"The Big Bang Theory" is a surprising source of science lessons. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times the “Big Bang” gang taught us a little science & math.
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00:00 I was wondering if you could maybe teach me a little physics.
00:03 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the times the Big Bang Gang taught us a little science and math.
00:10 Alright, the cat's alive. Let's go to dinner.
00:12 Number 10. Archimedes' Principle. The Toast Derivation.
00:16 Sheldon idolizes the greatest minds in history.
00:20 One name that tends to pop up is Archimedes. Yes, the Eureka guy.
00:24 In one notable example, Sheldon interrupts Zach's steamy story with an anecdote about the ancient Greek mathematician.
00:32 Because the crown was irregularly shaped, there was no way to mathematically determine its volume.
00:36 But while bathing, Archimedes realized he could immerse the crown and measure the amount the water rose.
00:43 You might recall that tale from your school science class. A gold crown, a bath, density, and some serious brain power.
00:50 The Archimedes' Principle states that if an object is submerged in a fluid, then the buoyant force acting on it is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that object.
00:59 But according to physics whiz and science advisor on the show, David Salzberg,
01:03 a modern day Archimedes might have considered that one could mix gold with denser materials.
01:08 He also noted that if you bend the laws of physics, you could be sitting on a gold mine.
01:13 Too bad the others weren't listening. They could have had their own Eureka moment.
01:18 We are the intellectual descendants of Archimedes. Give me a fulcrum and a lever and I can move the earth.
01:22 It's just a matter of... I don't have this. I don't have this! I do not have this!
01:25 Archimedes would be so proud.
01:28 Number 9. The Manstruation Myth. The Wheaton Recurrence.
01:32 Let's clear this up straight off the bat. No, men don't "manstrate".
01:37 But Sheldon's right. They do have their own hormonal cycle.
01:40 What's with him?
01:41 Perhaps he's at a sensitive point in his monthly cycle.
01:47 Are you saying he's "manstrating"?
01:50 However, instead of monthly, men's testosterone levels go up and down throughout the day.
01:55 It's supposedly highest in the morning, lowers as the day goes on, and rebuilds during sleep.
02:00 Just like how the menstruation cycle can affect how someone feels,
02:04 these rises and dips can affect men's moods and behaviors too.
02:08 As far back as the 17th century, scientists observed a 33-day fluctuation in men's hormone levels.
02:14 Interesting. That might explain my weepy days in the middle of the month.
02:18 But we don't think that's what Leonard's experiencing here.
02:21 He just dropped an unreciprocated L-bomb. Who wouldn't be devastated?
02:25 Still, if they're going to play on that age-old trope,
02:28 then doesn't Leonard also deserve an ice cream treat?
02:31 I've been familiarizing myself with female emotional crises by studying the comic strip Kathy.
02:36 When she's upset, she says "ACK!" and eats ice cream.
02:43 8. Non-Newtonian Fluid - The Barbarian Sublimation
02:47 In this season 2 episode, the guys have a blast pouring a mix of cornstarch and water on a
02:53 speaker and cranking up the tunes. What's utterly mind-blowing is that despite starting as a liquid,
02:59 the mixture springs to life like a solid once the sound vibration hits.
03:04 This matter-bending magic is the work of a non-Newtonian fluid,
03:11 a substance that defies the rules, switching between solid and liquid states depending on
03:16 its environment. Joe is running on top of a mixture of cornstarch and water. It's a liquid,
03:21 but it acts like a solid when we apply force to it. If Joe stops moving, he'll sink right in. Stop Joe.
03:26 Apply some force and it stiffens up. Relax the pressure and it's a liquid again.
03:33 There are tons of cool DIY experiments online, and you only need two simple ingredients. Penny
03:39 might not be impressed, but we sure are. 7. A Jellyfish's Life Cycle - The Tenure Turbulence
04:01 During lunch in the cafeteria, Leonard shares this cool fact. There's a type of jellyfish,
04:06 the Turritopsis dornii, that's practically immortal. While regular jellyfish succumb to
04:17 old age, stress, or injury, these remarkable sea creatures have a fantastic trick up their
04:22 tentacles. Instead of dying, they shrink, settle on the seabed, and magically turn back time,
04:28 starting their life cycle all over again.
