December Video --- Ice

Super cool story about that Japanese scientist! I find it always fascinating to not only look at the factual side of topics but to understand: who did this, and why did they do this? Under what circumstances? What was the perception of their contemporaries? Which random occasion contributed to that person's discovery or development? I find that not only do I learn a great deal more about the world in general that way, but it also makes everything come alive so much more. Everything is a story. Every day of every human is a story. No one ever did anything without a story, a history, a context.

If we want to get the public to better understand the concept behind "all snowflakes are unique", maybe it would help to say it's the same with lots of other structures, and even on microscopic scales. Two crumbs of bread will *never* be exactly alike.

Have you ever looked at the crust. That curious pockmarked appearance. I've been told (by someone somewhen) it's because of sublimation, but now I'm not so sure. You usually see that surface when you have had a run of dry sunny days, but maybe it's just melting and running down and away. Could be a fun little field exercise to figure out.

Heat of Fusion: takes 160 times a much heat to change on gram of ice at 0 degrees C to one gram of liquid water at 0 C than it did to take that 1g of ice from -1C to 0 C.

I like these glasses. Top 3.

Now I wish I'd signed up for the Patreon sooner. The search for life on Enceladus and Europa is right in the middle of what I do, and you did it well in a short segment. The nice thing about both destinations is that we aren't limited to remote observations - we can send landers or plume samplers to measure the chemistry and look for actual cells preserved in the ice. Both get resurfaced relatively quickly by ice motion and water flow, so the surfaces should give samples of what's inside the liquid centers.

“I think,” Angela pauses, disappointed that she forgot the pronunciation already. Muttering dejectedly, “oh my gosh,” she clicks the speaker icon. The computer promptly announces “Enceladus,” and wags figurative tail. “I think Enceladus is a little more interesting, ” Angela continues, going on to make a cool point. I find this sort of easy to remove moment, not edited out, so funny and charming!

I just joined Patreon and I’ve been going through the old videos. I don’t think anyone has answered you about the pictures of snowflakes being different colours but if they haven’t, here goes. The authors mention in the text that some pictures are taken with a polarising microscope. In my current life as a pathologist we use polarising microscopes to identify certain crystals by the way they refract polarised light. We were taught that when using a microscope with a red filter and a polariser, uric acid (gout) will appear yellow as it is negatively birefringent. Calcium pyrophosphate (pseudogout) is positively birefringent so appears blue. When we do these studies the background will be red with the crystals being blue or yellow respectively. But to be honest I never learnt or was taught the physics behind this and my last physics course was close to 20 years ago.

If i may offer this advice re: the temperature video— Don't forget to have fahrenheight: four fifty fun!

Regarding the topic of how to teach yourself physics, I would find it helpful to get schooled at length on how to approach physics problems. I'm trained in math and have trouble thinking like a physicist. I can stop thinking like a mathematician, but then what? :-) For example, in your space elevator video, you jump immediately to introducing centrifugal acceleration. That requires an intuition that is hard to come by if one is self-taught. At least for me. When I thought about the problem I got hung up on rope tension. I got to the same answer, but more slowly. Your integral is actually just bookkeeping for the tension, but it's so clear to you that you didn't even say it. Maybe a set of examples could come from the following. The discussion here refuting the myth that "ice is strong" could use a bit more clarification. It isn't just that icebergs are really big. If the titanic had hit a 200 foot fluffy pillow it probably would not have sunk, right? So ice must be sort-of strong. Something has to happen when one tries to compress it too much. How does this work?

I can't get the video to start. Patreon app on iPhone. Anyone else? Am quite bummed.

Regarding learning physics, the MIT Opencourseware class on Quantum Mechanics is the best I’ve seen. I haven’t made it to the end yet, but the first few classes that I could follow really helped clarify things I never really understood like superposition and the wave function. Adams is also one of those teachers that are so incredibly psyched about the topic and his enthusiasm is great. Here’s the first lecture https://youtu.be/lZ3bPUKo5zc?si=n86893PT8W9lqtry

I want you to make a list of books that are no longer in print that we want to do a print run for. What a fun group project we could all contribute to (I'm ready to buy some out of print snow science books)

I'm new to the patreon party, so didn't vote on ice -- this was great, as always, but I would love to see a sequel (maybe next winter season) where you delve into all the different numbered forms of ice, I'm sure some are better / more real than others? GPT totally loses its mind on this one as evidenced by Goggle Search's wonderful (non)-AI synopsis: "According to scientists, there are more than 300 types of ice. However, others say there are between 20 and 74,963 forms of ice. " Yeah, so useful : ) Anyhow I think they might be up to real Ice XIX, but then there's also Charli XCX, so there's always that ; )

I work on the ALMA telescope. Cryogenic electronics are making possible the ALMA telescope and many others all over the world. We work with SIS mixers designed to work at 4 K. Also with magnet coils requiring the same. Also with amplifiers and other electronics where the colder the better. So I vote for temperature as a topic.

