Things You Thought You Knew – Stars, Speed, and Energy in the Sun



How is energy different from matter? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice breakdown what energy is and where it comes from, ancient theories about sight, and how wheels keep us moving.

Explore physics, thermodynamics, and more! What is energy? How did the idea of energy come to be? Learn about how early scientists thought about energy, kinetic versus potential energy, and how energy gets released. We discuss energy in food, fuel, bombs, and the sun. It is energy that built civilization, but will it also destroy it?

How did Greek mythology influence the stars? We explore the myth of Medusa and what it shows about ancient theories about sight. Learn about discovering the mechanism of sight in the golden age of Islam. Are there other examples of misconceptions about sight in mythology? We explore the constellation of Perseus, the head of Medusa, and the variable star that is her eye.

What part of a moving train is going backward while the train is going forwards? We delve into the physics of wheels and how they move us. Did you know that when you’re driving there is a part of your car that’s going 0 mph? Find out the physics that’s happening in your wheels. What part of the car is going twice the speed? Learn how the wheels of trains and different wheel shapes. Is there only one usable shape for a wheel?

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 – Introduction
00:23 – What Part of a Car is Going Zero Miles Per Hour?
3:41 – The Speed of the Wheels
7:56 – Tricking a Radar Gun
10:24 – Different Shaped Wheel
13:00 – Discovering Energy
15:58 – Potential Energy
18:05 – Heat, Friction, & Converting Energy
19:40 – How Do You Get Energy From a Molecule?
21:48 – Chemical & Nuclear Energy
22:46 – Using and Storing Our Energy
25:20 – Solar Energy
27:56 – Algol & The Myth of Medusa
31:20 – Ancient Misconceptions
35:28 – Making Sense of Our World

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29 thoughts on “Things You Thought You Knew – Stars, Speed, and Energy in the Sun”

  1. Little slip up by chuck there. Lot's wife turned to salt. He said stone. About the wheel it's like the length of the day in a year. The highest point is fastest the lowest point is 0. The front-most point and the back-most point are equal to the speed of the car. As the wheel spins, the point goes from bottom (0) to the back where it speeds up until it reaches the top at 2x speed then slows down back to 0 as it moves back to the bottom. So while at any given moment there is a point with the speed of 0 it is not the same point a moment later. A regular circle also has an equal distance between top to bottom so I wonder what the benifites are of that other wheel.

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  2. Slightly agitated by the wheel discussion because the surface of the wheel is always going the same speed as the car. The direction is what changes. Near the center of the wheel it would be slower because there's less distance to cover in that circle. Friction with earth moves the car, only because it can't move the planet.

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  3. If energy is mass in motion or the potential thereof, and since motion of mass is relative, then energy relative to the observer's reference frame. But relative motion abounds since there are infinite reference planes. Which is correct?

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  4. I wish so badly that Chuck would just sit back and be silent more often…his constant interjections and interruptions are just a massive distraction and honestly frustrating. I'm just here to listen to Neil disseminate fascinating information like this, without the constant pauses and cheap laughs. I get adding the comedy bit to it, bit I think it's just too much. Just give me the good info!! 🤘

    That being said, loved the info in this episode, once I got it finally around all of the interruptions 🤣

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