My $60 million science experiment | Mark Rober

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2:10Terms and conditions apply. Do you remember that one teacher in college or high school or even elementary school who had an unnatural ability to captivate a classroom? A teacher who made every topic feel like something you wanted to know more about, no matter how far away it was from your own lived experience? For me, one of those teachers was the late, great J. Richard Hackman. I was lucky to take his course on the social psychology of organizations sophomore year in college back when I was 19 years old. What I remember about him most of all was his boundless energy, the way he traveled back and forth across the classroom, asking questions, telling stories, and just listening to students so intently.

3:00Professor Hackman was a pioneer in the field of social and organizational psychology. It felt a little ironic to be discussing this topic because so many of us undergrads hadn't yet worked for one second in a big organization. But somehow, he was able to communicate the dynamism of what that's like and all the moving pieces that go into the churn of a workplace. And we were totally hooked. Beyond our curriculum, Professor Hackman became my thesis advisor and showed me what can happen when you capture someone's attention. I mean, all these years later. And look at what I study, organizational behavior and social psychology.

3:40He was a huge part of that. I'm Madhu Pakinola. This is TED Business, a podcast from TED. Our speaker today, Mark Rober, knows a thing or two about the attention economy. A former NASA engineer, Mark is now an incredibly popular YouTuber with millions of subscribers. And underneath all the wacky fun of his high-concept videos, he's sneaking in essential science lessons to young viewers. In this talk, he shares his tips for a new kind of science curriculum and how to hide the vegetables for everyone's benefit. Then after the talk, I'll ask you what your favorite teacher taught you. But first, a quick break.

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6:12And now, Mark Rober takes the TED stage. I want to start off tonight with a two-step experiment. For step one, I've got a two-liter bottle here. It's half filled with liquid nitrogen. That's negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit. It's violently boiling off into a gas, just like boiling water does on a hot stove. Because of this freezing cold liquid nitrogen, the nice comfy air in this room is super hot. But here's the catch. The gas form of nitrogen occupies 700 times the volume of the liquid. So you got to be really careful as it's turning into a gas. You don't trap it in a small container like if the lid was screwed on top here.

6:53So then for step two, I'm going to go ahead and screw the lid on top. And when I do, if everything goes according to plan, the contents of this bottle should experience what we refer to at NASA as an energetic, spontaneous, rapid disassembly. It's going to explode. all right here we go put that on okay now this is gonna be oh you know what the heck might as well throw these on top this is gonna be real boring until it's not if you don't like loud noises cover yours but according to my calculations things could get real interesting here in about Three, two, one. One. One. I said one. I'm just kidding.

7:44It's really impossible to actually calculate exactly. Whoa!

7:52Let's go! How's your jet lag now? All right. My apologies. to my friends in the front row. You should be warned, it will get worse before it gets better. I'm like Science Gallagher up here. So 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 two-liter bottle. And then eventually, the pressure got so great, it got so crowded. The walls of the two-thirds bottle lost the game of molecular red rover, and all the gas came rushing out.

8:43But where could it go? Because it can't go down or to the sides. The trash can's too thick. Therefore, 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. But here's the really cool part. This is exactly how cannons fire cannonballs. It's how Nerf blasters fire Nerf darts. It's how T-shirt cannons fire T-shirts. And for my friends in the front row, it's how straws fire spitwads. I'm just kidding. The trick for all those is you simply build up enough pressure, you suddenly release it in one direction, and plop whatever you want in the way to go along for the ride.

9:29And I love when I get like that aha moment, when I understand the world around me with a new framework. But even more than that, I love giving that to other people. This is why for the last 15 years, once a month, I've uploaded a free science or engineering video to YouTube to my now 75 million subscribers who also have a taste for those aha moments. And the videos, thank you. 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 photobombing you.

10:15Or even a soccer goalie moves back and forth at 40 miles an hour and then we track your shots so effectively, not even the world's greatest player can score on it. Sorry, Ronaldo. And 16 billion views later, what I've learned is I can't teach you if I don't have your attention. But if I can get your attention with something remarkable, well, now I suddenly have something to attach the learning to. This is why it kills me if someone's like, oh, I don't like science because it's boring. But at the same time, I get it because instead of learning about pressure the way I did with these ping pong balls, a lot of times it's done like this with curiosity murdering phrases like consider a rigid container of volume V.

