Star-Stabilizing the Entire Sky (spherical distortion) AlphaPhoenix 2026-09-21 | Star-Stabilizing the Entire Sky (spherical distortion)
This puzzle took me three years and required thinking in 3721 dimensions AlphaPhoenix 2024-09-30 | Visit brilliant.org/alphaphoenix to start your free 30-day trial, and get 20% off a premium annual subscription!Welcome back, and I hope you enjoy this mess of a three-year project… It turns out backing up in a cellular automaton can be an insanely difficult problem. This started as a "play button" project, but turned into an obsession. I recently came to the conclusion that there's no long-term winning this game (it has been shown to be NP hard, so I don't feel that bad) but AGH it should be easier than it is! Join me in this video as I dive through the much fabled Game of Life, take a hike through a very strange space, and organize a dinner party. It's going to be a great time.Check out the second channel with bonus content and Q&A videos!youtube.com/@AlphaPhoenix2Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyAloysius SparglepartzJason WhatleyLohann Paterno Coutinho FerreiraJeffrey MckishennothingsEugene PakhomovGlenn WillenR520Nick FMirko RenerChris ConnettTyler FillaMiles FreemanBenjamin MannsMPGSeth ReuterDanny ThomasToby TLucy Furtiaz Chris DuvarneyNick WageJohn Tbig bonus points to Patreon supporter david.antos for very patiently teaching me about complexity classes!patreon.com/AlphaPhoenixMedia Credits:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626E's Jammy Jams - The EntertainerYouTube Music LicenseSilent Partner - Pink LemonadeYouTube Music LicenseChapters:0:00 Conway's Game of Life3:04 Playing GoL in reverse is hard6:56 How to think in more dimensions15:55 Drawing maps (both real and configurational)19:33 The failure of gradient ascent23:16 SAT solvers (dark CS magic)28:54 Rephrasing the question and getting results34:22 Brilliant.org
Dragonflies hunt by predicting the future AlphaPhoenix 2024-08-15 | Join me in pursuit of one of the coolest critters anywhere (but I seem to have an abundance of them here in NC) - Dragonflies!In this video I'm breaking down dragonfly flight with a high-speed camera. Dragonflies are some pretty incredible insects, and the way they fly (or more accurately - the multiple ways they fly!) are fascinating. I hope you enjoy this journey to film, then understand, dragonfly flight in my backyard.Check out the second channel with bonus content and Q&A videos!youtube.com/@AlphaPhoenix2Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyAloysius SparglepartzJason WhatleyLohann Paterno Coutinho FerreiraJeffrey MckishennothingsEugene PakhomovGlenn WillenR520Nick FMirko RenerChris ConnettTyler FillaMiles FreemanBenjamin MannsMPGSeth ReuterDanny ThomasToby TLucy Furtiaz Chris DuvarneyNick WageJohn Tpatreon.com/AlphaPhoenixMedia Credits:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626A Far Cry - W. A. Mozart, Symphony No.38 in D major.mp3YouTube Music LicenseRossini - William Tell Overture (by Rossini).mp3YouTube Music LicenseCool papers to read:Capture Success and Efficiency of Dragonflies Pursuing Different Types of Prey (10.1093/icb/ict072)Color vision and color formation in dragonflies (10.1016/j.cois.2016.05.014)Why are wasps so intimidating: Field experiments on hunting dragonflies (Odonata: Aeshna grandis) (10.1006/anbe.2003.2225)Eye movements and target fixation during dragonfly prey-interception flights (10.1007/s00359-007-0223-0)Motion camouflage in dragonflies (10.1038/423604a)
You can mix 10 marbles until they sort themselves. Why not 100? AlphaPhoenix 2024-05-05 | This is a sequel to my last "ink tube" video, but this time I explain the title of the project, "the entropy of mixing". Entropy is a super weird topic, so I hope this makes sense, and I hope you enjoy!Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyAloysius SparglepartzJason WhatleyLohann Paterno Coutinho FerreiraJeffrey MckishennothingsEugene PakhomovGlenn WillenR520Nick FMirko RenerChris ConnettTyler FillaMiles FreemanBenjamin MannsMPGSeth ReuterDanny ThomasToby TLucy FurtiazBonus thanks to Patreon supporter PJC, who reminded me that "closed" and "isolated" systems are technically very different!Media Credits:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Pink Lemonade by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons license0:00 Intro / The arrow of time2:52 The second law of thermodynamics3:36 Flipping coins10:08 Marble tracking analysis13:58 Osmosis21:31 Microstates, multiplicity, and entropy23:49 REVERSE osmosis
How do fluids actually mix? AlphaPhoenix 2024-04-04 | Visit brilliant.org/alphaphoenix to start your free 30-day trial, and get 20% off a premium annual subscription!This project has been kicking around in my head for years and I finally got around to building it! (Freshly inspired to make ordering/stochastic art after someone sent me a video of Ivan Miranda's awesome marble clock.) This machine separates ink from water with a reverse osmosis membrane, then mixes the ink and water back together again. It sounds circular and useless, and it is, but it's also really cool! in this first video, I focus mostly on the fluid dynamics and complexity that shows up even just in a tiny clear pipe!Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyAloysius SparglepartzJason WhatleyLohann Paterno Coutinho FerreiraJeffrey MckishennothingsEugene PakhomovGlenn WillenR520Nick FMirko RenerChris ConnettTyler FillaMiles FreemanBenjamin MannsBonus thanks to Patreon supporter Christian Wölke, who found a big error in one of my graphics!Media Credits:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326 Artist: http://incompetech.com0:00 What does it do?1:48 Water is clear2:45 Turbulent flow4:40 Laminar flow8:28 Fluid motion tracking9:49 Project origin11:38 Reverse osmosis membranes13:05 Under the hood16:08 Trial and error20:27 Brilliant.org/alphaphoenix
Watch electricity hit a fork in the road at half a billion frames per second AlphaPhoenix 2023-12-06 | In this video, I measure a wave of electricity traveling down a wire, and answer the question - how does electricity know where to go? How does "electricity" "decide" where electrons should be moving in wires, and how long does that process take? Spoiler alert - very fast!I've been very excited about this project for a while - it was a lot of work to figure out a reliable way to make these measurements, but I've learned SO much by actually watching waves travel down wires, and I hope you do too!There will be a Q&A about this video posted in a few weeks on the second channel, and if you head over there right now, you'll see two direct follow ups to this video with experimental details, and a section about "impedance matching" that was cut from this script.youtube.com/@AlphaPhoenix2Special thanks to my top Patreon supporters!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyAloysius SparglepartzRyan MJason WhatleyLohann Paterno Coutinho FerreiraKasper NielsenJeffrey Mckishenpatreon.com/AlphaPhoenixMedia Credits:Slomoguys clip used with permission. Thanks Gav! youtube.com/watch?v=nsJGJHkJolII Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326 Artist: http://incompetech.com0:00 a hypothetical question3:30 Measurement difficulties7:44 Individual oscilloscope traces10:23 Electricity moves through Y circuit12:54 The single wire experiment – how electrons move17:32 Electrons hitting a dead end20:23 Revisiting the Y circuit22:16 The water channel model
