The Strangest Implication of Quantum Mechanics on HackerTube: recommended by 3 Hacker News commenters across 2 separate months, 2025.
explainer · evergreen
A Veritasium video that follows the principle of least action from Bernoulli and Newton to quantum mechanics, asking whether light takes all possible paths at once. It includes experiments showing quantum waves.
HN commenters call it eye-opening and deeper than typical layman explanations, linking it in double-slit and mechanics threads.
“this veritasium video is quite eye opening”
5 Hacker News comments link this video. Each one links back to its thread.
I really don’t understand the topic much but this veritasium video is quite eye opening and goes into further depth than any layman explanation I’ve ever seen in the topic: ▶ this video
in “Did the Particle Go Through the Two Slits, or Did the Wave Function?” · View on HN
Aside: Veritasium had a great video similar to this on the paths that light takes. I'll link to the part where they do the best physics demo I have ever seen : ▶ this video
in “Infinite Grid of Resistors” · View on HN
▶ this video I had learned about the double slit experiment in school, but in my mind it was something of a theoretical construct. This veritasium video demonstrates, that quantum waves are very real and tangible. This is how physics should be.
in “Did the Particle Go Through the Two Slits, or Did the Wave Function?” · View on HN
You know about the Ultraviolet catastrophe? Physics Explained Ultraviolet Catastrophe: [link] This Veritassium Video goes back further in time and talks about Action, and the Genesis of this idea. ▶ this video Chemistorian, The history of Atomic Theory. [link]
in “Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics (2014)” · View on HN
There's another Veritasium video that has a neat experiment ostensibly showing light (both lamp and laser sources) "taking all paths" (or words to that effect--I don't really know what I'm seeing or what I'm talking about!) It starts around 25 minutes in. ▶ this video EDIT: Whoops. The YouTube video linked by naasking in this comment: [link] touches on the Veritasum video I linked to and goes to some length to explain that it is NOT proving the light is taking "all possible paths." He also brings up and links to a video on the "Looking Glass Universe" channel in which the hostess recreates the Vertiasium experiment and gives a differing interpretation. (Some commenters there have objections to the experimental setup. Oh boy, I may be down a rabbit hole here.)
in “Double-slit experiment holds up when stripped to its quantum essentials” · View on HN