MIT graduates cannot power a light bulb with a battery

[Zero-shift]

Main Question or Discussion Point

Now, to be honest, I can comfortably light it with TWO piece of wires and not ONE.
So , was it a trick question?

Technically, those are havard grads.

Please weigh in.

 

[Joppy]

What's the point of this?

 

[jim hardy]

Now, to be honest, I can comfortably light it with TWO piece of wires and not ONE.

you saw at 2:00 a kid do it with one wire..... so nyaahhhh .

 

[cnh1995]

I can comfortably light it with TWO piece of wires and not ONE

Yes. But we can connect one terminal of the bulb directly to one terminal of the battery like a guy did at 1:58...
Edit:Oh.. Jim already said that while I was typing.

 

[OmCheeto]

I can do it with no wires.

 

[cnh1995]

So , was it a trick question?

Maybe.. The question was "Do you think you can light a bulb using a battery and a wire?". Even if I could complete the circuit with just one wire (like a guy did at 1:58), I can't be sure if the bulb will light up. If the battery voltage is not sufficient, it won't light up even though the circuit is complete.

 

[XZ923]

Kind of reminds me of all those videos where people circulate petitions to ban "dihydrogen monoxide", citing things like it's the main component in acid rain, found in heavy industrial solvents, removed from tumors of cancer patients, can cause severe burns in its gaseous state etc. and everyone rushes to sign up for it.

Maybe.. The question was "Do you think you can light a bulb using a battery and a wire?". Even if I could complete the circuit with just one wire (like a guy did at 1:58), I can't be sure if the bulb will light up. If the battery voltage is not sufficient, it won't light up even though the circuit is complete.

If it's just a basic incandescent filament it will light up; it just might be extremely dull (assuming that there's at least some voltage across the battery terminals)

I can do it with no wires.

Honestly that was the exact same thing I was thinking of watching the video!

 

[russ_watters]

Without knowing for sure the majors of the students, it is tough to know if this is a big deal or not....though I did watch long enough for an ME to say she couldn't do it....and weep a little.

 

[jim hardy]

it's a psychology demonstration not a science one
kids expect honesty
hand them a 120 volt bulb and a 1.5 volt battery
and they assume it's an honest question, "Can you complete a circuit" .... or "Can this this battery possibly light that bulb"

Take a look at the comments on the youtube site.
It's kinda sad because the responses to the video show a baser side of human behavior, to build one's self up by tearing down others
youtube.com/watch?v=aIhk9eKOLzQ&feature=youtu.be
one commenter observed the bulbs had Edison bases so presumably are 120 volt lamps and can't be lit with a 1.5 volt battery
Most of the rest were derogatory toward the grads many gleefully so.
(...I wonder of the kid at 1:58 pulled that flashlight bulb out of his 'typical engineer's cluttered pocket ' ? ...)

"The real "haves" are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities.
On the other hand, the real "have nots" are they who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor." eric hoffer

........

Sadler teaches educators-to-be
http://scholar.harvard.edu/psadler/home

Dr. Sadler has taught Harvard’s courses for students preparing to be science teachers and for the next generation of science professors. As F.W. Wright Senior Lecturer in Astronomy, he carries on Harvard’s oldest undergraduate course in science, Celestial Navigation. He directs the CfA’s Science Education Department,.....

he's made other videos demonstrating failures of educators

and he has a point , you need to discover and uproot students' preconceived notions.
As evidenced by another comment to first video 'Those were AC bulbs that can't be lit by a DC .'
he got an award for researching that
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/sed/staff/Sadler/articles/Psych Models.pdf

 

[Averagesupernova]

Take a look at the comments on the youtube site.
It's kinda sad because the responses to the video show a baser side of human behavior, to build one's self up by tearing down others

This has become the norm on the internet in general. Youtube can promise results when looking for this type of behavior. Sad. I can't decide if it is since a lot of people like to see themselves have some input or if they are just jerks. As usual, the biggest mouths have the least to say in terms of substance.

 

[OmCheeto]

...
As usual, the biggest mouths have the least to say in terms of substance.

That's been my experience with people, both on and off of the internet. My theory is; "Bad potty training".

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts.”
--- Bertrand Russell​

ps. I read the entire wiki entry on "Eric Hoffer", which is why I eventually pushed the "like" button on Jim's post, as most everything else just depressed the hell out of me.

 

[Averagesupernova]

Yes cheeto, large mouths with little to contribute definitely goes beyond the internet and into regular life. I wonder if they get worse on the net though since they feel anonymous. That Bertrand Russell quote is very true. I always wonder if I am doing something and I have no doubts that I MUST be missing something. It is a good thing to question your moves in life. Good and new things often come from questioning the status quo.

 

[OmCheeto]

...
Good and new things often come from questioning the status quo.

Especially internal status quo.
I remember when somewhere in the latest "Ceres" thread, I discovered that pe did ≠ mgh.

It reminded me of that moment in "The Matrix", when Oracle said to Neo; "Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?"

hmmm.....
Perhaps this thread should be moved to the "Biology and Medical" forum.

 

[jim hardy]

ps. I read the entire wiki entry on "Eric Hoffer", which is why I eventually pushed the "like" button on Jim's post, as most everything else just depressed the hell out of me.

You would i think like his writing

i started with "The Passionate State of Mind" a collection of aphorisms. Some are immediately funny , some take weeks to figure out.
see also

old jim

 

[OmCheeto]

You would i think like his writing

i started with "The Passionate State of Mind" a collection of aphorisms. Some are immediately funny , some take weeks to figure out.

old jim

Ha!
I also checked out his quotes.
Some immediately struck me as profound, while others, well, as you say, would take me weeks to figure out.

As with all people who live in different times, places, and/or circumstances, their perspectives are always a bit skewed.
And hence, fun to figure out.

ps. I've never been a political historian, so I never knew much about Karl Marx, but when I saw what Hoffer said about him, I almost died laughing. Especially when I found out it was true.

 

[jim hardy]

I vaguely remember a TV interview with Eric Sevareid
and thinking at the time "what a smart and entertaining man !"

i think i've found it on youtube , added it to my prior post
havent watched it yet myself but look forward to seeing it from perspective of an old guy now instead of a young one

 

[Svein]

• Q: How many engineering students does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: One, but the rest of the class copies the report.

• Q: How many first year civil engineering students does it take to change a lightbulb ?

A: None. That's a second year subject.