An intuitive approach for understanding electricity AlphaPhoenix 2023-09-08 | In this video, I try to explain electricity Ohm's Law… using a LOT of different demonstrations and analogies. I've been working on this script for like a year and a half now - this took SO long to assemble because electricity is an absolute pain to learn and to explain. I crammed every analogy to describe electricity I could think of into this video (which is why it's... oof... 40 minutes... who's going to watch this?).When I learn something hard, it's normally after I've seen it a few times before, so with a tough topic in this video, I'm trying to scatter-shot and hope that at least one demo clicks for everybody! If it DOESN'T click for you, let me know what's weird! There will be an FAQ about this video posted on the second channel in a few weeks. If you want to ask a question, drop it in the comments here, or if you want to make sure I see it, leave a note on the new Patreon Discord server!The biggest intentional omission in this video is not addressing radial charge distribution in a wire, and I know that's going to annoy some of the commenters here. I only talk about 1D wires so I don't have to confuse people by making them imagine different families of electrons at different parts of the wire when at the end of the day they can all get squished and move the same way - so please consider all of my diagrams with electrons getting "more concentrated" to be looking all the way through a wire, including the surfaces :)Also: I'm starting a Patreon! patreon.com/AlphaPhoenixAnd a second channel! youtube.com/channel/UC3GrRPAydgBn42lab2izBlgThanks to the VERY FIRST Channel Superfans from Patreon!birdiesnbrittsJohn Sosa TrusthamVladimir ShklovskyChapters:00:00 Intro to Ohm's Law04:18 Current06:18 Resistance08:30 Voltage19:43 The water Channel Model25:06 Power and Energy31:32 ClarificationsMedia Credits:Heavenly Choir, Monty Python and the Holy GrailI Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Acid Jazz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0Move Ya by Max Surla/Media Right Productions is licensed under YouTube MusicMountain by Text Me Records is licensed under YouTube MusicVespers by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena is licensed under YouTube MusicSwitched on Carcassi by Brian Bolger is licensed under YouTube MusicWay Out West by Chris Haugen is licensed under YouTube MusicUrgent Mission, Randall Monroe, XKCD xkcd.com/567
Two ways to make asymmetric mirrors (Printing vs. Warping) AlphaPhoenix 2023-05-26 | The long-awaited sequel (lol) to my first 3D printed mirrors video, where I take your advice and switch to UV-cure resin, get great results, but not good enough results, and then cheat by silvering a chunk of regular acrylic sheet! This video is a collab with (and the idea of a saddlepoint mirror was from) Steve Mould, so check out his video about this very saddlepoint mirror after you watch this!Steve's video:youtu.be/sP0cwLuEwswMy last video about 3D printed mirrors:youtu.be/SCuUQOTehqwA completely different method for obtaining 3D printed mirrors via electroplating that I didn't talk about here but is very cool:youtu.be/ywPi1osy7o8The cool video I referenced about splines - relevant G2 continuity bit at 27:49 (but watch the whole thing!):youtu.be/jvPPXbo87dsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
How does electricity find the Path of Least Resistance? AlphaPhoenix 2023-04-17 | Ever wonder how electrons know where they are going? Electricity is a pretty mystifying topic, because electricity seems to be able to do impossible things, or at least things that don't make sense at a normal "human" scale. In this video I use a thermal camera to show electric current through a maze made of aluminum foil. The electric current very efficiently solves the maze, which is awesome, and heats up the "solution" so we can see it!To explain this effect, I printed out the same maze but made of plastic trenches and not metal foil. By running water through this plastic maze, we can learn something about how electrons flow in metals. This analogy does have some limitations that you need to keep in mind, but for the vast majority of cases, I think it does a FANTASTIC job at modeling bulk electron behavior in "1D" wires.At the end of the video, I have a few more mazes that have two solutions each, to test the "path of least resistance" adage. Videos referenced:"Can water solve a maze? - Steve Mouldyoutu.be/81ebWToAnvA"Why Rivers Move" - Practical Engineeringyoutu.be/UBivwxBgdPQAlso relevant:Discussion of current reflections from resistive loads @ 10:38 in this video from Electroboom and Veritasiumyoutu.be/O-WCZ8PkrK0?t=638Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626 Ether by Silent PartnerYouTube Music License
IP over AC: Mmmmmm Ppppfffftttt SssshhhhhhhWOOOSH AlphaPhoenix 2023-04-01 | I needed better home internet, so I used a plastic bag and a long string.Please DON'T try this at home. It works here, but there are a lot of ways you can screw up your house doing this.Be sure to check out the subreddit: reddit.com/r/TryTryAgainMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
A laser powered by tiny molecular springs (2^16) AlphaPhoenix 2023-03-25 | Do you ever wonder how lasers work? What makes them different from other sources of light? The answer "stimulated emission" is frequently given, but even more important is achieving "population inversion". In this video I try to explain both, starting from ground level (no pun intended). Specifically, I describe the functionality of my cnc CO2 laser cutter.I also show off a woodblock printing I made using that laser cutter, replicating the graphics from the opening of The Legend of Zelda the Wind Waker. Using watercolor paper, tea, acrylic paint, and water-soluble printing ink, I recreate the prologue for the game.Be sure to check out the subreddit: reddit.com/r/TryTryAgainMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Excerpt from The Legend of Zelda, the Wind Waker opening cutscene, NintendoExcerpt from The Legend of Zelda, the Wind Waker: Battle, Koji Kondo, NintendoExcerpt from The Legend of Zelda, the Wind Waker: Legendary Hero, Koji Kondo, NintendoExcerpt from The Legend of Zelda, the Wind Waker: Dragon Island, Koji Kondo, Nintendo
Why does WATER change the speed of electricity? AlphaPhoenix 2022-09-06 | The electrons are back! This is the first of three videos discussing electricity - what is it, how does it work, how do we use it? This first installment talks about the speed of electricity and electrical signals in wires. Next up is Ohm's law, and what resistance really does in circuits, and third, I'll be taking another look at the experiment featured on Veritasium last year, building on the first two videos to explore the mechanism that couples the two long wires with a little more scrutiny. Enjoy!Be sure to check out the subreddit:reddit.com/r/TryTryAgainMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Five years in 49 minutes AlphaPhoenix 2022-07-07 | I've had piles and piles of questions about the research that I did in gradschool, so here it is! Be careful what you wish for... About a year ago I defended my dissertation from UCSB in Materials, exploring, among other things, growth of a semiconductor called lead selenide, a narrow-gap material with a bright (ba-dum-tss) future in the realm of infrared optoelectronics. I hope you enjoy!For more information than you could ever reasonably desire:escholarship.org/content/qt9mj491xk/qt9mj491xk.pdfViewers of the channel are probably going to be most interested in all the fun machines featured in chapter 2, "Experimental Methods"- Molecular beam epitaxy (making crystals in ultra high vacuum)- X-ray diffraction (explained with almost no math)- Electron microscopy (many variants)Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
50,000,000x Magnification AlphaPhoenix 2022-06-27 | Today's video is about my favorite microscope ever. I did a lot of work in gradschool on this STEM, or Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope, and today I get to share how it works! Extra thanks to the Materials Department at UCSB for letting me film in the lab!Admittedly it's old footage, but since it's REAL research, I was waiting for the paper to get published. If anybody's super-curious, here's the doi:pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00188(unfortunately it's not indexed on SciHub yet - I'm trying to figure out how to get the manuscript posted elsewhere for you guys - check back in a couple days if you're curious!)Music and graphics:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Map of Kikuchi line pairs down to 1/1Å for 300 keV electrons in hexagonal sapphire (Al2O3), with some intersections labeledP. Fraundorfhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/...The Quantum Realm by The Whole OtherYouTube Audio Library LicenseMemes:Shrek (Dreamworks)Pokemon (Nintendo)
