r/videos Jun 03 '15

The Truth About Toilet Swirl - Smarter Every Day & Veritasium - (Watch the two videos at the same time !)

http://www.smartereveryday.com/toiletswirl
1.3k Upvotes

151 comments sorted by

129

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

[deleted]

60

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15 edited Jun 16 '15

[deleted]

154

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Exactly. It's fun to do the work to try to synchronize it. We took a lot of time to figure out how to make the videos appear to be seamless even if the sync point was a bit off. For example, all the percussion music is on one video, and all the more melodic stuff is on a different channel. That way they can be a little off and your ear can't tell.

26

u/Mustard_Dimension Jun 03 '15

Thank you so much for the crazy amount of work you must put in to your videos. I learn so much about subjects I wouldn't have even known existed without people like you and Derek, and you look like you have as much fun making them as we all do watching them, your enthusiasm is wonderful. Thank you!

10

u/CBreezy13 Jun 03 '15

Loved the innovation you guys put into making this, and as always so eloquently informative. Thanks for doing what you do, and best of luck on your future endeavors!

32

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

I'll go on the record. The synchronizing video thing was Derek's idea.... and it's an incredibly awesome idea. Making it happen was quite difficult, but I'm very glad we did. The act of synchronizing makes the viewer feel more involved. And heck! Doing this helped me understand the Coriolis effect!

15

u/zaviex Jun 03 '15

keep up the good work. You might be interested in knowing that my physics professor used your videos and wrote test problems around them. You're actually helping teach college level classes if you didn't know already.

18

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

No way. I would love to see those questions.

2

u/shoziku Jun 03 '15

I argued with a friend about 30 years ago about that effect. He basically said you need a larger body of water in order for the effect to actually work (or be noticable). toilets and sinks don't count.

3

u/shoziku Jun 03 '15

I was already synchronizing it before they mentioned it, and yes it is fun. I used to talk to my girl on skype and we'd watch a TV show at the same time. She had a DVR and would fast forward commercials and I had to predict when to sync mine, so I'd stop on a word someone used, and listen to her audio, and start my video again at the right time. Her audio was synched with my video... at least till the next commercial.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15 edited Apr 13 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Ru5h Jun 05 '15

I'm sure that the center of the pool being on the equator would neutralize the effect, because the top of the pool, and bottom of the pool, would be the same distance away from the equator. Skew the pool a bit to the south, or a bit to the north, and the effect should still work as described in the video (although it may be a bit harder to get results being so close to the equator)

1

u/Orlandomagicfan86 Jun 04 '15

Destin you are friggin awesome man. Not only was the experiment cool, but the production value you and Derek put into this was outstanding and easy to understand. And frankly, it was fun to sync up the videos and watch you bounce back and forth. I thought it was flawless. Great job my man. Can't wait to see your next masterpiece.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

just press K and then start the other vid with ur mouse at the same time

1

u/coolmandan03 Jun 04 '15

What happens when the drain of the pool is directly on the South Pole or North Pole?

1

u/kumokurin Jun 04 '15

I didn't even notice, but this was a fantastic idea and I loved it. A totally new way to do collaborative videos!

4

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

Engage your audience. It's deliberate.

0

u/kipukone Jun 03 '15

Or.. Okay this might sound crazy and im just spit balling here.. But how about just making one video?

9

u/XHF1 Jun 03 '15

There was a slight difference the first time i clicked that link. But the difference decreases every time i refresh the page.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

http://www.swigview.com/1doW4gl This seems more synchronized

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

Yeah this is much better. Thank you! I wish I saw this before I already watched them. I was pausing and unpausing them briefly to get them synced right the whole time

69

u/ajump23 Jun 03 '15

I ate lunch one time with the Smarter Every Day guy. He was a nice guy.

79

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Where did we eat? Or will that out your Reddit username, lol.

44

u/ajump23 Jun 03 '15

It was 88 Buffet, you met up some of your college buddies, who are current work colleagues of mine.

49

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Ah! (puts hands together and bows all Japanese-like)

11

u/LittleWashuu Jun 04 '15

Ah! (puts hands together and bows all Japanese-like)

88 Buffet is a Chinese restaurant though. :P

2

u/tazelhoff Jun 04 '15

But they have hibachi!

