What is a Neutrino?

Neutrinos are the vampires of physics.


And twitter - @minutephysics

Minute Physics provides an energetic and entertaining view of old and new problems in physics -- all in a minute!

Music by Nathaniel Schroeder

[aryanchandna]

So in the end, I am left with one question.. What's a neutrino

[rustynuggets]

I now have more questions than answers.

[casperTheBird]

Im not really sure I still get what a neutrino is

[tmanmatt]

You didn't even explain what a Neutrino is...

[cementplant]

I love how he plays the blues clues notebook music in the background during his videos. It gives the sense of simplicity when explaining something as infinitesimally complex and unknown concept we call physics.

[shashwatsingh]

what do you mean by a"left-handed neutrino"?

[FroggyRibbits]

OH GOD, I clicked on a minute physics video.
*20 Years later...
I CANT STOP WATCHING, PLEASE SEND HELP!

[samgee]

Two atoms are in a bar.
One says, "I think I lost an electron."
The other says, "Are you sure?"
to which the other replies, "I'm positive."

[rahlity]

great now I know I'm even more confused

[abhimanyu]

Neutrino is like the excuse you make when you haven't done your assignment.

[Medhusalem]

I just have one questions, when he said, the neutrino gives energy to an electron which in turn moves faster than the light though water: the electron is still going slower than light in a vacuum, right?

[AnimilesYT]

0:33
It will zip through the water faster then the light does.

It is possible to go faster then the speed of light! Take that einstein :D
(Yeah, I know the speed of light is not the speed of light.)

[geekalpha]

At the end of the video, a statement is made that there are no such thing as antineutrinos (right-spinning neutrinos).  This is in conflict with what I was taught years ago, and a superficial search claims that the Cowan–Reines neutrino experiment in 1956 confirmed the existence of an antineutrino.  Was there some new experimental data or better theory to explain that data that overturned the findings of that experiment?

[supenfresser]

I think you have to redo this one now^^

[Spartonreal]

I don't understand these analogies tho...

[ade]

LOL. Is that a Schrodinger's cat reference at 0:23?

[bhaskar]

0:20 measuring distance in years is pretty difficult.

[maximilianlotz]

0:32 ... Did I hear that correctly...? "The electron will zip through the water faster than the light does..."    FASTER THAN THE LIGHT DOES???? WAT!?!?!

[mrpengywinz]

in the equation E=mc2, c represents the speed of light in a vaccuum (3 x 10^8 m/s) however, when light moves through something, it slows the same way that you slow down when you enter a pool.

[ogbizi]

from what i understand.. neutrinos travel at the same speed of light (in a vacuum), but light travels slower in mediums (eg. water) where as neutrinos pass through without a problem, but if that neutrino going through the medium bumps into an electron, there is transfer of momentum from the neutrino to the electron, propelling the electron to speeds greater than light speed (in that medium).. causing a photonic boom, which is similar to a sonic boom.. in basic definition