Power Showdown: Lasers vs. Lightning

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Lasers vs Lightning- Which Is More Powerful?

Mark Rober

Nov 16, 2024

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Science & Technology

Lasers and lightning compete in destruction

  1. The text explores a competition between lasers and lightning to determine which has more destructive power.
  2. The competition involves testing both elements against seven household objects, including a CD, a crystal ball, and a safe full of cash.
  3. Science Bob Pflugfelder represents lasers, having previously defeated lava to reach the finals, showcasing his expertise with military-grade lasers.
  4. Mehdi Sadaghdar, known as ElectroBOOM, represents lightning, using electric machinery and a Tesla coil to demonstrate his mastery of electricity.
  5. The competition includes humorous and competitive banter between the participants, adding entertainment to the scientific showdown.
  6. The first test involves burning a CD, where Bob's laser folds and incinerates the CD, while Mehdi's Tesla coil creates beautiful electric patterns on another CD.
  7. The text highlights the dramatic and visually impressive effects of both lasers and lightning, emphasizing the scientific and entertaining aspects of the competition.

Lasers and electricity create unique effects

  1. The text begins with a humorous account of Mehdi, who is known for his experiments that often result in him getting shocked. Despite this, he is highly knowledgeable, holding a master's degree in electrical engineering, and is skilled in his field.
  2. The narrative introduces a playful experiment involving a microwave with googly eyes, which is used to destroy a CD. This experiment is conducted at CrunchLabs, emphasizing that such experiments should not be tried at home due to safety concerns.
  3. The experiment with the microwave results in a spectacular light show, but ultimately, Mehdi's method of burning the CD is deemed the coolest, leading to the next round of experiments.
  4. In the second round, the focus shifts to using a laser on a block of ice. Bob attempts to use a laser to carve the ice, but initially, the laser is ineffective because ice is transparent and does not absorb the laser's heat.
  5. Bob adjusts his technique by focusing the laser on one spot, eventually creating a rough surface that allows the laser to build up heat and bore a hole through the ice, demonstrating the laser's potential when used correctly.
  6. Mehdi then attempts to use a welding machine to cut through the ice by generating heat through electrical resistance. His method involves running a high current through a rebar to melt the ice.
  7. Despite initial success, Mehdi's method encounters difficulties as the ice proves too cold, causing the rebar to bend and lose effectiveness. He tries to manually saw through the ice using the hot parts of the rebar, but with limited success.

Creative experiments with lasers and electricity

  1. The experiment involved heating a nickel ball to 2000 degrees to see if it could melt through ice, but the water absorbed the heat, preventing a clear winner.
  2. To determine a winner, gravity was used to break blocks, but no clear winner emerged, leading to a new challenge involving lamps.
  3. Participants were tasked with creating lamps using different elements, such as ultraviolet reactive slime and lasers, resulting in a unique slime laser lamp.
  4. The slime laser lamp was visually impressive, and there was curiosity about its interaction with a vortex cannon.
  5. Another participant used a Tesla coil to power a fluorescent bulb wirelessly, demonstrating Nikola Tesla's concept of wireless power.
  6. The Tesla coil experiment caused the fluorescent tube to glow by exciting gas particles, resembling a lightsaber battle.
  7. A lava lamp filled with actual lava was proposed, raising questions about its feasibility and safety.

Lasers and lightning both cause destruction

  1. The text begins with a moment of anticipation as Mark attempts a precise task, likened to the excitement of Christmas morning. This sets the stage for a promotional mention of CrunchLabs Build Box, a subscription service offering educational and fun physics-based projects.
  2. The narrative shifts back to the main event, where Mark is involved in a lava pouring task, humorously described as pleasing the 'lava gods.' This task is part of a larger competition involving lasers, lightning, and an 'X factor.'
  3. In the competition, the laser successfully burns through a battery casing, demonstrating its destructive power by leaving behind smoldering wreckage. This showcases the laser's ability to efficiently release stored energy from the battery.
  4. The text humorously describes Bob's appearance during the experiment, adding a light-hearted tone to the scientific exploration. This moment highlights the playful nature of the experiments being conducted.
  5. For the lightning experiment, Mehdi attempts to create a low-resistance path for electrons, causing intense heat and melting connections. However, the battery's internal fail-safe prevents it from being destroyed, leading to a humorous failure in Mehdi's plan.
  6. The narrative continues with Mehdi's failed attempt to destroy the battery using a knife, which ends up being the only thing destroyed. This emphasizes the safety features of the batteries and adds to the comedic tone of the text.
  7. Finally, the 'X factor' involves using a crossbow to puncture the battery, succeeding where previous attempts failed. This marks a turning point in the competition, highlighting the effectiveness of the crossbow in achieving the desired outcome.