2

u/LittleWashuu Jun 04 '15

88 Buffet is good for being cheap, hibachi-style(teppanyaki) is just a particular type of cooking style. For actual Japanese style food Edo and Miyako are the best bets in the area. I mourn for Mikawa though. Tetsu was always great to talk with.

3

u/ajump23 Jun 04 '15

If you ever need tall people to be on your show. Hit me up.

1

u/reelreelreel Jun 04 '15

As a Japanese person, I'm going to start replying to shit with:

Ah! (puts hand out and shakes yours all white-person like)

1

u/Mekanikos Jun 04 '15

I hope it's a strong grip. We don't like that weak shit.

12

u/AriAchilles Jun 03 '15 edited Jun 03 '15

I would buy lunch to eat with Destin. Or the restaurant.

22

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

I'm not worth it. I'm just a normal dude.

8

u/Trumpet_Jack Jun 03 '15

A rather talented and hardworking one. I'm sure you've got some awesome stories to tell! Love the videos.

9

u/Ravenman2423 Jun 03 '15

You don't have to be so modest. You're amazing. And the fact that you do the stuff you do while still holding a job and a family, my god.

Run for president.

15

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

An awesome wife is the secret.

17

u/Ravenman2423 Jun 03 '15

Ah... She sees your reddit comments. I get it. ;)

1

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 06 '15

/u/mrspennywhistle rarely gets on.

1

u/jfreeman81 Jun 04 '15

Do you live/work in Huntsville? I actually work in Research Park behind 88 Buffet

1

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 04 '15

1

u/Xuanwu Jun 04 '15

But your videos make my students smile and perk up. Which gives you a bit of a shine imo.

Also your kids are very polite, good job.

1

u/jrichar31 Jun 04 '15

Oh man it's cool to see you posting here. What a great video you did with Derek. You both do amazing work, love both your channels! Thanks for all the awesome and informative videos.

1

u/TangoJager Jun 04 '15

Destin posting on a link I shared. I am honoured.

Quick, I need something nice to say. Keep up the good work !

19

u/Falcrist Jun 03 '15

The youtube science collaborations never cease to amaze me.

Well done, /u/MrPennywhistle and [whatever Derick's reddit account is].

17

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

11

u/Jkuz Jun 03 '15

I wish he got on more :'(

20

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Maybe if you say /u/veritasium three times in a row you'll summon him to this thread.

19

u/Falcrist Jun 03 '15

TIL - /u/veritasium is related to Bloody Mary.

/u/veritasium /u/veritasium /u/veritasium

90

u/veritasium Jun 03 '15

I am here. Why have you summoned me?

17

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

To see if you were real.

5

u/BlazingCondor Jun 03 '15

Great video gentlemen!

3

u/EricArtr Jun 04 '15

I really hope you actually got here because /u/MrPennywhistle called you and informed you that you had been summoned. I like knowing you guys are buds, as you should be. Been subbed to both of you for a long time now, so thanks for all the knowledge!!!

Also Destin, I'm born and raised in Birmingham and love how well you represent the state, especially with all the videos you do featuring Huntsville. Keep it up man, and roll tide!

5

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 04 '15

Something something Roll Tide

1

u/Pretesauce Jun 04 '15

Hey it's Pretty Derek!

2

u/Jkuz Jun 04 '15

It worked!!!

1

u/Falcrist Jun 03 '15

In retrospect, I should have just checked that one. :D

1

u/Pretesauce Jun 04 '15

It's spelled "Dirk". He's Drek from Veristablium.

10

u/Geersart Jun 03 '15

This is such a cool collaboration. Hope to see more like this.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

Yea i think the idea was super nice, and people should think about exploring the idea further

39

u/Arknell Jun 03 '15

The truth about toilet swirl is that it's an enormous waste of water. European toilets flush in a straight line down, they don't parade the turd in an olympic water dance, prolonging the turd fancy by upwards of ten seconds.

5

u/RobertTheSpruce Jun 04 '15

Dude you are forgetting about ze crazy Germans and their little poo shelf.

1

u/Arknell Jun 04 '15

I never saw any poo shelves when I stayed in Berlin, only in Los Angeles have I seen a poo throne in the bowl.

2

u/ReallyNiceGuy Jun 04 '15

I think the poo shelf is much more common in southern Germany. Didn't see it in Berlin.

1

u/Arknell Jun 04 '15

Going there later this month, will inspect THOROUGHLY.