11:05It's a freaking trash can, all right? And don't get me wrong, like there is a time and a place for equations. For a generation that has grown up on TikTok and YouTube, you have to make it matter with something that gets them to lean forward in their seat, something that ignites a little curiosity fire in their brain. And we need that today more than ever. I like to call this style of teaching hiding the vegetables. For example, it's really boring if you make a video about the scientific method, but what's not boring is if you make a video about a 15-ton jello pool you can actually bellow flop onto.

11:43And in the process, I'm going to sneak in all six steps of the scientific method. What's also really boring is memorizing an equation about terminal velocity. But what's not boring is you point out that squirrels are one of the only mammals that can survive a fall from any height at their terminal velocity. And then in an effort to keep them from stealing all your bird seed, you set up an eight-part Ninja Warrior obstacle course in your backyard. And in the process, what you might find is they will voluntarily demonstrate this principle for you. It's a very true story. There's also a ton of super boring microcontroller tutorial videos online.

12:26So when someone came by and stole a package from my porch, I decided to dedicate a year of my life to making the world's least boring microcontroller tutorial video. Step one, you make a bait package, then on the outside, you have something like a picture of headphones. But inside, instead of headphones, you have this contraption. And at the top there, there's a cup that spins a pound of the world's finest glitter. You have four phones that will record, then upload their footage to the cloud real time. And it's the piece de resistance, a very uncharitable amount of fart spray. That's foreshadowing.

13:02and then step two you have the thief come by and he lifts the lid takes it home of course it sprays the glitter followed by the fart spray i should point out by the way uh this whole pack this whole video was sort of a modern day homage to the greatest film of a generation i'm talking of course about home alone and so the the thief here who's pretending is none other than my buddy Macaulay Culkin. And so then for step three, what you and Macaulay are going to do is you're going to make 20 of these. You're going to put them on porches all across America, and it won't take long before you start getting back some incredible footage like this.

13:44Hello.

13:48Keep the change, you filthy animal. Whoa!

13:57Hello.

14:01You guys give up? Oh, yeah. I'm thirsty for more.

14:07Operation Whoever Smelt It, Delt It. Initiated.

14:17Operation Butt Trumpet. Initiated. Oh.

14:26All right. All right, all right, we'll get it, okay?

14:40By the way, I was watching, and when that thief was about to lift the lid on the glitter bomb, not a single one of you was looking down or was on your phones. I had your undivided attention, and that makes for the most fertile brain soil, because learning is best when it's attached to a visceral experience. Basically, if you feel something here, you remember it here. This is why memorizing a boring equation is hard, but remembering that song you sang as a teenager that made you feel all those feels, that's easy. And you remember every single lyric 30 years later. And to be fair, I didn't come up with this style of teaching.

15:16All great teachers know this. For me, it was Mr. Malloy. He was my high school statistics teacher. Hello, Mr. Malloy, if you're watching this. And he was great not just because he had a killer Dr. Evil impression. He was great because he made it matter, like encouraging us to use what we learn in statistics to predict where our arch rival soccer team was going to kick their penalty kicks. And it worked. He was so good at attaching emotions to learning. He was so good at hiding the vegetables. The thing is, with a really good teacher, their impact is immeasurable, just like Mr. Molloy impacted his students, and we're in now, in turn, impacting the world.

15:56That's why I love teachers. I think they have the most important job on the planet. In fact, please.

16:05I've said for like a decade, my dream job is to be a middle school science teacher, and I will be. but until that time, and buckle up, because this is the first time the world is hearing about this, but for the last two and a half years, myself, the team of about 50 people, including some of the best science teachers in the country, we've been secretly working on a full science curriculum, and it uses all the tricks I've learned for the past 15 years on how to hide the vegetables.

16:39and and the reason we're doing this is because it breaks my heart when I see teachers who get paid salaries as a society we should be ashamed of spending their own money on resources that totally suck so it's got everything they need from banger videos the kids are going to beg to rewatch that demonstrate the science. Yes, that is a wrench in an MRI machine, because how else am I supposed to talk about the invisible magnetic fields all around us? It's got ready-to-teach classroom slide decks that are super clean and easy to use. And then it's got these really thought out, you know, curated science demos where the kids get to viscerally interact with the science that the teachers can make just with stuff they have lying around their classroom.