The most realistic eclipse timelapse Ive ever taken - Spring 2022 Lunar Eclipse HDR stack AlphaPhoenix 2022-06-18 | A real lunar eclipse is DARK - the red moon is super faint, and it doesn't illuminate the clouds around it the way the regular sunlit moon does. Using two cameras, a tracker, and a bit of math. I created a video that's hopefully closer to what the human eye sees than what any single auto-exposing camera would be able to manage.There's a lot more info about the process in the full video: youtu.be/6R-iMmcQ5aIMusic in this video:The Empty Moons of Jupiter by DivKidI Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Eye vs Camera: Why its nearly impossible to film an eclipse AlphaPhoenix 2022-06-12 | Hey everyone! it's been nearly a month since the eclipse and I'm FINALLY ready to publish my timelapse - you'll see why it took so long in this video... I set up two cameras and did an extremely crude high dynamic range stack that is able to resolve some detail on the sunlit moon, and some detail on the shadowed moon, simultaneously. I wish I'd taken 6 pictures at once, and that they were easy to align, so that I could have a full lograithmic-ish HDR picture, but for now, this is my best eclipse timelapse yet. I hope you like it!Short version:youtube.com/shorts/yXhzfPT29esMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
A Lunar Eclipse filmed with two cameras #Shorts AlphaPhoenix 2022-06-11 | Lots of detail in a second video, but I've spent the last few weeks since the eclipse trying to process my timelapse into the most realistic view I could. In reality when you look up at a half-eclipsed moon, you can totally see that part of it already looks red, but if you just take a picture with one camera, the dynamic range is nowhere near where it would need to be to actually see what your eye does - so I fudged it - using two cameras and combining both clips in post. Hope you enjoy!Full video:youtube.com/watch?v=6R-iMmcQ5aI
Introducing the Magneto-Turboencabulator AlphaPhoenix 2022-04-01 | I built a Turboencabulator! Inspiration from Bud Haggert, who I first saw explain this fantastic machine while I was on a robotics team in high school youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2AgMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326 Artist: http://incompetech.com
Are solid objects really “solid”? AlphaPhoenix 2022-01-28 | If you think about idealized physics scenarios, "frictionless vacuum" or "ignore air resistance" may come to mind, but another even more ubiquitous mechanical approximation is the so-called "rigid body approximation" where solid objects are said to be perfect geometric shapes that don't deform at all when force is applied. For a LOT of classical mechanics and mechanical engineering, it's a fantastic approximation, but like all approximations, eventually it breaks down. Today I'm demonstrating a failure of the rigid body approximation by asking "When you apply a force to one edge of an object and it starts moving, does the rest of the object actually lag behind? and if so, by how much?Hope you enjoy the experiment!Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
I bought 1000 meters of wire to settle a physics debate AlphaPhoenix 2021-12-17 | I constructed the Veritasium electricity thought experiment in real life to test the result.If you were watching my community posts a month ago, the day that Derek over on Veritasium posted his video about electricity misconceptions, you saw me obsess over that problem a bit too much and immediately use it as the excuse I've been looking for for years to own my own oscilloscope. Instead of two light-seconds of wire, I used about 3 light-microseconds of wire, but it was PLENTY to resolve exactly what is happening in this circuit. I hope you enjoy the analysis!Thanks to Derek at Veritasium for his blessing to make a real-world version of his gedanken experiment. If you haven't seen his video yet, you might want to go watch that for context, and I also highly recommend ElectroBOOM's video on the topic and EEVBlog's video on the topic. Electroboom's video has some simulated scope traces extremely close to what I saw IRL, and a REALLY fantastic animation (8:27) of him waving an electron around in his hand, shedding magnetic fields as it moves (Even though I ignore magnetic fields in this video - I'm trying to think of a test to find out if they matter).Veritasium youtu.be/bHIhgxav9LYElectroBOOM youtu.be/iph500cPK28EEVBlog youtu.be/VQsoG45Y_00Music Credits, etc.:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
How to predict random numbers AlphaPhoenix 2021-11-26 | So it's been almost 2 years since I said the random-number-machine follow-up video was coming "soon", and it's finally time! (Combined with a fun bit of math regarding perfect shuffles in reply to a fascinating Matt Parker video)If you take a histogram of the wait times between geiger tube ticks, you get a beautiful exponential decay curve - most gaps between ticks are extremely fast, and it's rare to go a long time without a tick. You can use this property of random numbers to show that ticks coming from a tube are indeed randomly distributed.Conveniently, runs of interleaved cards in shuffled decks of cards ALSO follow this exponential decay distribution, with short runs representing short wait times between ticks and very long runs of perfectly interleaved cards being rare, just like long wait times between geiger tube ticks. Because these properties of random numbers are so predictable, you can actually calculate the probability of executing a "perfect" or "Farro" shuffle by accident.Music Credits, etc.:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326Artist: http://incompetech.com
How does a first surface mirror work? (2^15 sub special!) AlphaPhoenix 2021-11-12 | After a bit of a hiatus, AlphaPhoenix is live again! In this video I print some parts, coat them in resin, and chemically silver that resin surface, making a first-surface mirror akin to telescope optics but MUCH less precise. (also I use said silvering process to make a play button with actual silver!) Hope you enjoy the classic story of scientific failure and iteration, and maybe learn something about mirrors while you're here!If anybody is curious to try this themselves, this is very much not a sponsored video, but I was using Smooth-On's XTC-3D as my smoothing agent and Angel Guilding's Spray-Silvering chemicals to deposit the silver. if anybody knows more about these products that might explain some of the difficulties I've had, I'd be all ears!Technique loosely based on this very interesting paper from Vaidya and Solgaard:researchgate.net/publication/326424393_3D_printed_optics_with_nanometer_scale_surface_roughnessMusic Credits, etc.:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326Artist: http://incompetech.comTill With Bell.wav from Benboncan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licenseArecibo Telescope picture - David Broad
Algorithmic Redistricting: Elections made-to-order AlphaPhoenix 2021-06-28 | If you're a long-time viewer, you'll know that I *really* like random numbers. Today, I'm USING random numbers to generate some distinctly nonrandom maps. I first heard of Monte Carlo simulations in undergraduate computational physics, and have long thought about using it to draw maps with optimized districts. (see "Ising model" for a very similar physics simulation).I wrote a program to draw maps of Gerrymandered (or not) congressional districts in the state of North Carolina. I'm not getting into the methods and politics, I just think gerrymandering is a fascinating problem to solve, and the Monte Carlo simulation is great at it! You program in an initial condition, and your "desired election results", and the program handles the rest, adjusting the map pixel-by-pixel until it aligns to your desired metrics (and either a really GOOD map, or a really BAD map).Sharable GIF:gfycat.com/illfatedgargantuankusimanseExtra links for the curious:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ising_modelen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain_Monte_Carloen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis%E2%80%93Hastings_algorithmen.wikipedia.org/wiki/GerrymanderingSource for election data by precinct (note that precincts and Census tracts are not the same shapes):openprecincts (update: website link broken now)#Gerrymandering #Politics #MathMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326Artist: http://incompetech.comDial Up Internet Sound BY SPANAC, Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://www.freesoundslibrary.com