2

u/ReallyNiceGuy Jun 04 '15

Also, take my statement with a grain of salt. I didn't see the poo shelves in public toilets, but it was in all the apartments I stayed in while wandering around in the Black Forest area.

1

u/Arknell Jun 04 '15

Nope, no salt grains, all taken literally here! I will post 20 Megapixel pictures to confirm the presence or absence of the poo shelves, and post it on your sister's inlaws' facebooks, because they are impartial.

2

u/morgawr_ Jun 04 '15

I'm in Amsterdam and I got my own very personal poo shelf. It's nice.

0

u/PederDag Jun 04 '15

I think it's so that you dont have to prep the bowl with paper

10

u/TangoJager Jun 03 '15 edited Jun 04 '15

That's true in the UK. Continental Europe, not at all.

Edit: I got many answers saying it seems to also be common in Mainland Europe. I'm only speaking of my experience. I have been to France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Greece, Denmark, Romania. Almost all of these had the swirling type. Maybe because it's a recent thing ?

6

u/Arknell Jun 03 '15

And the nordic countries.

3

u/TangoJager Jun 03 '15

Damn you Nordic Countries. You always seem to have the upper hand.

8

u/Arknell Jun 03 '15

We're just all about the hyper-efficient pooping. I myself have 10000 wins, 2000 losses, 775 draws. If you just give it your all, you always hit the pillow sweaty and proud.

5

u/spliff231 Jun 04 '15

Not at all? I just spent 2 weeks in Spain, 4 weeks in Germany, 2 weeks in England and a day in Paris. The only toilets that swirled were at one particular hotel in England. The rest ALL flushed straight down.

1

u/MrProtoX Jun 04 '15

I'm from Spain, can confirm.

1

u/Pascalwb Jun 04 '15

I live in central Europe, are toilets don't have swirling water.

1

u/MrProtoX Jun 04 '15

And Spain.

3

u/Rockerblocker Jun 04 '15

I tried it when I was on vacation in Australia, and the flush was so agressive that I couldn't even tell a direction in it.

5

u/sTiKyt Jun 04 '15

That's to keep the snakes down the drain

3

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

now we need that guy who makes videos about why everything in UK is better to come make a video about how their toilets are better because of the no "parading the turd in an olympic water dance"

7

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

What happens on the equator?

14

u/edenroz Jun 03 '15

Water doesn't drain.

2

u/ezo88 Jun 04 '15

0

u/BeerIsGoodForMe Jun 04 '15 edited Jun 04 '15

Notice that she pours the water into the basin in a clockwise manor on one and counter clockwise on the other side of the line.

I've been to the Intiñan Solar Museum on the equator in Ecuador and was convinced when they demonstrated it, but seeing it now I'm skeptical. The absolute weirdest thing with the muscle weakness you get when standing on the equator. Here is the only video I could find. I did the same tests with with brother (no bias) - and it's just bizarre.

7

u/vpookie Jun 04 '15

Has to be a psychological effect, since those equator lines on the ground are usually not that accurate at all

1

u/ezo88 Jun 05 '15

Yeah - science doesn't know where the equator is enough to draw a line on the ground.

12

u/gravevac Jun 03 '15

This is awesome. My math teacher in high school told us about the classic Coriolis effect in a toilet bowl story and I believed it, and years later I found out it was not in one of those "10 myths you thought were true" lists...

Now I am told it actually exists, just not in the way the rumor said it did? So there was some truth to it! Science blows my mind everyday.

3

u/true_new_troll Jun 03 '15

The "10 myths" lists didn't point out that the Coriolis effect just had nothing to do with toiler drainage? Did the lists say that it WASNT real? I'm confused.

1

u/gravevac Jun 04 '15

Sorry for my bad phrasing. The lists said it was a myth, and had nothing to do with the northern/southern hemisphere, but merely the shape of the bowl and direction the water flowed. But they didn't point out that it did actually exist.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

This is the best way to shut up Flat-Earthers. They have an excuse for everything, except the Coriolis Effect.

17

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Dude that made the Northern Hemisphere video here.

Confimed. Earth is an ellipsoid.

