What happens when you invite @MarkRober to give a TED Talk? He blows something up, of course! #TED

本站添加: 2026-06-04

[00:00:04]Let's go.

[00:00:07]A lot of people look at that and be like, "Oh, neat. The ping pong balls exploded." But, what actually happened is so much cooler. Because as more and more of that nitrogen turned into a gas, those gas molecules got more and more crowded. As they pushed back on the plastic molecules comprising the walls of the 2-liter bottle. And then eventually, the pressure got so great.

[00:00:27]It got so crowded. The only option is to go up. And since all the ping pong balls are in the way, they just happen to go along for the ride. This is exactly how cannons fire cannonballs.

[00:00:40]It's how Nerf blasters fire Nerf darts.

[00:00:44]It's how t-shirt cannons fire t-shirts.

[00:00:48]And I love when I get like that aha moment. When I understand the world around me with the new framework. But, even more than that, love giving that to other people.

[00:00:58]This is why for the last 15 years, once a month, I've uploaded a free science or engineering video to YouTube. The videos can range anywhere from an elephant toothpaste volcano that sets a world record to a satellite that's orbiting above us right now that we built that you can upload your picture to for free. And then it will display it on a screen and then give you a selfie in space with the Earth photo bombing you. And don't get me wrong. Like, there is a time and a place for equations. For a generation that has grown up on Tik Tok and YouTube, you have to make it matter with something that gets them to lean forward in their seat.