04:30 After it reaches its mature adult stage, it can revert back to the pollic stage
04:36 before growing into an adult once again. Potentially, this can be repeated indefinitely.
04:42 It's a bit like the mythological phoenix rising from the ashes. But imagine a superhero with
04:47 Turritopsis dornii superpowers? That would be pretty neat. This fun fact leads the group to
04:53 contemplate a reality where immortality exists. Honestly, we're just surprised no one makes a
05:10 Doctor Who joke. 6. Where Do You Keep Your Bread? - The Corn
05:23 Husker Vortex Ever wondered where to store your bread?
05:26 In a bread box, a sealed container, or perhaps the fridge like Penny?
05:30 Sheldon tells her that she shouldn't keep her bread in there, as it could cause it to go off
05:46 faster. And guess what? He's not wrong! Keeping bread in the fridge makes it go stale quicker.
05:52 Staling, also known as retrogradation, occurs about 6 times faster at refrigerator temperatures
05:58 than at room temperature. But at below freezing temps, it slows down significantly.
06:03 Why? Flour has tiny starch molecules. When baked, they make our bread soft and tasty.
06:09 But as it cools, these molecules restructure, making the bread hard and less moist,
06:15 and can compromise the flavor. If you ask us, it's Penny who should be thanking Sheldon.
06:20 With his advice, she can enjoy fresher bread and save some extra dough.
06:24 5. Game Theory - Various The mathematically inclined among us
06:30 may have already noticed that Sheldon and Amy's relationship plays into game theory.
06:48 What's that, you ask? It's like playing a game where you plan your moves,
06:52 think about what others might do, and try to collaborate smoothly. While it might not
06:56 sound very romantic, it's about thinking ahead and making predictions without getting into
07:02 complicated math. Sheldon and Amy often face situations where they have to consider each
07:14 other's feelings and make decisions that impact both of them. They, arguably Amy more than Sheldon,
07:21 try to balance their own desires with what's best for their relationship.
07:25 They even find themselves caught in a prisoner's dilemma while planning their wedding.
07:43 4. The Properties of Graphene - The Einstein Approximation
07:47 In this episode, arguably best known for this scene, Sheldon agonizes over trying
07:53 to understand why electrons exhibit weightlessness while moving through graphene.
07:57 Graphene was a hot topic in the physics world in the mid-2000s and early 2010s.
08:12 But what is it exactly? Well, in 2004, two brilliant minds, Andre Geim and Konstantin
08:18 Novoselov, managed to extract an ultra-thin layer of carbon atoms using just a regular pencil and
08:24 everyday sticky tape. It has the same carbon structure as the graphite you use every day
08:29 when you draw or write with your pencil. But at the same time, in 0.03 inches of graphite,
08:35 there are about 3 million graphene layers. Even though it's super strong, this material is so
08:41 thin that you can't see it with your eyes. However, scientists think it has the potential
08:47 to change our future by leading to amazing inventions. No wonder Sheldon is so determined
08:52 to unravel its mysteries. 3. The Doppler Effect - The Middle Earth Paradigm
09:06 Remember that hilarious season 1 Halloween episode where Sheldon dresses up as the
09:10 Doppler Effect? For anyone who missed it or doesn't remember, the Doppler Effect is all
09:26 about how sound or light changes when an object moves closer or farther away from you. Picture
09:31 this. When a car zooms past, the engine sounds louder as it nears you and softer as it goes away.
09:37 I hate what Sheldon's supposed to be. Oh, he's the Doppler Effect. Yes,
09:42 it's the apparent change in the frequency of a wave caused by relative motion between the
09:45 source of the wave and the observer. Why? Because the sound waves squash together as it gets closer,
09:51 making it loud and stretch out as it moves away, making it quiet.
09:55 Astronomers can also use it to detect shifts in galaxies.
09:58 But what are you supposed to be? Me? I'll give you a hint.
10:03 Meow. A choo-choo train?
10:08 Close. We could break it down for you more,
10:11 but we think Sheldon actually summarizes it best. Meow.
10:14 I still don't get it. 2. Magnetic Monopoles - The
10:20 Monopolar Expedition and the Electric Can Opener Fluctuation
10:24 At the end of season 2, Sheldon and the gang gear up for a journey to the North Pole in search of
10:29 magnetic monopoles, mysterious magnets that could unlock the secrets of the universe.
