A Physics Prof Bet Me $10,000 I'm Wrong

Derek, can you just turn Veritasium into a gambling channel where scientists with opposing views put money on the table and face off to try to convince one another of the true answer? I'd watch that.

"You have a much lower error rate than most youtubers" is probably the highest mark of approval you can get from a uni professor !!!

Kusenko, you legend. Anyone who speaks his mind in a situation like this, gets corrected, and controls his ego like advanced human, putting fun and progress first is the MVP.

Kusenko has my respect, losing bet in your own science and keeping it civil and admitting he is wrong is truly respectful. he has the balls

Wow, I forgot that rational and intelligent people who can have a disagreement, openly listen to arguments against their point of view, and then admit they were wrong and change their minds still exist. It's such a rare thing nowadays.

the world needs more scientists, disagreeing about something and the only thing that happens is a very civil discussion.

Professor Kusenko gets my respect. Being able to accept being wrong and pay out the bet shows a lot about his personality. His students are lucky to have him as a mentor.

i love that the professor only was challenging this point because he thaught "you made a mistake here which you dont often do and i dont want you to accidently spread misinformation since you usually are a very trustworthy source"

The professor is a true man of science. He was wrong, admitted failure, and learned something new! If only all scientists were so pure.

I learned that if a UCLA professor says I’m wrong, then I should hire a MIT professor to prove him wrong

Derek's misleading when he says Professor Kusenko “changed his mind in light of the evidence.” Professor Kusenko never changed his mind and still believes the Blackbird doesn’t work. He only conceded the bet on a technicality, still insisting it was just the wind pushing it along. From Rick Cavallero: "He conceded on a technicality - that the vehicle moves marginally faster than the wind temporarily." "I offered him another $10,000 bet because his technicality is entirely wrong, but I know I won't be hearing from him." So Professor Kusenko is not a rockstar or some scientific legend. Personally, I think he was just an egotistical professor who thought he could publicly school Rick Cavellero and some dumb YouTuber, only to end up getting schooled himself. And his ego was too bruised for him to ever even consider admitting he was be wrong. Hardly very scientific of him now...

Awesome understanding and explanation. The best part of this explanation is that it is mathematically and physically robust because of those equations of power. This is why Veritasium is my favorite YouTube channel, a consistency of good quality content that can be seen in every video. And with this, this video has become my favorite video on my favorite YouTube channel. Well done!⛵⛵

He disagreed, he still disagreed and then he realised that he was wrong and conceded his position. If only matters of politics and other public debate would be handled in such professional manner…

Are we not gonna talk about how he can just summon Neil degrasse Tyson and Bill Nye at his will

Being wrong is the best thing to happen, providing the opportunity to learn what one didn’t know before. Being respectful and humble about being wrong is championship caliber!

Wonderful point at the end! Last year I wrote software for NASA that did my job for them. I then retired happy. In my last two weeks, coworkers realized that they didn’t know enough about the physics behind my software. I was thrilled and commented, “I’m happy to be challenged!” I wanted them to USE my software confidently. I laid out the ENTIRE set of equations leading from start to finish. Everyone including me was satisfied. If there was a mistake (there wasn’t) I WANTED to know. Peer review is highly important.

"So I called Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye" hot DAMN that's a flex and a half

Being wrong is painful, accepting that you’re wrong takes courage. Bet or no bet, I admire the professor and veritasium

Wow interesting~ Good for the professor having a level-headed conversation about this topic.

This reminds me of science history where scientists would publicly debate their ideas. Both parties made convincing arguments and from the start i knew the two of you guys were educated and strong-willed; regardless of who was wrong, both of you guys look like better men for it. Would love to see videos with a similar styled format! The appeal for me however is seeing two smart people discuss small possible problems, not crazy stuff. Had to rewatch a few times to follow the math a bit better, and thats what Im here for. Stuff like this makes me want to learn and dive headfirst into equations I normally wouldnt pay a second thought to