Why wouldn't a simpler explanation be that the wires produce a radio/electromagnetic wave and that wave gets picked up and induces a current, which is how radio transmitters receivers work?
What's going on -in time- is a lot more complex than the 'steady-state, Occam's razor' simplicity most of us (outside of EE) were fed. One example: the math you'll see in the analysis of 'skin effect'.
I hope one of the outcomes of this discussion is that someone will tackle explaining how AC power gets from source to load, and what 'earth grounds' have to do with that ... and WHY. The usual hand-wavy 'simple' discussions leave out WAY too much.
Most people didn't have EE education at college level. Transmission line or radio wave carrying energy is a concept usually taught much later in ones schooling. Derek basically want to target mass market that receive basic electrical knowledge that actively tells you electric "only" flows in cable. A lot of people replying to his video subsequently demonstrate that Derek is right that these group of people have the not exactly right idea taught at school. Some people replying wishing to show he is wrong completely missed his message.
He's just leaving them with a different misconception, now he's told them to ignore the wires completely. I don't think this video helped anyone (for the various reasons stated in this whole topic).
>people have the not exactly right idea taught at school
could it not also be that some of these students didn't actually learn what was being taught, and just squeaked by with minimum grades to not have to take it again?
fwiw, I definitely was given the wires and electrons are like a pipe for water somewhere during schooling, and it was interesting to hear a deeper explanation.
and during this discussion of electrons flowing, did it now also contain discussion on the fields produced around the wire? did I just have an exceptional teacher (I know my high school physics teacher was one of those teachers and am indebted to him), or did I just pay attention?
To the point, during the time that I was learning fields produced around a wire carrying a current, I was also learning recording studio audio and how hums can be created by running cables in parallel and avoided by crossing them perpendicularly. I had a conversation about it with said physics teacher, and he gave a lecture about it the next day. Yeah, one of those teachers that sets one on a positive course.