This Object Should've Been Impossible to Make

Adam takes up the challenge of building a museum-style housing for an impossible object: a glass-blown representation of the Boy's Surface mathematical concept. Created by master glass blower Lucas Clarke, this feat of fabrication was made as a gift to mathematician Cliff Stoll--one of Adam's heroes and the purveyor of Klein Bottles. Adam invites Lucas and Cliff to the cave to receive the build and learn what makes this object so mathematically delicious!

Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Josh Self
Music by Jinglepunks

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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

#adamsavage #onedaybuilds #mathematics

[dannythedabbler]

I love your art, Adam, but watching you handle a valuable glass piece for an hour with your high enthusiastic energy is one of the most anxiety inducing things I've ever experienced, lol.

[LunaireTD]

The atmosphere of witnessing 3 masters of their respective crafts coming together and talking about something that involves all of them is beautiful.

[Lintary]

The reaction and explanation at the end really made this all worth it, amazing to see the sheer childlike enthusiasm for this object and what it represents.

[joeq]

Hah! Some 20 years ago Cliff Stoll sent a klein bottle that I ordered here to Portugal so I could give it to my dad for his 50th birthday. His attempt at writing in Portuguese "empty glass vase" in the side of the box became the incredible "an emptiness in glass" and I found it so poetic, the box became part of the gift

[mmoncur]

I love how Cliff spends a few minutes explaining 4-dimensional topology and then patiently listens with enthusiasm while Lucas schools him on glassblowing!

[patrickextensis]

His comments at the end literally made me cry. Being validated by someone like that must be a pinnacle of your life's work. Incredible.

[josho]

“It’s mathematically… delicious!” is an amazing quote

[ChrisEllorris]

I absolutely adore how excited Doc Brown and Marty are at the end of this!

[henrikhendrickson]

Cliff's effusive praise for Lucas at the end, and the intense nerding-out, warmed my soul.

[nobodyyouknow]

The shock of Cliff at the end when Lucas was like " It's only harder" and then proceeded to explain how he could get it to work, was just wonderful.

[Numbnuts]

This is actually amazing, no TV producer in their right mind would have ever wanted to green light this, but the fact that we have the internet and the fact that we have creators like yourself who want to do these things and document them, our world is better as a result, I hope you and everyone realizes the gravity of that. Have a great day Adam Savage this was a lovely video.

[Nick-rsif]

Cliff's reaction and enthusiasm for this project is unreal. The man is an international treasure!

[umachan]

Cliff Stole is exactly the kind of professor I loved to have in University. He's that oddball kind of guy, dressed like a hobo, had wild hair and looked like he just woke up and stumbled in but knows everything about the subject and is able to explain it in ways that make it entertaining.

[bloodthorne]

I need a shop like Adams. I need a frizzy haired old man wandering around it that knows more math than I ever will, and yet is so genuinely entertained by things in that shop that he can just entertain himself by explaining why it's so entertaining to him with such vigor even more!

[SophiaAphrodite]

So cool to see 2 people who are experts in their field while not really understanding the field of the other person have such a productive and brilliant interaction.

[MaxFromSydney]

Part of Adam’s genius is his world champion ability to handle huge numbers of beautifully crafted fragile objects with seemingly minimum care but without breaking them.

Don’t try this at home, folks… :D

[chaselenz]

Adam handling the pieces was the most anxiety inducing experience I have ever felt. Just as I had convinced myself that due to its fragility and impossibility he would be extra careful, 9:45 happened. A non-zero number of years was taken off my lifespan!!!

[sergib]

"I've achieved something of a stable state" 🤣The comic timing of that statement and what followed... Any other channel and I would have thought that was staged. After all these years and so many accidents and close calls he still doesn't try and pre-empt the glass from sliding out of his early-stage holder. This is why I love Adam, incredible talent and skill and yet at times, the naivety of an apprentice. True entertainment and education in every way and I'll never be bored of him.

[WokeUpScreaming]

I was wincing the whole time you were rushing around with it and being heavy-handed, and the "stable state" moment gave me a bloody heart attack!

[SpydersByte]

58:30 that "youre brilliant" was so heartwarming <3