Ditch the DSLR? The 200-year-old science of my new favorite camera (2^14 sub special!) AlphaPhoenix 2021-05-20 | For my 2^14 subscriber play button, I decided to make a blueprint (cyanotype print) using Ware's "New Cyanotype" chemistry, some printed out transparencies, and ultraviolet light from the sun! But that wasn't quite enough - I wanted to go beyond prints and build a CAMERA - a giant analog camera. Instead of a physical mask that blocks light, a camera uses a lens to focus light onto a piece of chemically sensitized film or paper to form an image. In my case, a very large image on a very large piece of paper… My camera exposes on 11x15" sheets of watercolor paper, and takes about a day to take a photograph. After a water bath, they're ready to go straight on the wall!#Photography #DIY # ChemistryMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
I went to a Delta IV Heavy Launch! AlphaPhoenix 2021-04-27 | Took a break from Dissertation-y things today to visit Vandenberg and watch a Delta IV Heavy take off! The Delta IV Heavy is an enormously powerful rocket and it's pretty awesome to watch one in person. I took my new tripod rig and got some great footage despite the awful ground-level wind. #ULA #RocketLaunch #SpaceMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Growing Giant Snowflakes (Timelapse Supercut) AlphaPhoenix 2021-02-19 | Bonus footage from episode 3 of my ice crystal growth project - lots of timelapses!Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wA DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystalsyoutu.be/L0SYxpVab6MBig Hexagons of Ice 2: Thermoelectric Boogalooyoutu.be/VA710QYxEu0Growing Giant Snowflakes (Timelapse Supercut)youtu.be/MqIvuWsd5OICheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:twitter.com/Alpha__Phoenixreddit.com/r/TryItAgainInteresting articles for the extra-curious:J.M. Adams, W. Lewis, The Production of Large Single Crystals of Ice, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 5 (1934) 400–402. doi:10.1063/1.1751759.T. Shichiri, Faceted ice crystals grown in water without air, J. Cryst. Growth. 187 (1998) 133–137. doi:10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00839-7.P. Bisson, H. Groenzin, I.L. Barnett, M.J. Shultz, High yield, single crystal ice via the Bridgman method, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87 (2016) 034103. doi:10.1063/1.4944481.A. Cahoon, M. Maruyama, J.S. Wettlaufer, Growth-Melt Asymmetry in Crystals and Twelve-Sided Snowflakes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 255502. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.255502.T. Gonda, The Growth of Small Ice Crystals in Gases of High and Low Pressures, C, J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan. Ser. II. 55 (1977) 142–146. doi:10.2151/jmsj1965.55.1_142.Y. Furukawa, S. Kohata, Temperature dependence of the growth form of negative crystal in an ice single crystal and evaporation kinetics for its surfaces, J. Cryst. Growth. 129 (1993) 571–581. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(93)90493-G.N.N. Khusnatdinov, V.F. Petrenko, Fast-growth technique for ice single crystals, J. Cryst. Growth. 163 (1996) 420–425. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(95)00980-9.D. v. d. S. Roos, Rapid Production of Single Crystals of Ice, J. Glaciol. 14 (1975) 325–328. doi:10.3189/s0022143000021808.#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic and images in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Vespers - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
Big Hexagons of Ice 2: Thermoelectric Boogaloo AlphaPhoenix 2021-02-19 | A DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice CrystalsEpisode 3-and-a-half (the final episode) of my series on water ice! In this video I discuss the vapor grown ice crystals with a bit more science, and a lot more timelapses! It's amazing what you can learn aout a physical process when you can photograph it continuously for weeks…Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wA DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystalsyoutu.be/L0SYxpVab6MBig Hexagons of Ice 2: Thermoelectric Boogalooyoutu.be/VA710QYxEu0Growing Giant Snowflakes (Timelapse Supercut)youtu.be/MqIvuWsd5OICheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:twitter.com/Alpha__Phoenixreddit.com/r/TryItAgainInteresting articles for the extra-curious:J.M. Adams, W. Lewis, The Production of Large Single Crystals of Ice, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 5 (1934) 400–402. doi:10.1063/1.1751759.T. Shichiri, Faceted ice crystals grown in water without air, J. Cryst. Growth. 187 (1998) 133–137. doi:10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00839-7.P. Bisson, H. Groenzin, I.L. Barnett, M.J. Shultz, High yield, single crystal ice via the Bridgman method, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87 (2016) 034103. doi:10.1063/1.4944481.A. Cahoon, M. Maruyama, J.S. Wettlaufer, Growth-Melt Asymmetry in Crystals and Twelve-Sided Snowflakes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 255502. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.255502.T. Gonda, The Growth of Small Ice Crystals in Gases of High and Low Pressures, C, J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan. Ser. II. 55 (1977) 142–146. doi:10.2151/jmsj1965.55.1_142.Y. Furukawa, S. Kohata, Temperature dependence of the growth form of negative crystal in an ice single crystal and evaporation kinetics for its surfaces, J. Cryst. Growth. 129 (1993) 571–581. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(93)90493-G.N.N. Khusnatdinov, V.F. Petrenko, Fast-growth technique for ice single crystals, J. Cryst. Growth. 163 (1996) 420–425. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(95)00980-9.D. v. d. S. Roos, Rapid Production of Single Crystals of Ice, J. Glaciol. 14 (1975) 325–328. doi:10.3189/s0022143000021808.#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic and images in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326 Artist: http://incompetech.comen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake#/media/File:Snowflake_macro_photography_1.jpg
Impressions: Every exploit to “break the algorithm” targets this baffling metric AlphaPhoenix 2021-02-19 | Welcome to my first meta-video! Today we will be taking a break from physical science (It'l be back tomorrow) and entering the realm of computer science, with a YouTube video about impressions and the recommendation algorithm that has a self-referential updating thumbnail that tells you how many people have seen the thumbnail! I also introduce the "CTR-Watch-Time Product" as a metric for video success, effectively the additional time YouTube expects to retain a viewer by showing them a thumbnail. It's an interesting metric when youtube is behaving normally, and for videos of similar length.At the end, I go into some detail on the python script that's actually updating this thumbnail all the time. Warning: it's absolutely horrendous code…#YouTube #Algorithm #CTRWtPMusic etc. in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Deep Thought - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyPatrick "push it somewhere else" meme - Spongebob SquarepantsPurple Crewmate - Among UsGlaDOS voice and screenshot - Portal/Portal 2 by Valvecommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSIRO_ScienceImage_2042_A_row_of_computer_servers_in_a_server_rack.jpgSlack quotes from other YouTubers used with permission
A DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystals AlphaPhoenix 2021-02-12 | Episode 3 of my series on water ice! In this video I walk through my process for vapor-growing single crystals of ice. Starting with a small single-crystal substrate, a large crystal can be grown by depositing vapor. I use a vacuum chamber to evaporate/sublimate water at about -20 celcius, then a peltier cooler to deposit that water vapor back into a solid. The awesome thing is how crystallographic the samples look - lots beautiful hexagonal facets!Extra special thanks to Steve Mould for a fantastic explanation of the thermoelectric effect:youtu.be/O6waiEeXDGoOther videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wA DIY Recipe for Giant Hexagonal Ice Crystalsyoutu.be/L0SYxpVab6MBig Hexagons of Ice 2: Thermoelectric Boogaloo[TBD]Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:reddit.com/r/TryItAgaintwitter.com/Alpha__PhoenixInteresting articles for the extra-curious:J.M. Adams, W. Lewis, The Production of Large Single Crystals of Ice, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 5 (1934) 400–402. doi:10.1063/1.1751759.T. Shichiri, Faceted ice crystals grown in water without air, J. Cryst. Growth. 187 (1998) 133–137. doi:10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00839-7.P. Bisson, H. Groenzin, I.L. Barnett, M.J. Shultz, High yield, single crystal ice via the Bridgman method, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87 (2016) 034103. doi:10.1063/1.4944481.A. Cahoon, M. Maruyama, J.S. Wettlaufer, Growth-Melt Asymmetry in Crystals and Twelve-Sided Snowflakes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 255502. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.255502.T. Gonda, The Growth of Small Ice Crystals in Gases of High and Low Pressures, C, J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan. Ser. II. 55 (1977) 142–146. doi:10.2151/jmsj1965.55.1_142.Y. Furukawa, S. Kohata, Temperature dependence of the growth form of negative crystal in an ice single crystal and evaporation kinetics for its surfaces, J. Cryst. Growth. 129 (1993) 571–581. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(93)90493-G.N.N. Khusnatdinov, V.F. Petrenko, Fast-growth technique for ice single crystals, J. Cryst. Growth. 163 (1996) 420–425. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(95)00980-9.D. v. d. S. Roos, Rapid Production of Single Crystals of Ice, J. Glaciol. 14 (1975) 325–328. doi:10.3189/s0022143000021808.#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic and images in this video:Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326Artist: http://incompetech.comI Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Space Walk by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake#/media/File:Snowflake_macro_photography_1.jpg
Freezing water sounds like a special effect #shorts AlphaPhoenix 2021-02-09 | For the last few months I've been experimenting with ways to grow ice crystals, and while there's a lot to come on that front (Subscribe for the rest!), welcome to Episode 1: The Sound of Freezing! (SHORT version =D )This video is just a compilation of dendritic growth's greatest hits (at least everything I recorded, minus all the waiting for it to freeze part!) All of the clips I used in the main video in their full form (and a pitch-shifted version of the final clip so you can hear it!) Enjoy!Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Ice #Physics #shortsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
What is polycrystalline water? AlphaPhoenix 2021-01-03 | Episode 2 of my series on water ice! Admittedly this is probably the least interesting because it's some negative results, but it's not very scientific to only discuss successes right? In this video, I use a lens to melt ice from the inside out, exposing it's polycrystalline structure (and explain how it's different from a single crystal). With this partially-melted ice, I can do a bit of materials forensics, and actually figure out how it formed, hopefully so I can improve the process in the future!Next video will be on vapor growth, and I'll say right now that it DOES work to grow centimeters-big faceted single crystals! Subscribe to make sure you see it!CORRECTIONS:[none yet!]Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenixreddit.com/r/tryitagainInteresting articles for the extra-curious:J.M. Adams, W. Lewis, The Production of Large Single Crystals of Ice, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 5 (1934) 400–402. doi:10.1063/1.1751759.T. Shichiri, Faceted ice crystals grown in water without air, J. Cryst. Growth. 187 (1998) 133–137. doi:10.1016/S0022-0248(97)00839-7.P. Bisson, H. Groenzin, I.L. Barnett, M.J. Shultz, High yield, single crystal ice via the Bridgman method, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87 (2016) 034103. doi:10.1063/1.4944481.A. Cahoon, M. Maruyama, J.S. Wettlaufer, Growth-Melt Asymmetry in Crystals and Twelve-Sided Snowflakes, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 (2006) 255502. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.255502.T. Gonda, The Growth of Small Ice Crystals in Gases of High and Low Pressures, C, J. Meteorol. Soc. Japan. Ser. II. 55 (1977) 142–146. doi:10.2151/jmsj1965.55.1_142.Y. Furukawa, S. Kohata, Temperature dependence of the growth form of negative crystal in an ice single crystal and evaporation kinetics for its surfaces, J. Cryst. Growth. 129 (1993) 571–581. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(93)90493-G.N.N. Khusnatdinov, V.F. Petrenko, Fast-growth technique for ice single crystals, J. Cryst. Growth. 163 (1996) 420–425. doi:10.1016/0022-0248(95)00980-9.D. v. d. S. Roos, Rapid Production of Single Crystals of Ice, J. Glaciol. 14 (1975) 325–328. doi:10.3189/s0022143000021808.Example of "single crystal casting" through a corkscrew shaped crucible for turbine blades http://040b.synthasite.com/resources/120b.pdf#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic and images in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgman%E2%80%93Stockbarger_method#/media/File:Bridgman-Stockbarger-Technique.svgen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake#/media/File:Snowflake_macro_photography_1.jpg
3D Printing a Spritz Cookie Press! (Christmas Special) AlphaPhoenix 2020-12-22 | As the holiday season draws near (or almost misses me this year with how fast everything's moving) I took the time to make a batch of AlphaPhoenix-branded Christmas cookies!#Baking #3Dprinting #ChristmasMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
How does PLANETARY RADAR actually work? AlphaPhoenix 2020-12-03 | Arecibo was condemned a couple weeks ago, and collapsed a couple days ago as a result of a minor earthquake and well-overdue maintenance. Unfortunately, this deprives the world of its largest Radar Telescope, and radar telescopes are awesome! I've had a really hard time in the past finding good descriptions of how radar astronomy actually works - how do you take a picture of something so far away that the beam diverges by the time it gets there, and diverges even more by the time it gets back!? The answer is math and approximation. Asteroid "images" are actually not any sort of photograph, but reconstructions based on timing and spectroscopy of radar signals.I'm really happy with how all the animations and whatnot came out, and I hope you like my explanation of delay-doppler imaging! I think it's an absolutely fascinating technique that's seen as just too counterintuitive to get a lot of recognition. Delay-Doppler images aren't really "pictures", but they are sure valuable to researchers (and every human living on Earth under threat of asteroid impact!) Share this video with anybody who wants to appreciate how important Arecibo was, and what such an awesome unique instrument was capable of.#Arecibo #RebuildTheAreciboObservatory #AsteroidsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Other media in this video:Lots of public-domain NASA images, and:commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_Radiotelescopio_Panamorama_SJU_06_2019_7446.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_radio_telescope_SJU_06_2019_6144.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_Radiotelescopio_SJU_06_2019_7472.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_radio_telescope_SJU_06_2019_7497.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_Observatory_1982_(2).jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arecibo_naic_big.pngen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven#/media/File:1971rr4.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kalalau_Valley_viewed_from_the_Na_Pali_Kona_Forest_Reserve_Pihea_Trail.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Auersberg_ATC_radar_antenna_rotating.ogvcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Video_airport_radar_MEM_Memphis_TN.theora.ogven.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon#/media/File:FullMoon2010.jpgen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klystron#/media/File:Klystron.jpgen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azimuthal_equidistant_projection#/media/File:Azimuthal_equidistant_projection_SW.jpgen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azimuthal_equidistant_projection#/media/File:Azimuthal_equidistant_projection_south_SW.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ZA_Radar_Gun.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triceratops_prorsus_Restoration.jpgcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Velociraptor-by-Salvatore-Rabito-Alc%C3%B3n.jpg