10:35 If I'm able to detect slow-moving magnetic monopoles there, I'll be the scientist who
10:40 confirms string theory. The people will write books about me. The third graders will create
10:45 macaroni art dioramas depicting scenes from my life. He believes that could be game-changing
10:49 for string theory. But unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned. But he's far from
10:55 the only scientist on this quest. It's the magnetic monopole. And of all
10:59 the fantastical beasts of particle physics, this is perhaps the most likely to actually exist.
11:06 So where are they all? Why are magnetic monopoles so important,
11:10 you ask? Well, imagine them as rare puzzle pieces that can enhance our understanding of our world.
11:15 "An ordinary magnet has two poles. The primary characteristic of a monopole
11:20 is that it has only one pole. Hence, monopole."
11:24 Scientists have scoured for these elusive magnets like hidden treasures. But if they exist,
11:29 they remain unfound. So Sheldon shouldn't be disheartened. He's not the sole explorer who's
11:35 come back empty-handed. "In actuality, what your equipment
11:38 detected wasn't so much evidence of paradigm-shifting monopoles as it was
11:45 static from the electric can opener we were turning on and off."
11:48 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:52 Amy Farrah Fowler's real brain power. Various. Like Amy, actor Mayim Bialik has a PhD in
11:59 neuroscience, so she really knows her stuff. "I'm doing research on emotions and brain
12:03 activity. So when you start crying, I can see which region of the brain is activated.
12:07 Then I'm going to stimulate the analogous area in the brain of a rhesus monkey and see if he cries."
12:12 Glowfish, the luminous fish effect. Do you think Sheldon got his inspiration here?
12:17 "Their color is actually a hereditary trait that comes from a fluorescent protein found in coral
12:22 and other marine organisms. That trait was added to a single fish embryo many generations ago,
12:28 and now glowfish are born with their color and carry it through their lifespan."
12:32 Neil deGrasse Tyson eclipses Pluto. The apology insufficiency. The astrophysicist called himself
12:39 an accessory to the demotion of Pluto, so Sheldon's theory is totally on point. "I'm quite
12:45 familiar with Dr. Tyson. He's responsible for the demotion of Pluto from planetary status.
12:50 I liked Pluto. Ergo, I do not like you." Penguins and monogamy. The Hofstadter insufficiency.
12:59 Raj sure knows a lot about penguin relationships. The highs and the lows. "So if the fact that your
13:05 husband left you makes you feel unattractive, just remember penguins get cheated on,
13:09 and they're adorable." Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the
13:14 bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional
13:19 videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings
13:23 and switch on notifications. Number 1. Schrodinger's Cat, Varius
13:30 "Actually, I've heard far too much about Schrodinger's Cat." The Big Bang Theory made
13:34 science accessible and engaging, especially for those of us who might have forgotten our
13:39 school lessons. "No, it wasn't my cat. It was an experiment designed by this guy named Schrodinger."
13:44 "From the Charlie Brown cartoons?" "No, he was some kind of scientist. Let me start again."
13:53 If our teachers had applied scientific theories to everyday problems like Sheldon does for Penny,
13:58 maybe we would have remembered more from those classes. But hey, for anyone who's here for
14:02 the science but isn't much of a BBT fan, we'll let Sheldon catch you up. "A cat is placed in a
14:08 box with a sealed vial of poison that will break open at a random time. Now, since no one knows
14:14 when or if the poison has been released, until the box is opened, the cat can be thought of as both
14:20 alive and dead." Sure, Schrodinger's Cat is used to help scientists unravel the mysteries of
14:25 quantum mechanics, but as Sheldon teaches us, it can have real-world applications too. So naturally,
14:32 the gang calls back to it on several occasions. Not only do we get a science lesson,
14:37 but that's some great life advice too. "Alright, the cat's alive. Let's go to dinner."
14:41 Did anything you learned from the Big Bang Theory help you in the real world?
14:46 Show us your workings in the comments. "That's it. That's all I know.
14:49 Oh, wait! Fig Newtons were named after a town in Massachusetts, not the scientist."
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