I watched it. Thank you for making me want to learn physics on my own. I cant right now because I make Python and JavaScript and C code almost all the time.

Something I'd love to see discussed in the self teaching physics video is an approach to knowledge retention and notes taking. I'm a first year physics undergrad and I'm having a hard time figuring out whether to make summaries to reference back to while solving problems or to just look it up in the book again. Another thing I'm wondering is: would you focus more on learning the derivations of equations or how to apply them to problems? I've noticed that it's dependent on the course which is more emphasized (or tested for).

Great video! I'm not a biologist, but I do have a degree in geology. The pink background in the microscope images looks to me to be a cross polarized light (XPL) image with a some wavelength retardation plate in line with the microscope. Generally using XPL images lets you see internal stresses and thicknesses, and using wavelengths lets you determine crystallization directions.

https://twitter.com/samgerrits/status/1732476731598979297

Feynman did fire. Collier has done ice. We need three more scientists to complete the summoning.

Another really nICE video. As for what you said about next year’s videos. I would go for it. Quality over quantity, but perhaps more importantly, enjoyment over feeling of having to produce a certain amount of material each month. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that your genuine enthusiasm (or lack thereof in the rants) is such an enormous quality of your work. So screw monthly quota, enjoy yourself and we will be very grateful.

What's interesting about the snow mounds, is they not only hollow out, but get more icy. Likely because of the day/night that/freeze cycle?

A discussion around timelines and milestones would be helpful. At some point, I'd like to study quantum. However, I have a goal for that knowledge. When I start studying it, I would like to be able to apply it within a certain time frame. In the case of being physics literate to read papers, should I expect to study for a year, two years, etc. How do I know when my level of understanding is sufficient enough to move to a new area of study? Also, for 1,000K, how about we give you a month off, so you can rest? I'm good if you take some time, so I get more videos overall. Can you negotiate a vacation schedule with your patreon subscribers? On the topic of ice, are the facts presented at the start of the song 'Cold' by Tanya Tagak accurate in a lab setting? https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gsk5bjo3lk&si=Wg9LX2wVHDioOE-f

Regarding Albedo vs. molecular structure of ice, The Albedo effect would not have any protective effect on the Earth's temperature if ice didn't actually float on the water underneath due to the change in molecular structure, so both are important? Just saying.

A variant of the learning physics video that would appeal to me would be “yes, you did well in AP Physics a million years ago and have learned near zero since then. Let’s build on that!” I did take an astrophysics class in college and got completely creamed. Loved the class, though! 🙂

So excited for ESA's JUICE and NASA's Clipper and what they will find on the Galilean moons, especially Europe and Ganymede. Btw, JUICE has to to do a lot of gravitational assists before it can start it's voyage to Jupiter. I've wondered how they computed this. Is the math too difficult or could you tell us in a vid how they calculate projects like this? Clipper will leave end next year, perhaps you can tell us how they did the calculations a month before depart.

For the "learning physics" -- it might be helpful to break it up by level. As an example: "if you want to learn newtonian, do ... If you want to learn GR, do ..." etc.

ooh I'm excited for this one! also, about the new year video: I'd love it if you talked about learning physics in university and your experience as a fem person in STEM. I'm starting my Bachelor's in Physics in February and I'm a bit scared... I'm used to the guys in CompSci, but people say physics professors have a bit of a (bad) reputation. Much love, thanks for inspiring me as always :)

I just broke my foot kicking ice like you suggested

Enjoyed the video and learned a lot, thanks! To answer your question, I thought you might get into the different kinds of water ice beyond ice I. I'm sure there's tons to unpack there, maybe later! Also, on snowflakes, have you seen this Veritasium on snowflakes!? I think this guy built that lab; he manufactures custom snowflakes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao2Jfm35XeE

Nancy Knight collected two identical(ish) snowflakes from an airplane in 1988 (photo: https://opensky.ucar.edu/islandora/object/imagegallery%3A2586). I learned this as a kid from a book on weather! I learned a lot of physics from the Feynman lectures and from Walter Lewin's videos... but ughhhhhhhhh they are both serial sexual harassers and there just HAS to be something out there that is comprehensive, engaging, and accurate, but also created by a vaguely decent person. I like teaching, so when I was in grad school and the news about Lewin came out, I thought about producing an alternative Lewin-like series myself. But then I got a "real job" and it turns out that after working all day I don't actually want to do additional work. Maybe some day....

