MIT Professor Explains Nuclear Fusion in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED

Nuclear fusion underpins some of the most basic processes in our universe and holds the promise of virtually limitless, clean, carbon-free energy. Dr. Anne White, Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been challenged to explain the nature of nuclear fusion to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and an expert.

Director: Wendi Jonassen
Director of Photography: Jim Petit
Editor: Louville Moore
Host: Dr. Anne White
Guest: Level 1 - Amelya Salva; Level 2 - Marianna Noel McCallum; Level 3 - Yash Bhora; Level 4 - Madelyn Leembruggen; Level 5 - Dr. Pablo Rodriguez-Fernandez
Creative Producer: Maya Dangerfield
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Brian Galford
Sound Mixer: Tim Haggerty
Hair & Make-Up: EIeni Koutloumpasis
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Paul Tael
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell

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0:00 5 Levels of Nuclear Fusion
0:29 Level 1: Child
5:03 Level 2: Teen
9:27 Level 3: College Student
13:52 Level 4: Grad Student
19:33 Level 5: Expert
24:11 Conclusion


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[jopo]

I'm pretty impressed with myself.
I easily understood all of this completely, right up to the point where she started level 1.

[mariannamccallum]

That’s me in level 2!! So much fun to film❤️

[OrigamiMaster]

The moment she said that ion and electron plasma are modeled as separate fluid flows and that the model needs to account for particle interactions ALONG with magnetic fields my jaw dropped. The amount of head banging you'd have to do to even TRY to model that yet alone simulate it. Geez these people are miracle workers.

[snsdk]

I love these videos of 5 levels of difficulty, the best of the channel by far.

[jeylful]

Thank you Wired for bringing these complex but important subjects to everyone in different levels. Fabulous job!

[scrtpassword]

I used to be a physicist, condensed matter specifically synthesis and characterization of materials, and now working in tech. When I first transitioned a lot of my peers thought when I said instrumentation they thought I played music.

[johnchessant]

So fascinating! I'm more of a math guy, but the description of turbulence and gyrokinetic theory sounds like it might give rise to some really interesting math problems. A great reminder of exactly why I picked physics for my second major back in school.

[Campaigner]

Charged particles was tricky but turbulence..? No idea about that. Lost it totally at lvl 4.

Star in a jar it is! 😄

[lexirubber]

That level one explainer was probably a little complicated for them

[lilytea]

0:57: 🌟 Nuclear fusion is a clean and limitless form of energy that involves bringing particles together to release energy.
4:03: 🔬 Plasma is the fourth state of matter, and it can be controlled using magnetic fields.
7:17: ⚛ The tokamak is a device used to confine and control a super hot plasma in order to harness fusion energy.
10:51: 🔥 Fusion requires high temperatures and densities to make particles collide and fuse, producing energy that can be converted into electricity.
15:01: 🔬 Fusion energy sources, which are predominantly fully ionized plasmas, have a lot of mystery around them due to the complexity of turbulence and magnetic fields.
18:06: 🌪 Turbulence in plasma physics is a complex and visually beautiful phenomenon that affects the performance of fusion reactors.
22:09: ⚛ Fusion energy research is accelerating with the involvement of private companies and advancements in other fields, bringing us closer to achieving fusion electricity on the grids.
Recap by Tammy AI

[jimmydelacruz]

I loved the level 1 girl's question; she asked if they keep the invisible matter in one place to not forget where it is at all times, which is true.

[Kevin-]

Science is so fun and moves so rapidly that even the scientists themselves underestimate our abilities. She ended this wonderful video saying she thinks net electricity in a decade and yet in August of 2023 we achieved net energy gained for the first time. Shows you how brilliant the people working on this stuff truly are!

[markiep]

This is an amazing series. Please keep it up!

[Sunflowersarepretty]

I made it through the first and second level. Such an intelligent, well spoken person. I need more of these.

[janoycresva]

Truly remarkable how smart she is that she made something simple enough for a child to understand.

[bananacrunch]

I love these videos, but some are better than others. This one is top tier.

It helps that at the end of the video, I have so much hope for the future of energy. <3

[rohanmanian]

This series has been highly knowledgeable.looking forward to more of it.

[Mio_Azusa]

I love watching learning videos like this that would take me a thousand years to fully comprehend

[SuperLocrian]

Great video but there is a rough edit (missing dialogue) at 13:23. I assume she is talking about the helium nucleus... Awesome video, she really explained everything so clearly! Thanks!

[rizkymumtaza]

Would love to have more discussion about magnetic confinement vs inertial confinement in approaching fusion reaction