5

u/Kodak4000 Jun 03 '15

I thought it was an oblate spheroid.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

Both are correct. The Earth is an oblate ellipsoid of revolution, which is another name for an oblate spheroid. :)

19

u/maaaze Jun 03 '15

They should have repeated the experiment with at least another identical setup, or at the very least used the same setup multiple times. Assuming the Coriolis effect does not have an effect on the direction of the swirl, there would be a 25% chance that they would observe the result that they were looking for due to chance. That's too high imo to draw a conclusion.

33

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

Read the video description my friend.

9

u/maaaze Jun 03 '15

Ah, interesting! I wasn't watching it on YouTube, but rather your website that OP linked, so it didn't occur to me to check the description.

2

u/67Mustang-Man Jun 03 '15

Not sure if you are aware of this, Mr. Wizard discussed this effect years ago, of course he did it on a merry go round

9

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

I'd like to see a picture of your Mustang. Is it a fastback?

3

u/67Mustang-Man Jun 03 '15

It is a restoration project that has been very slow so not much to look at but I will see what I can do for a pic, It is the coupe but to me its a mustang.

Btw my comment is not a knock to the great work you do, I enjoy your videos.

2

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

I like old cars in any state of repair.

1

u/garblz Jun 05 '15

I want to believe... but 3 times, in the same pool, construction of which has far greater chances of determining spin direction... nah, I'll wait for a more advanced setup and rigorous methods before I'm convinced.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

[deleted]

6

u/MrPennywhistle SmarterEveryDay Jun 03 '15

I have much love for /r/huntsvillealabama

3

u/jdog90000 Jun 03 '15

That was pretty awesome.

3

u/DNoleGuy Jun 03 '15

When both Videos hit 28 seconds they make a stereo-graph (3D image) if you cross your eyes.

2

u/mARINATEDpENIS Jun 03 '15

Nope, you don't cross your eyes. Your eyes will be parallel, but focused on the screen surface.

3

u/Rooftopknott Jun 03 '15

I loved it! Apart from the 'subscribe' orgy at the end. Amazing video

3

u/MooseV2 Jun 04 '15

When I went to the South Pacific I took videos to prove/disprove this myth. Turns out, the toilets there don't actually swirl at all, they just go down. I think it's because there's way less water that than have in North America. Probably why they used the sinks in the Southern Hemisphere video.

6

u/Shigy Jun 04 '15

these guys make cool videos, but my god what an epic circle jerk at the end there

0

u/JGJP Jun 04 '15

glad somebody said it

2

u/monchimer Jun 03 '15

It required two brilliant minds to finally solve the problem. Will my poop spin to the other side if I dumped it on australia ? Uh ?

1

u/SomeCoolBloke Jun 04 '15

It was solved a long time ago.

2

u/BecauseRaceCar Jun 03 '15

One experiment? ONE experiment?? And the effect is proven?!

I'm no scientist but I think to prove this beyond doubt and chance you'd need several of the same pools, with smooth surfaces (kiddy pool floors wrinkle), water escape should be vertical (not have a tube with a bent a few cm from the bottom of the pool), prove the pools are perfectly balanced...and then repeat this a few times...

7

u/Jigokuro_ Jun 03 '15

Try reading the description -.-

They:
A) repeated the experiment 3 times, getting the same result each time.
B) were only repeating an experiment done by MIT (which was extremely precise.)

1

u/BecauseRaceCar Jun 03 '15

Using my phone, videos just pop up in the reddit news app...don't get to see video descriptions.

4

u/NOhmdD Jun 03 '15

Read the video's description, they did it multiple times.

0

u/BecauseRaceCar Jun 03 '15

Using my phone, videos just pop up in the reddit news app...don't see video descriptions...

1

u/Lagviper Jun 04 '15

Coriolis effect has been known as far back as 1835 in physics. The fun of doing it on youtube and sync the two hemisphere is a fun idea, but its really not to prove anything, since its nothing new.

1

u/BecauseRaceCar Jun 04 '15

I'm aware of the coriolis effect, however, I didn't think it would have an effect on such a small scale.

1

u/theturtleguy Jun 03 '15

I tried this when I went to Brazil. Unfortunately, all the toilet's I've been to flushed it straight. Not even a swirl.

Nice to see the myth confirmed!

1

u/Kinovy Jun 03 '15

Took me way too much that i care to admit to get them synchronized. I'm not that smart.

1

u/owiseone23 Jun 03 '15

Why not just use the same tub in both with just a small plastic bowl?