I think the most important part of being skilled at being self taught is to be comfortable being ignorant. Read something over your skill level and maybe you get 10% but keep reading. If you get dissuaded because you feel incompetent in your learning then you won't get those little bits that you need to put together which will eventually happen if you keep at it. Also, I think it is good to have a practice of making a mental model and then use what you are reading to challenge that mental model. If the mental model you are developing doesn't seem to work, don't be afraid to change it. All analogies are wrong, but some are useful. And analogies become especially useful when you can use them but you also have some idea when they are just analogies and don't capture everything.

Please see my prior comment for the edit about Snowflake Bentley (arg, Patreon's editor publishing on hitting ENTER got me again).

I moved from northern Michigan to Portland a few years ago and, despite being about the same latitude, Portland gets almost no snow (and people freak out and somehow drive even worse when we do). Anyway, that picture you included of the giant snow mountain in an otherwise snow-free parking lot was somehow the most nostalgic thing I've ever seen.

Another great video! I was wondering when you'd get to albedo and then you featured it as the single most important thing about ice, more important that density. Edit: Along with commenter Rob Jones I also wondered about symmetry. My guess is that the weather conditions define strict rules for the places where the next parts of the crystal can form, something like how cellular automata rules shape what is created. (My avatar is an r-pentomino from the Game of Life conceived by mathematician John Conway.) I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention Wilson (Snowflake) Bentley from Vermont who was the first to photograph snowflakes. He coauthored a book also titled Snow Crystals that was published in 1931 and has since been reprinted and is not expensive.

11:23 dramatic coffee pause thinking of a specific word .. was that where the student is supposed to chime in with the word/phrase? Like a Hermione Grainger moment?

I don't know if this counts, but one of the best books I ever read that taught me a lot was Godel, Escher, Bach. Obviously, it's not a textbook, but the story / puzzle / parallel business really made a very complicated topic manageable, and it was a very fun read. I'll have to puzzle over actual textbooks I've liked over the years, there are definitely some that have been good .. and many that have been bad.

Man I wish it would snow, so I can go Kick it!! -- And Thanks for exposing us to Ukichiro Nakaya - very cool. - Cheers

Pretty fun direction to go in!You can take photos of snowflakes with a macro lens on a normal camera. I imagine the pink was a style choice and that's why there's no info on it: The yellow light reflecting off the red is really cool as well.

I think one of the top ten for ice (but maybe it is really for water) is that the density of water is greatest at 4 degC, which prevents (or makes significantly more unlikely) lakes from freezing all the way down and killing all the life in them. Is that relevant for an Ice Planet?

Not a physicist, let alone a snoflake scientist, but the pink background on the snowflake pictures reminds me of ruby bearings in swiss watches. I imagine they would need a really flat, uniform surface that behaves predictably to grow and photograph snowflakes on. So it could be ruby sapphire maybe

Just some production comments. When you overlay a graph or text in post production, a lot of times, it is not on the screen long enough, especially graphs. It would be nice if you could figure out how to put the graph up in the corner, where it could stay for a little while, while still being able to see you. Or show the graph as full screen with your face in the corner

I just love all about this video, including the comment section.

Great video on ice! I would love some more weather-related content. I must recommend the book Inventing Temperature by Hasok Chang as a fascinating historical and philosophical take on temperature. Really neat philosophy of science. It's one of my favorite books.

the second best thing i could have asked for, for christmas! https://imgur.com/i5mEnyy (reusing this, sorry, it makes me giggle). Love the teach yourself physics idea, there are so many things I'd love to learn about physics, but just a tiny bit of guidance is needed from someone knowledgeable or I bury myself in books I can't get out from under.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.4159/harvard.9780674182769/html "Snow Crystals: Natural and Artificial" is $65 from the publisher. Doesn't have the cool cover jacket like the picture on Amazon.