Lasers and lightning both failed against glass

  1. The experiment began with an attempt to use a laser against a crystal ball, hoping for a significant scientific discovery, possibly even a cure for cancer. However, the laser only created a light show and failed to affect the crystal ball.
  2. Team X factor attempted to use a disguised firearm, resembling a golf club, to break the crystal ball. Despite their confidence, the attempt was ineffective, only causing minor cracks.
  3. The team then decided to use a large capacitor capable of delivering 100,000 amps, equivalent to a lightning strike, to destroy the crystal ball. This attempt was loud and powerful, but ultimately did not achieve the desired result.
  4. The experiment concluded with the acknowledgment that the crystal ball was more resilient than anticipated, with the glass remaining largely intact despite the powerful attempts.
  5. The narrative humorously suggested that the winner of the challenge, Mehdi, was responsible for cleaning up the aftermath of the experiment.
  6. The text transitions to a new challenge involving a watermelon, with Bob planning to use a James Bond-style approach, but the outcome of this new challenge is not detailed.

Lasers and lightning tested on watermelons

  1. The experiment begins with a humorous tone, comparing the laser's effect on a watermelon to LASIK surgery, but it only cuts an inch deep, requiring manual effort to finish the job.
  2. The participants joke about the taste of the laser-exposed watermelon, describing it as having a 'hint of laser' and being 'refreshing' despite its unappealing appearance.
  3. The focus shifts to using lightning on a watermelon, recalling a previous experiment with a crystal ball, and anticipating a dramatic effect that ultimately results in a minor crack, termed an 'electro bust.'
  4. The watermelon absorbs the shock from the lightning, leading to curiosity about its taste, and the experimenters plan to use a cold liquid to create pressure in a soda bottle, reminiscent of a past experiment.
  5. A clip is referenced where liquid nitrogen was used to explode watermelons, but the current experiment involves a 'water minion' that is expected to explode, requiring safety precautions.
  6. The experimenters prepare for a final challenge involving a reinforced vault filled with cash, where lasers are used to cut through the vault, raising concerns about burning the money inside.
  7. The narrative maintains a playful and competitive atmosphere, with participants vying for points in a game-like setting, culminating in a high-stakes 'heist' scenario.

Gravity triumphs over lasers and lightning

  1. The experiment involved Bob, Mehdi, and the narrator attempting to open a safe using different methods: Bob with physical force, Mehdi with electricity, and the narrator with gravitational energy.
  2. Bob's attempt resulted in minimal success, recovering only 25 cents from the safe, highlighting the ineffectiveness of brute force in this scenario.
  3. Mehdi used a powerful electrical current, 750 amps and 31,000 watts, to cut through the safe, resembling a lightsaber in its intensity. However, this method also destroyed the money inside, leaving Mehdi with even less than Bob.
  4. The narrator's method involved using gravitational potential energy by dropping the safe from a height, which proved to be the most effective. The safe door was blown off, allowing access to the contents, although the wind scattered some of the money.
  5. Despite the challenges, the narrator managed to recover more than $1, making him the winner of the challenge. The experiment demonstrated the power of gravity over other forces like electricity and lasers in this context.

CrunchLabs makes STEM fun for kids

  1. The speaker emphasizes that learning science and engineering can be engaging and enjoyable, contrary to common perceptions of it being dull.
  2. CrunchLabs, a toy company founded by the speaker, aims to inspire children to think like engineers through monthly toy deliveries.
  3. These toys are designed to be assembled with guidance from the speaker, fostering a hands-on learning experience.
  4. The company has successfully shipped millions of boxes, with 87% of children rating them highly on a fun scale.
  5. A significant impact is noted, with over 75% of parents observing a newfound passion for STEM and engineering in their children.
  6. The approach used by CrunchLabs involves making learning fun and exciting, akin to 'hiding the vegetables' in a meal.
  7. Each monthly box includes a chance to win a platinum ticket, offering a unique opportunity to visit CrunchLabs and build with the team.
  8. The speaker encourages viewers to join this educational journey by subscribing to CrunchLabs, with a special offer of two free boxes.