How to go Faster than “Mach 1” on a Surfboard AlphaPhoenix 2020-11-22 | I'm an avid surfer, and have been wanting to make a video about the physics of surfing for a long time! There's an art to catching a big wave without crashing, and in this video I explain the physical principles that enable all of it! A surfer harvests energy from a wave, effectively by positioning themselves on a moving ramp with very little friction - or really sort of directional friction, as I'll explain in the video. Once standing on a wave, you can play a lot of games with the angle of the board to change direction and accelerate, sometimes actually going faster across the water than the wave you're riding! The footage showing angled motion on a wave comes courtesy of my brand new quadcopter which will surely be appearing in many videos in the future!shareable GIFs:gfycat.com/coarsefamiliarkoiMusic and stuff:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626 Pink Lemonade by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseImage credits:Still from Mythbusters Clip "Riding a Shockwave"go.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/riding-a-shockwaveBell X-1 rocket-powered experimental aircraft - public domainen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-1#/media/File:Bell_X-1_46-062_(in_flight).jpgWingsuit jump by Wingsuitingcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wingsuit_Flying_over_Langar_Airfield_UK.jpgFin hat from Margaritaville Caribbean Shopmargaritavillecaribbeanshop.com/collections/hats/products/margaritaville-fins-up-shark-hat#physics #surfing #waves
The Sound of Freezing: BONUS RAW FOOTAGE AlphaPhoenix 2020-11-09 | For the last few months I've been experimenting with ways to grow ice crystals, and while there's a lot to come on that front (Subscribe for the rest!), welcome to Episode 1: The Sound of Freezing! This video is just a compilation of dendritic growth's greatest hits (at least everything I recorded, minus all the waiting for it to freeze part!) All of the clips I used in the main video in their full form (and a pitch-shifted version of the final clip so you can hear it!) Enjoy!CORRECTIONS:[none yet!]Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
The Sound of Freezing: Explained! AlphaPhoenix 2020-11-09 | For the last few months I've been experimenting with ways to grow ice crystals, and while there's a lot to come on that front (Subscribe for the rest!), welcome to Episode 1: The Sound of Freezing! The vacuum-evaporation setup I used to freeze water in this video was one of the first I tried, and it wasn't until recently I realized that I had inadvertently recorded the SOUND of freezing water - I didn't think it was possible (and I thought freezing water wouldn't make a sound). In this video I explain dendritic growth of crystals, freezing water ice from supercooled liquid, and propose a source for the crackling noise that seems to accompany the formation of ice crystals! Enjoy!CORRECTIONS:[none yet!]Other videos in this series:The Sound of Freezing, Explained!youtu.be/Wd_c0A8u3lwThe Sound of Freezing (Bonus Footage)youtu.be/hpzutKRSukwWhat is polycrystalline water?youtu.be/g7ONBuVtz-wCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Some REAL science for the channel! Growing semiconducting PbSe crystals (MROP 2020 talk) AlphaPhoenix 2020-10-29 | I've posted a few videos about awesome equipment I get to use in the lab (and plan to post many more because big fancy machines are awesome) but I haven't actually explained any of my research on the channel! Well that ends today, with a real honest-to-goodness conference talk I gave this January. In our lab, we grow "rocksalt" PbSe crystals (with a structure that looks like a 3D checkerboard) on top of "zincblende" InAs crystals (with a structure that looks like a bunch of methanes stuck together). So bust out your memory of high school chemistry and learn how bonding, charges, and crystalline symmetry all matter to actual scientific research going on right now at UCSB and Stanford!Big thanks to MROP, the Materials Research Outreach Program, for having me as a speaker, and also big thanks to Ram Seshadri, Director of the Materials Research Laboratory, for giving me the OK to share this recording!http://www.mrl.ucsb.edu/materials-research-outreach-programIf anybody's ludicrously curious, here's the paper this talk was based on:doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.4.033402Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Materials #Physics #CrystalsMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Why are metals so stretchy? (2^13 sub special) AlphaPhoenix 2020-08-18 | It's play button time, and today it's made from copper foil - a surprisingly stretchable material. You wouldn't think that crystalline materials like metals could deform without destroying the atomic pattern that gives them their strength and electronic properties, but with the help of a crystal defect called a dislocation, it's super easy. Dislocations are agents of plastic deformation, traveling through crystals and enabling malleability and ductility in soft metals like copper, making them great raw materials! I hope you enjoy this dive into the materials science of plastic strain, and if this is your first video here, be sure to subscribe for more!Thanks to all my OG subscribers, and welcome to the new ones! And a big thanks to Steve Mould for sending some of his awesome fans my way. youtube.com/user/steventhebraveCorrections and Clarifications:- "Plastic deformation" is a term that means a permanent change in shape, even in metals, we call it plastic.- There are also grain boundary considerations in polycrystalline materials that I don't address at all - mostly it shows up in tension, because bubble rafts aren't ACTUALLY very ductile.- More to add when I get convinced I'm wrong!Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Materials #Physics #CrystalsThe original bubble model video from 1952 narrated by Bragg himself - a real hidden gem of matsci history.youtu.be/UEB39-jlmdwGIFs:short: gfycat.com/contentinsignificantbunnylong: gfycat.com/compassionatewavybuzzardMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626The UNKILLABLE Snake AI (Entire 30x30 game)Hestu tune from NintendoLegend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