Thanks for another great video! (My only slight disappointment is that you didn’t explain why snowflakes are symmetrical and I get pretty confused by that. Like how does arm 3 know to attach its side branches in the same way as arm 1? So now I might be forced to look it up myself, with all the effort that entails. 🥵 So maybe one day you could do an Ice Part II video and cover symmetry. And you could also discuss Ice 9 from the Vonnegut story… which I’ve always meant to read and haven’t. Gosh, all my suggestions are just ways you could help make up for my laziness, aren’t they? ) Anyway, back to the main point: yet another great video, thanks!

lemme get some uhhhhhhhh textbook recommendations so I can borrow them from libgen, I’ve found self-study just with a textbook on my own time to be a really great way of learning, actually

Answers in books are not generally useful for me. For me they usually only act as an early indicator on whether my solution was more or less on track. Sometimes they are useful in helping me backtrack from there and figure out where I went wrong or maybe how I could improve something. But, maybe because my mind just works different than most folks (it seems, maybe, kind of) or the path of rocks I jump onto while crossing the River of Solving is just so random, I usually find answers that show their work as bewildering and frustrating because that isn't remotely how I solved it or thought about it so they either discourage me or are pointless for me. I spend a lot of time these days trying to implement astrophotography devices. I have no background in electronics, optics, or engineering but I find the process extremely fun and challenging. Here, "the answers" can useful to me to make sure my implementation is working within expectations or not. The answers, in these cases, are usually just online calculators that I can compare my code or analysis with to see how well I did, or did not, implement a solution. I love doing this ... basically learning without a net because I have to figure it out, design a solution, and create it just to be able to then see if anything I came up with was even remotely correct. So many failures, wrong turns, and misunderstandings on my part but just so, so, much fun. College and textbooks (of which I have plenty of experience with both in my past) just does not compare. However ... there is one thing a curriculum has that I do kind of miss: an endpoint with a selected and achievable path through the maze. I might be having fun and I am building things that fit me and my understanding of astrophotography at that point I am building the things but ... at some point it is just easier to buy everything and call it a day, right? I'm not independently wealthy, or anything, so the thought of buying a $20k astro rig and having a $50k backyard observatory built gives me the heebie-jeebies and I lose interest in going any farther. My interest is obviously not the outcome but the journey ... I've figure that much out. But, in learning something this broad AND deep in scope (hahah) what can be done to keep the journey real, educational, fun, and vibrant ... but also actually making progress in reaching a higher knowledge and/or wisdom level? Sometimes I feel I am just wandering aimlessly and will never get anywhere even though, by all accounts from folks around, I have come stupidly far in a very short span of time. This is what I'm interested in knowing more about. I have no curriculum because none exists. I sometimes find others doing very similar things to what I'm trying to do, and I try learning from their work, but at least as often I seem to be largely on my own because I haven't found the crowd of like-minds crowding together while like-minding their way through their journey. This is what I struggle with. Not knowing if I'm actually making any progress getting to wherever it is that I might be trying to get to and having absolutely no idea how much longer, or harder, the rest of the journeying in front of me is going to get. A curriculum (a good one, anyway) has vetted these issues already but I am unaware of any curriculums out there that might be helpful in helping me to continue trudging onwards.

Hi Angela!! I just finished applying for my PhD in mol bio 🤞🏼 and I want to use my electives as an opportunity to learn more physics. while it’s obviously not “teaching yourself” I would be interested to know if you were in my shoes, what sort of physics would you want to learn?? Im hoping to concentrate my research in structural biology (NMR, cryo-EM, protein-protein interactions, DNA/RNA folding, etc) so physics adjacent to that :) would love to hear your thoughts ❤️

I always wonder if Brilliant.org is *actually* any good or if it's just got a big marketing budget. Hopefully a review behind a paywall wouldn't affect any sponsorship opportunities.

I love the “how to teach yourself physics” idea. I’m finishing up my masters in Mathematics now and your videos have inspired me to try to buy some intro level physics textbooks when I’m done just to do some self study. I can’t speak for what anyone else finds helpful but for me having books with a lot of exercises AND ANSWERS IN THE BACK so you can check them. I need to have that repetition or anything I read and comprehend goes right out of my brain within weeks.

Can you make a video talking about the law of conservation of energy— or even better, how energy is transferred through the bond breaking process is molecules?