“Veritasium is a great YouTube channel.”
Discusses the bet and goes over criticism.
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Original video triggering the bet for context: link Video discussing the bet and going over criticism: this video Veritasium is a great YouTube channel.
A Physics Professor Bet Me $10,000 I'm Wrong
26.3M views · Jun 30, 2021 · 17:56 · 3 HN recommenders · 8 mentions · discussed 2021–2023
Veritasium recounts a $10,000 bet with a UCLA physics professor over whether a vehicle can travel downwind faster than the wind. He presents the professor's reasoning and demonstrations, including one without aerodynamics.
Why Hacker News points people here: Linked as clear demonstrations that make the counterintuitive faster-than-wind result click.
“The small demonstration that made it click for me is from that video”HN comment, 2021
What Hacker News said 8
“The small demonstration that made it click for me is from that video”
Simple demonstration making the downwind faster-than-wind idea click.
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The small demonstration that made it click for me is from that video: this video This is exactly what the blackbird does, only with a propeller pushing air in place of the big wheel, and it's a much clearer and simpler demonstration of the same idea, which you can trivially verify.
“They go into some nice detail about why the physics works out the way it does.”
Detailed explanation of why the physics works.
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Derek from the YouTube channel Veritasium made two interesting videos about this vehicle. link this video They go into some nice detail about why the physics works out the way it does.
“I can see how I myself may disbelieve it if not for the irrefutable demonstration(s)[0].”
Irrefutable demonstration of the counterintuitive wind vehicle.
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The most surprising thing here is that someone on Twitter made a bet, lost the bet, and then actually paid said bet. Playing devil's advocate here a little: The whole machine is very counter-intuitive, and I can see how I myself may disbelieve it if not for the irrefutable demonstration(s)[0]. [0] this video
“at 13:28 is an example without aerodynamics.”
Bet video with further explanations and a no-aerodynamics example.
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The original Veritasium video link The video of the bet and the further explanations - this video -- at 13:28 is an example without aerodynamics.
“The professor's reasoning is near the start of the video about the bet”
Explains the professor's skeptical reasoning about the blackbird.
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The professor's reasoning is near the start of the video about the bet [1]. Basically they thought the makers of blackbird were fooling themselves (e.g. measuring slower wind at the bottom of the car vs the top of the propeller, or getting pushed above the average wind speed by gusts then selectively reporting). 1: this video
“a wind-powered vehicle than can accelerate directly into the wind...”
Wind-powered vehicle accelerating directly into the wind.
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Dead fish swimming upstream .. Reminds me a bit of this: a wind-powered vehicle than can accelerate directly into the wind... this video
Related to downwind faster-than-wind vehicles.
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I doubt this is how sailboats are doing it (if they're doing it) but one way is (I think) to make the airfoil itself cut across the wind while the "boat" goes straight downwind. See these videos: link this video