SpaceXs Starlink, satellite flares, and spectacular twilight rocket plumes: EXPLAINED! AlphaPhoenix 2020-07-06 | If you follow as much space news as I do, you've probably heard of Starlink, the low-earth-orbit satellite-internet megaconstellation of 12,000-40,000 satellites that theoretically will be able to provide global high speed, low-latency internet. At the cost… possibly… of filling the night sky with fake stars - little moving spots of light tracing out grids overhead ALL THE TIME. Elon Musk and SpaceX have gotten significant pushback from astronomers regarding this problem, but at this point, it's unrealistic to think the launches will stop, and we need to be thinking of ways to mitigate the effects the reflections will have.In this video, I use a big scale model to explain how these satellites can be seen from Earth - how they reflect sunlight back towards Earth at night, and how this compares to the previous king of satellite flares, the first-gen Iridium constellation. I also replicate a scale model of the "visorsat" sunshade that will hopefully be effective in blocking the bright reflections from Starlink satellites that have yet to be launched. I also discuss the "twilight effect" that makes rocket launch exhaust plumes so incredible at dusk.CORRECTIONS:- the "bottom of space" arrow points to the highest livable altitude. The atmosphere still exists here, but it would imply that Everest climbers have been to space... maybe not accurate... the edge of space is often defined as the Kármán line, but humans would be dead long before getting there.USEFUL DISCUSSIONS:[reddit link soon probably]Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Astronomy #SpaceX #StarlinkMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Till With Bell.wav from Benboncan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licenseOther references:"Falcon 9 Nebula" - Brian Haidetapod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181012.htmlredbubble.com/i/art-print/Artificial-Nebula-by-BrianHaidet/34407841.1G4ZTStarlink inspired satellite - 3d model by Michal_King thingiverse.com/thing:4309237Apollo 11 Saturn V launch - NASA, Public DomainParker Solar Probe rendering - NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben, Public DomainAbout 2 L of RP-1 - Maxhaot, Creative Commons, AttributionA wad of United States dollars - Psychonaught, Public DomainISS, Crew 27 - NASA, Public DomainBoeing 747 - Aero Icarus, Creative Commons, AttributionMount Everest as seen from Drukair - Bhutan Card 02 085, Creative Commons, AttributionStarlink Launch Footage - SpaceX, Fair UseIridium first-gen replica - Cliff, Creative Commons, AttributionIridium coverage animation - GrandDixence@Wikipedia, Public DomainIridium NEXT Satellite - Iridium Communications, Fair UseStarlink Satellite Renderings - SpaceX, Fair UseCompany Logos of: SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon, Iridium, Fair UseCirero Tololo Observatory - Hernán Stockebrand, Creative Commons, Attribution#FieldOfSatTrails Image - Twitter, Cliff Johnson, @lcjohnso, Fair Use"Stalking Darksat" headline, UniverseToday.com, David Dickinson, Fair UseVISORSAT headline, Twitter, SpaceNews, @SpaceNews_Inc, Fair Use
Why does smoke from a soldering iron ALWAYS go towards your face??? AlphaPhoenix 2020-05-28 | Today I've finally answered a question that's bothered me for a long time - if you've ever used a soldering iron, it FEELS like the smoke is ALWAYS blowing directly towards your face, but for years I wrote it off as confirmation bias. It's not. There's a real physical reason the smoke is funneled annoyingly towards your eyeballs, and in this video, aided by a plane laser and a smoke machine, I figure it out!CORRECTIONS:1: Safety! Turns out mineral oil smoke CAN be toxic and produce Lipoid Pneumonia, thanks to Cheetah Spottycat below for pointing this out. I chose it initially because the internet told me it wouldn't leave residue all over my garage, but I cannot endorse it as a try-this-at-home technique!USEFUL DISCUSSIONS:reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/gsfayl/its_not_just_confirmation_bias_solder_smokehackaday.com/2020/06/01/why-does-solder-smoke-always-find-your-faceGIFS:gfycat.com/querulousunsightlybrownbeargfycat.com/easyindelibledegusgfycat.com/helpfuleachcatCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Science #Lasers #SolderingMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Arcadia - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100326Artist: http://incompetech.com
How to evaporate a metal AlphaPhoenix 2020-05-09 | CORRECTIONS:[none yet]Welcome to Episode Two of my series about molecular beam epitaxy! In this video, I'm talking about the best way to shoot a beam of atoms at something… As much as that sounds like a crazy scifi weapon, it's actually a great technique for delivering material to a growing crystalline thin film. All materials, even solids, have a vapor pressure and are slowly evaporating. When you put a chunk of material in a vacuum chamber and get it hot, it can evaporate so fast the vapor can be directed towards a target! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the MBE I could address in future videos!Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Crystals #Materials #EngineeringThe MBE Lab is part of the Materials Department at UCSB. Filmed with permission.Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Till With Bell.wav from Benboncan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licensePhase diagram of water.svg from Wikimedia Commons by Cmglee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licenseHermes Conrad - Character from Futurama, Matt Groening
Air-tight vs. Vacuum-tight AlphaPhoenix 2020-03-14 | When I'm not making YouTube videos, I'm growing crystals in a Molecular Beam Epitaxy vacuum chamber held about 12 orders of magnitude below atmospheric pressure. This is the first in what I'm hoping will be a series of videos featuring the MBE chamber, and this time I'm talking about leaks: how to find the tiniest leaks in the most sensitive systems, and how an MBE can be considered basically a perfect pressure vessel with no air leaking in or out at any time. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the MBE I could address in future videos!Check out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Vacuum #Materials #EngineeringThe MBE Lab is part of the Materials Department at UCSB. Filmed with permission.Extra graphics in this video:ConFlat flange diagrams from Kurt J. Lesker and Vacs SEVMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
The UNKILLABLE Snake AI (Entire 30x30 game) AlphaPhoenix 2020-02-17 | If you're anything like me, you'll love zoning out watching a computer play a very basic computer game for hours on end. Here's a half-hour game - the median from my best algorithm - played back at 30 fps.CODE!github.com/BrianHaidet/AlphaPhoenix/tree/master/Snake_AI_(2020a)_DHCR_with_strategyHere's my original Snake AI video that explains how it all works:youtu.be/TOpBcfbAgPgCheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Snake #AI #MathMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Operatic 3 by Vibe Mountain is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseMountain by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseDeserts by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseStay with You by Silent Partner Acid Jazz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseAcid Jazz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)Source: freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Jazz_Sampler/AcidJazz_1430Artist: http://incompetech.comSurfing Llama by Bird Creek is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseBoogieBounce by Drew Banga is licensed under a Creative Commons licensePink Lemonade by Silent Partner is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseWay Out West by Chris Haugen is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseSpace Coast by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseNot the Only One by Rondo Brothers is licensed under a Creative Commons licenseMove Ya by Max Surla/Media Right Productions is licensed under a Creative Commons license
