Can We Really Touch Anything?

Can we really touch things? Well if by touch we mean exchange a force-carrying particle with, then yes. The photon is the force-carrier of the electromagnetic interaction. But if the photon is also a particle of light then why aren't magnets glowing? Because the photons are virtual particles, which means they can't be directly detected (without changing the outcome we are trying to measure.
Huge thanks to Brady, CGP Grey, and Henry for their cameos.

[veritasium]

appreciate your support! Also for the record I had been doing a variety of arm exercises before I challenged Henry so my muscles were fatigued.

[Vagabond-Cosmique]

4:27-4:41
Best romantic movie I've seen so far.

[something]

There should be a channel called Veritisisauce

[veritasium]

The electric field of the electron is incredibly spherical (meaning it has no real asymmetries). The electron itself seems to be a point particle.

[veritasium]

Yeah I think the video will make it more clear. I'm trying to wrap my head around it as well. Virtual particles are just one way to think about what a field is doing, and it helps us perform the calculations and get the right answer. In these ways they are useful, but their connection to reality is not immediately obvious.

[iconoclastic]

I love your book recommendation at the end, I read the first edition a long time ago, and it changed my whole view of life. It's an important book and I'm glad it's not being forgotten.

[lesorax]

My fav channels on YouTube: veritasium, all three vsauces, scishow, vlogbrothers and mitute physics.

[veritasium]

I appreciate the feedback. This is the last video I'm doing in this style (at least on 1Ve) I did the Q&A as a special thing when I reached 500k subs to answer viewer questions. I just had a lot of Q&A material left over after the first vid, hence this one. So fear not, it's back to the old style after this.

[Stephanie-jvmf]

If you were my teacher I wouldn't mind going to school. Lol.

[veritasium]

because photons can interact with particles as they pass through the medium - and this takes time. MinutePhysics has a great vid on this.

[erickdawg]

Def impressed with the amount of pull-ups both can do..15 is a lot and 24 is just crazy 💪

[zachgianikos]

Thank you, I always wondered how the shells worked in chemistry. In Chem 101, they pretty much just tell you, "Electrons are like waves or something and they make all of these funky orbitals that combine with each other. And the Pauli Exclusion Principle is a thing, "

[veritasium]

mass curves spacetime such that photons follow straight paths through curved space. But yes, gravity is a property of all things with energy not only mass. More on this coming on 2Ve

[RRBuilder]

Is it me, or does the cloud behind him look like Europe? 1:33

[veritasium]

they were talking about the spherical symmetry of the electron's electric field, not the electron itself which appears to be a point particle.

[xnadave]

I did my masters in optics (EE), and never had to answer the continuous-spectrum question before. Thanks for providing a clear explanation, as always. :)

[PashwaOfficial]

Dear derek,
I'm Pashwa from Mumbai, India. I had a few confusions about the subjects I would choose after school since I have several fortes and that's not a good thing as you would think when it comes to subject choices, but I met up with several scientists, and scored well in pcm. Still not as interested, I did what any other confused kid would do; I went on YouTube looking for "scientific videos" and found your channel. I began watching your videos and couldn't stop. I feel pretentious watching them due to the lack of my knowledge, but it has been inspirational. I have opted out for mechanical engineering followed by mechatronix and then masters and a doctorate in aerospace. You have shaped my future on unimaginable ways, like you have done for many others I'm certain. I hope to meet you in the future and hopefully when I grow up we can make videos together. I have considered you as a mentor, although you do not know me, I want to thank you for inspiring me, thanks a billion tonnes.

[ilxbox]

Love how Brady just showed up randomly in this video lol

[adarshguptak]

I'm glad to hear from you so, being a molecular biologist :)

[vigin_kuttus]

Watching it 10 years later.. now you have 14 million subs.. ❤