosmology, interesting even if debatable.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2025HN recommends Susskind as a very good explainer who uses real math at an accessible level, and links this lecture series for self-learners.
- 2 HN recommenders 3 months 2025HN commenters find the hypothesis elegant and the channel consistently thought-provoking, and point to it in threads on light, particles and wave functions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2021HN recommends it as an accessible layperson's introduction to the Reynolds number and fluid dynamics scales.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Praised for its visualizations and pedagogy in threads about physics and differential geometry.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Linked as clear demonstrations that make the counterintuitive faster-than-wind result click.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2023It comes up as a great explainer on magnetohydrodynamic drives and pumps in threads about silent submarine propulsion.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2023S Sképseis · lectureHN quotes it as the crispest statement of what science is, usually when a theory clashes with evidence.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2009–2023A Aaron Scher · documentaryMentioned as a fun and impressive Feynman documentary, though the mentions are brief.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2024C caltech · courseHN rates the series as one of the best physics lecture courses on YouTube, with an engaging format and historical context.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025U Uppsala universitet · lectureCited in discussions of analogy-making in science, and revisited by fans of Hofstadter.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2019HN recommends it as a good layperson explanation of how LIGO's detection works and why it is so hard.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2022S Santa Fe Institute · lectureHN commenters recommend it as a clear explanation of why time runs one way, from a leading physicist.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2025HN commenters call it eye-opening and deeper than typical layman explanations, linking it in double-slit and mechanics threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2010–2017Cited constantly when discussing explaining to non-experts, the limits of explanation and what a 'why' question really asks.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2023S Simon Benjamin · talkCited in threads on probability and quantum theory as a strong argument that probabilities can be eliminated from physics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023HN points to it as a detailed explanation of Wolfram's physics hypothesis, and for Wolfram's evident passion, though some find it long.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2021HN commenters recommend it as an easy-to-digest explanation of time dilation and the twin paradox.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022Used as a go-to reference for relativity arguments, such as spacetime intervals being the same for all observers, and as a suggested follow-up for physics fans.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019HN refers to it for Weinstein's views on advanced math and physics and academia's problems, though some find him a bit kooky.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2023Recommended as the best introduction to SICM and sicmutils and a showcase of what such symbolic systems can do.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023Commenters recommend it for a compelling, accessible case against treating the speed of light as a hard limit.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024HN cites it in energy debates as an illustration of the long-term thermal limits of exponential energy consumption growth.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022HN recommends it as an even-handed physicist's take for 5G skeptics, noting it is probably safe but under-studied.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2023HN commenters point to it as an accessible pop-science introduction to entropy and the physics of life, including Jeremy England's work.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2022HN points to it in warp drive discussions as a math-free explanation of why superluminal travel causes causality problems.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024HN users cite it in threads about academia, grant incentives, fraud and women-only programs, often as an eye-opening personal take.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2025–2026HN points to it whenever a thread mixes up power and energy, such as battery specs and solar generation.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2024Recommended as a good visual walkthrough of the Standard Model equation for people who want to understand its terms.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2015–2021HN commenters use it to put radiation exposure and risk into perspective, including everyday sources like flights and smoking.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021HN recommends it as a cool, eye-opening look at the hidden ultraviolet world, especially in sunscreen and vitamin D threads.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024N notsyort · music videoHN brings it up whenever thermodynamics or entropy comes up, as the classic comic explanation of the laws.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022N Nathan Kutz · lectureHN commenters recommend it for its fluid dynamics of detonation waves and its high-speed imaging of rotating pulses.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2012–2021Z Zero · lectureHN uses it to illustrate Feynman's wry view of philosophical questions and perception.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024HN commenters recommend it as a helpful way to conceptualize why light speed is a limit.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025Linked as the clear explainer on rotational gravity and its Coriolis oddities.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2024HN people link it as a quick, clear answer to the question of bicycle stability, including in threads on bike mathematics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2014–2022The reference people reach for when debating how math differs from physics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2022–2025P Physics Explained · lectureRecommended for a math-heavy but thorough treatment of the ultraviolet catastrophe and the history of the experiments.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2025Linked as a quick, clear primer when black hole energy and efficiency come up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2026HN commenters recommend it for the Gell-Mann amnesia framing and as a skeptical take on Michio Kaku.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2025HN people cite it as the clearest layperson-friendly explanation of rotational instability whenever spinning bodies, tumbling objects or axis shifts come up.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025M Max-Planck-Institut für Physik · talkPraised as a jargon-light talk on advanced physics that HN cites when arguing spacetime is not fundamental.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2015–2025HN uses it as a reference in threads on physics theories, models and what real understanding means.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 577. Use search to find the rest.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.