How to Win Snake: The UNKILLABLE Snake AI AlphaPhoenix 2020-02-17 | I watched the CodeBullet Snake AI video on the morning after Thanksgiving and spent WAAAAYY too much time working on an AI of my own. I present to you: Snake, as played algorithmically with Dynamic Hamiltonian Cycle Repair. The snake can never die - like really, actually, literally, can't be killed - it's just a matter of how fast it wins the game…If you, like me, enjoy watching snakes run around eating apples for hours on end, enjoy this follow-up where I took the median-length game from my best performing algorithm and posted the whole darn thing on YouTube:youtu.be/YqL7bl3I5IECheck out the other social media for updates and ramblings:facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__Phoenix#Snake #AI #MathCODE!github.com/BrianHaidet/AlphaPhoenix/tree/master/Snake_AI_(2020a)_DHCR_with_strategySnake References:@CodeBullet CodeBullet's (Most recent) snake video: youtu.be/tjQIO1rqTBE@johnflux1John Tapsell's Nokia snake project: johnflux.com/2015/05/02/nokia-6110-part-3-algorithmsMathworks File Exchange Reference:A* code originally written by Einar Uelandmathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/56877-astar-algorithmActual MATH Papers:http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GridGraph.htmlepubs.siam.org/doi/10.1137/0211056http://www.cs.technion.ac.il/~itai/publications/Algorithms/Hamilton-paths.pdfhttps://drops.dagstuhl.de/opus/volltexte/2018/9951/pdf/LIPIcs-ISAAC-2018-3.pdflink.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-31770-5_8arxiv.org/pdf/1008.0541v1.pdfarxiv.org/pdf/1707.05994.pdfhttps://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:9443/doi/pdf/10.1002/%28SICI%291097-0118%28199601%2921%3A1%3C43%3A%3AAID-JGT6%3E3.0.CO%3B2-Msciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/002001909090053Zen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamiltonian_path_problem#Algorithmshttp://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.23.6765&rep=rep1&type=pdfhttp://weber.itn.liu.se/~valpo40/pages/hamtile.pdfsciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304397515007719sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0012365X9500330YOther clips in this video:xkcd.com/356Morbo "Dooom" (Futurama)"That's Illegal" meme (Red vs. Blue)Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
The muon-powered, universe-bifurcating, random number machine AlphaPhoenix 2020-01-07 | facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChanneltwitter.com/Alpha__PhoenixThis video has been 4 years in the making… In undergrad I started work on a random number generator that used a geiger tube to generate random pulses and a nixie as the primary display (here's the ancient "it almost works" video: youtu.be/dTjmuii5boA). Unfortunately, I couldn't prove it was actually working back then because I couldn't make the geiger tick faster with the test alpha source I had (alpha particles get blocked super-easily). I rebuilt the thing this past summer, and FINALLY got to making the video! I hope you enjoy it!If you're interested, here's a nice relatively-plain-English summary of the many-worlds-hypothesis (Rick and Morty) and it mentions the competing Copenhagen interpretation (Schrodinger's cat).pbs.org/wgbh/nova/manyworlds/original.html#Random #Physics #MakerMusic in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Images in this video:Rick and Morty from Rick and Morty on Adult Swim1925 Model T from ModelTMitchThe Rocinante from The Expanse on Syfy/Amazon Prime
Making the Worlds Smallest Play Button (2^12 subscriber special) AlphaPhoenix 2019-09-04 | For this project I got the chance to show off one of my favorite tools from work, the Focused Ion Beam! In this video, I use the FIB to 3d print and etch away material at the nanoscale, making a youtube play button that's only 1 hundredth of a millimeter across. It's made of an amorphous mix of platinum and carbon, and it's so small you need an electron microscope to see it properly. Enjoy!Also: Thanks to all my subscribers!Also also: Leave comments for new fabrication techniques for the 2^13 button!Also also also: I started a Facebook page for AlphaPhoenix! Follow the page and share with your friends! facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChannelThat was a lot of exclamation marks… - here's the extra stuff:#WorldRecord #Nanoscale #MicroscopeFilmed in the Materials department at UCSB with permission.Music in this video:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626BoogieBounce by Drew Banga is licensed under a Creative Commons license
Overcomplicating GOLF by simulating every possible shot AlphaPhoenix 2019-08-17 | Extra note: I'm starting a Facebook page for AlphaPhoenix with video updates and info about projects I'm working on! facebook.com/AlphaPhoenixChannelIn this video I take a trip to Thistle Dhu, the famous putting course at Pinehurst and write a matlab program to simulate a million putts at once, all in an effort to map "Phase Spaces" of golf. There's a common scientific mindset normally referred to as a phase space or parameter space, where you express everything that could happen in an experiment in terms of the variables you can control. In the case of putting a golf ball, the ball can go in the hole, or it can miss completely - if it misses, we also care how far from the hole it stopped. You only actually have control of two variables while putting a golf ball, the initial speed and initial direction. After you hit the ball, physics takes over!By popular request, here's some code!github.com/BrianHaidet/AlphaPhoenix/tree/master/Golf_green_Verlet_simulator_phase-spaceMusic:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626Graphic based on plot from McSkimming et al., (2014) 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2013.10.013
How to Boil Water With Water (pt. 2: experiment setup) AlphaPhoenix 2019-07-23 | For anybody who wants to try the "boil water with water" experiment for themselves, you're in the right place! This video gives a quick overview of the setup and explains how you set up the experiment to boil water with no applied heat or vacuum pump.The original video: youtu.be/hHNoHhbfFDQMusic:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Boil Water at Room Temperature with 50 ft. of Hose and a Stairway AlphaPhoenix 2019-07-23 | This was a fun quick experiment that makes a great physics demo about pressures and state-changes of matter. Everybody's seen water boil on a stove, but at the University of Toledo's Saturday Physics days when I was little, I once saw water boil in a vacuum chamber, and for some reason that stuck with me. A few weeks ago I got the idea to try to boil water at low pressure, not with a real mechanical vacuum pump, but by using a massive column of water as a sort of by-default vacuum generator. I used no heat and no motorized pump, but I boiled water at room temperature using only $25 of hardware store parts and an old heavy-duty waterbottle. Enjoy!If you want to try this experiment yourself, I've got a bit more information about physically building and setting up the apparatus here: youtu.be/yYBQHFCqw_AMusic:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626
Starlink satellite train seen over southern California (May 25, 2019, 21:20) AlphaPhoenix 2019-05-26 | Footage of the just-launched Starlink constellation from Santa Barbara. You may want to play it in 4k resolution even on a 1080 or smaller monitor to decrease the size of the compression artifacts. This footage was pretty noisy originally and YouTube's compression seems to have done a number on it again. The gfycat link might even be better...gfycat.com/LinedDishonestLabradorretrieverI saw the awesome video from Marco Langbroek (sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2019/05/wowowow-spectacular-view-of-spacex.html) yesterday and wanted to try my hand at catching a wide-field view of the still-unfurling Starlink test constellation. Turns out I WAS able to catch the main train, and even got a bunch of the "stragglers" I believe are now under power and actively separating from the pack. I used a Sony a6000 with a Samyang 12mm f/2.0 all the way open, and I was talking 1/2" exposures with an iso of 3200. I had to push the iso pretty hard to get short enough exposures not to turn the entire satellite train into a single blur - they were moving at about 1 degree/sec and I'm used to taking pictures of stars that only move a degree every four minutes… So even with some really heavy noise reduction in lightroom and some deflickering in matlab, please excuse the noisy image - I don't have a low-light-designed "video" camera. These images were taken at 1 fps (fastest my intervelometer goes) and played back at 30x speed.I was on Campus Point at UCSB looking southeast towards Santa Cruz Island. I was expecting some noise in the prediction (n2yo.com/?s=74001) based on the nature of these satellites, so set up my gear in advance, barely catching the train as it arrived about 10 minutes early.Music Credits:I Dunno by grapes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)http://ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626New Land by ALBIS is licensed under a Creative Commons license