17:27And so the idea is that together we teach the classroom, and the teacher becomes the hero as we engage the students in real science and engineering they actually care about. We're starting with grades three through eight. It exceeds all the state science standards, but most importantly, it's exactly what science class is meant to be. Super freaking fun. The world has evolved, and teaching science is long overdue for disruption, I'm happy to report that of the teachers who are assigned to teach the pilot lessons to their students, because of our ability to explain complicated things simply, and for our very unique experience in solving the science motivation gap for 15 years, 95 % of the teachers said when we're done, they would want this to be their full science curriculum.

18:16And so the idea is you combine incredible teachers with incredible resources to get this explosive of output, sort of like you'd expect to see if you combine this bucket of boiling water with this trash can of freezing cold liquid nitrogen. So to all those teachers out there in the trenches, I want you to know reinforcements are on the way. In fact, a bunch of the videos and lessons are already available right now, and we'll finish the rest over the next four years, because I know this will be the most important thing I do my whole life. and even though this is going to cost us 60 million dollars to make my official declaration tonight is every single lesson plan every teacher training every original class demo will cost exactly zero dollars and be 100 free for all teachers forever as we work to ignite those brain fires of curiosity in the next generation of big problem solvers thank you so much

19:17Thank you.

19:44Even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com slash bank. Capital One N.A. Member FDIC. Support comes from WISE. The smart way to manage the currencies you need around the globe. Fed up with losing out to hidden fees when you send money abroad with your everyday bank? Choose the smart way. WISE. You can count on the exchange rate you'd usually find on Google. No unwelcome surprises. Plus, ditch that where's my money feeling. Most transfers arrive in under 20 seconds. Join millions saving billions on hidden fees. Be smart.

20:23Get wise. Download the Wise app today. T's and C's apply. Hi, this is Becca Moore from For the Girls, and this podcast is sponsored by Aerie, where you can find the right bra in 59 sizes, soft fabrics, and good fits. If your bra strap is digging into your shoulder right now, it's the wrong bra. We get so used to being in pain as girls that we forget it doesn't have to be this way. your clothes should not hurt i got to the point where i stopped wearing bras altogether and now my life has changed you guys the only bras i have in my dresser right now are ari and i'm not kidding ari's on a mission to make you feel good and that starts with your bra your bra should hold you in not back visit ari.com to find the right bra for you

21:04that was mark rober at ted 2026 I was lucky enough to be in the audience for this talk, and I can testify firsthand how good Mark is at getting our attention. I mean, the room was just electric with his energy. If you enjoyed hearing it on this week's episode, I recommend you watch the video of his talk as well. Okay, so we can't all be Mark. Not all of us have jello pools, glitter bombs, or fart spray at our disposal, and thank God for that. But I do think it's imperative to not make things boring and to not take people's attention for granted. It's something we probably learned early on from an inspiring teacher back in the day.

21:49So I want you to take a moment to think of one of your favorite teachers. Close your eyes and envision them. What was it about them that you really responded to? Their enthusiasm for the subject matter? The way they expressed themselves or synthesized information? The way they made you feel seen or heard? Their inventive approach to teaching new concepts? Now let's bring it full circle. Whatever it is, can you bring that same quality of theirs with you into the workplace? Can you use it to spark curiosity among your co-workers or with anyone you need to teach something new to? That's it for today.

22:27TED Business is part of the TED Audio Collective. This episode was produced by Hannah Kingsley-Ma, edited by Alejandra Salazar, and fact-checked by Julia Dickerson. Social thanks to Maria Ladias, Farah DeGrange, Daniela Ballarezzo, Tantika Sangmanivang, and Roxanne Hilash. I'm Madupa Akinola. Thanks for listening.

22:57With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com slash bank. Capital One N.A. Member FDIC. Hi, this is Becca Moore from For The Girls, and this podcast is sponsored by Aerie, where you can find the right bra in 59 sizes, soft fabrics, and good fits.

23:35If your bra strap is digging into your shoulder right now, it's the wrong bra. We get so used to being in pain as girls that we forget it doesn't have to be this way. Your clothes should not hurt. I got to the point where I stopped wearing bras altogether, and now my life has changed, you guys. The only bras I have in my dresser right now are Aerie, and I'm not kidding. Aerie's on a mission to make you feel good, and that starts with your bra. Your bra should hold you in, not back. Visit Aerie.com to find the right bra for you. If you've got a teenager, it's time to have the talk. You know, about investing.

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