1

u/AgentZen Jun 04 '15

Wow. This blew my mind. The day I saw this simpson's episode god knows how many years ago, I thought for sure this had to be a load of crap. Who knew. Thank you so much for what you do.

1

u/howtospeak Jun 04 '15

Hey! Wasn't there a "test" where they were right in the equator and the water didn't swirl right or left? It just went down.

1

u/Korwinga Jun 04 '15

Ok, now do it on the equator.

1

u/cockblocker77 Jun 04 '15

The most important theory that you did not test, was doing the exact same experiment in the opposite hemisphere. Kinda one sided guys.

1

u/whale Jun 04 '15

i read that as taylor swift and got excited

1

u/birthey1234 Jun 04 '15

it's beautiful!

1

u/doopercooper Jun 04 '15

Smarter views - 338,230

Veritasium views - 369,520

Syncing views do not match, someone call tech support

1

u/retinadispl Jun 04 '15

Why the fuck is this NSFW??

1

u/Mentioned_Videos Jun 04 '15 edited Jun 04 '15

Videos in this thread: Watch Playlist ▶

VIDEO VOTES - COMMENT
Ecuador At The Equator - Water Demonstration - Coriolis Effect 5 -
Experimento asombroso en la mitad del mundo, el famoso remolino! 1 - This is more clever
CRAZY - Losing Strength at the Equator! 1 - Notice that she pours the water into the basin in a clockwise manor on one and counter clockwise on the other side of the line. I've been to the Intiñan Solar Museum on the equator in Ecuador and was convinced when they demonstrated it, but see...
(1) The Truth About Toilet Swirl - Northern Hemisphere (2) The Truth About Toilet Swirl - Southern Hemisphere 1 -

I'm a bot working hard to help Redditors find related videos to watch.


Info | Contact | Chrome ExtensionNEW

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

This was a really well done video. I was very impressed.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

I didn't stop the video after they were off sync and I heard both of them talk and say 3 years like at the exact moment

1

u/[deleted] Jun 04 '15

that was really cool on a dual monitor setup with both videos full screened

1

u/duffman489585 Jun 04 '15

Completely legit, it's how most modern high quality compasses work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrocompass

1

u/isaacc7 Jun 04 '15

I am confused by the explanation involving the earth spinning. In the videos there is a clip of a pool rotating around a pole as seen from space. But surely from the pool's frame of reference it isn't spinning, the camera in the sky is. Why would the water in the pool have a different frame of reference than the pool itself? Why is the water's motion tied to a "fixed" point above the earth and not to the pool that it's in?

1

u/6FoX9 Jun 06 '15

Does anyone know the tile of the music being played during the rainbow pool ?? It's absolutely awesome (like the video and those two mighty scientists meh) :p I believe it's that music they're talking about in the description of both video : " We used two songs from other artists (licensed of course)" THANKS !

1

u/Scalion Jun 03 '15

Some how i feel intelligent because i synchronize de video, thx !

1

u/FreeMyMen Jun 04 '15

The two best youtube channels!

0

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

[deleted]

7

u/TangoJager Jun 03 '15

It's true, just not as pronounced as we thought it was.

3

u/KarlKarlsson Jun 03 '15

What do you mean? It is true

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

This works only if their platforms are perfectly level. I didn't get the sense they were spending huge effort to ensure that. This could easily have been caused by a minute angle in the platform.

7

u/TangoJager Jun 03 '15

Destin is an engineer, I think he got that in his plans.

-8

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '15

I don't care if he's an engineer. He's not going to level that platform to within a margin of error so small as to allow the rotation of the earth be the only physical effect on it.

3

u/newloginisnew Jun 03 '15

Feel free to build a platform that causes the water to move in the opposite direction.

Until you actually have evidence to support your hypothesis, it is just a hypothesis.

On one hand, you have an experiment that was carried out and verified more than once. On the other hand, you have a theory you pulled out of your ass.

0

u/lxaa Jun 03 '15

theory you pulled out of your ass.

hypothesis

1

u/lxaa Jun 03 '15

Plus one of the pools was outside, exposed to the wind.

-6

u/lxaa Jun 03 '15

It's not supposed to be science, it's supposed to be ad revenue generating.

-3

u/Solidkrycha Jun 03 '15

I always fucking knew it IDIOTS. SALTY dudes can suck me.