[wodenokoto]

My take-away from veritsiums video was:

“What’s the point of the wire?”

- it’s not the length of the wire, it’s the distance between power source and consume that determines how fast power travels (how does power “know” where to go, if not following the wire?)

- since power travels outside the wire, it should be okay not to plug in the power consumer.

I’m pretty sure that’s completely and utterly wrong, but I don’t know what he is trying to say. So the video creates more confusion than it clears up.

> It kinda feels like most people are missing the actual point of the video.

Which raises an age old philosophical question about communication: who’s at fault for the misunderstanding: The sender or the receiver?

I’d say it’s a bad video because it is from a trusted source of science and most people misunderstand it.

[larrydag]

My limited understanding, according to Veritasium, is that the wire is needed to create the electro-magnetic field. Veritasium's claim is the distance of the wire is irrelevant. It's the distance between the battery (power source) and bulb (resistance) is what is relevant. AlphaPhoenix is disputing that claim saying there is a lightspeed electron "wave" through the wires.

I think this is the most fascinating debate on social media currently.