Derek Muller convinced the scientists with such equations. (Screenshot: Youtube / t3n)
Physics professor Alexander Kusenko from the University of California can’t believe it: At the end of May, science Youtuber Derek Muller shows in a video of how he drives faster than the wind with a futuristic soap box, even though it serves as a drive. A bet emerges from the expert’s doubt. The professor bets 10,000 US dollars that Muller’s attempt is not possible – and he is now proving the opposite to him.
With his new YouTube video, Muller wants to convince not only Kusenko but also other scientists that the non-motorized vehicle is only powered by the wind – and still drove faster. Big names like the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and the well-known TV presenter Bill Nye, a trained engineer, are also skeptical at a video call. They share the critical opinion of Kusenko.
The Youtuber is right
Muller convinces them otherwise. To do this, he uses Blackbird, a vehicle that looks like a soap box with a wind turbine attached to the end. Its specialty lies among other things in the drive. It drives in a straight line, provided that the wind comes from behind. In this way, the vehicle is practically pushed. The decisive point is not the propeller attached to the top, but the two rear wheels. They spin, propelled by the wind, and are connected to the propeller. It also rotates, so further drive is generated.
The physicist Kusenko initially agreed with Muller that it would be possible to top the wind speed for a short time, provided that the wind subsided and the vehicle would still use the momentum. By driving the rear wheels, however, the speed is actually maintained longer, as it turns out. Muller proves this with various physical equations, which he goes into in more detail in the video.
Finally, there is Kusenko beaten: Muller’s statements are logically and physically understandable, he says. With this, the young American secures a bet of $ 10,000. He doesn’t want to keep it, but has thought of a scientific competition for his viewers. He divides the money among the top three.
