What's the Fifth Force?

Why do we see so many headlines that say physicists may have discovered a fifth force? What's so special about the fifth force? What is it and what can we do with it?

0:00 Intro
0:28 The four known forces
4:35 The fifth force
7:35 Sponsor message

#physics #science

[philosoaper]

I just love how every weekend Sabine comes around to crush a dream.. lol.. "see all those new headlines you were excited about? it's nothing"

[tomkerruish]

A joke from the late eighties:
"There is a fifth force, but there's a sixth force which exactly cancels it out."
Trust me: at the time, it was funny.

[sxbmissive]

7:07 scared the living bjeezus out of me. My brain is in 8AM science/physics mode, not 8PM video game-here-come-the-demons mode.

[trichoptera]

Love her sense of style. Along with succinct explanations - a winner.

[burtbackattack]

7:07
Bloody hell Sabine that scared me to death! 😱

[yeroca]

This is amazing... I've never heard anyone clear up the ambiguities with physics terminology in such a complete and clear way.

[michaelwhalan]

The fifth force is a mysterious attractor of science funding.

[WilliamDye-willdye]

For those wondering, 7:06 is "pin your enemies to the wall". Thankfully, this channel uploads their script to captions.

[wpsp]

Another terrific teardown of scientific sensationalism. You are truly an important pillar in the online scientific community.

[Tarsonis]

3:31 Yes, yes, Graviton. I know that one from Star Trek! This is for example used in coherent graviton pulses to neutralize tetryon emissions. ;)

[stesch-f]

Regarding this 5th force, a German newspaper published a headline in 2019:
"Does CERN find a mysterious X17 particle?
After water, air, wind and earth: researchers want to prove the 5th element"

[RichardRoy]

Nice to have a science communicator who can present ideas in a way that's different from others. It can often act as a bridge between ideas presented in other ways. Thank you Sabine.

[tekannon]

The fifth force for me is Sabine Hossenfelder! Thanks for your very informative and eye-opening videocasts--

[wuodanstrasse]

Dr. Hossenfelder:
I cannot begin to thank you enough for all of your beyond excellent presentations. I have two PhD degrees, Plasma physics and QED obtained in the early and late 1960's. Essentially it seems that nearly everything I worked so hard to learn has changed so much. Is it possible to find some source for the mathematics that lies behind so much of these new developments?
With utmost respect,
Col. G. Gerlach, PhD USMC

[TheOneAndOnlySame]

If gravity is not a fundamental force but the visible/tangible effect of a curving spacetime, why should "it" possess an exchange particle?

[quintusantell]

I love how the science is easily, sometimes sarcastically, explained in the deadpan presentation of the Brits and Germans. The whole "it can't pin your enemies to the wall" genuinely startled me, and I just wish more people took the time to grapple with the edges of science, how to think like a scientist, question their own understanding and lack thereof, etc. All of which I think is achieved with these videos in 10-20 minute sittings. Outstanding. =]

[gardenlizard]

Physicist: are you a force?
Force: I'll take the fifth 😁

[petertrebilco]

Sabine, your clarity and conciseness are excellent! Your presentations are what keep me interested in physics. You are a real leader in spreading the fascination we all have in how Nature works. I love your work!

[BrassLock]

In order to understand physics properly, one must have an excellent understanding of verbal and/or written language. But I think in images, so there's a processing step that I have to perform in order to grasp a lecture such as this.

Oh! Well!, I'll have to re-watch this many times. Glad I live in the age of the Internet, and am not still at school as was my case 60 years ago. Lucky there's not a short test at the end of the video.

[Uaarkson]

The opening line in that German accent is straight ASMR