Does Canadian money really smell like maple syrup? With Matt Parker

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  • Опубліковано 17 січ 2016
  • I got loads of comments on a previous video about how Canadian banknotes smell like mable syrup. I didn't belive it so I attempt to disprove it in this video.
    Here's Matt's video about lengths of bank notes:
    • Australian Bank Notes ...
    Here's the original Canadian money laser video:
    • Plastic Banknotes and ...
    Visit my blog here: stevemould.com
    Follow me on twitter here: / moulds
    Buy nerdy maths things here: mathsgear.co.uk
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,3 тис.

  • @littlemikey46
    @littlemikey46 8 років тому +3044

    I just watched two grown men smell money for twenty minutes.
    Life is good.

    • @jonaskunnen7504
      @jonaskunnen7504 8 років тому +28

      +LittleMikey That profile picture really adds to the comment :p

    • @littlemikey46
      @littlemikey46 8 років тому +7

      Jonas Kunnen It sure is good ^_^

    • @ignaodd
      @ignaodd 8 років тому +1

      +LittleMikey sooo good

    • @Angelika..-
      @Angelika..- 7 років тому

      sums it up

    • @FloYnP
      @FloYnP 7 років тому +1

      Maybe one sort of notes is newer and newer notes smell different?

  • @christopher19894
    @christopher19894 3 роки тому +314

    The good old days, pre-covid, when people casually rubbed currency on their faces.

    • @chrisanderson1513
      @chrisanderson1513 2 роки тому +11

      I hate that this comment is a year old and I still relate. I have a mask on at this moment. :P

    • @KrypXern
      @KrypXern 2 роки тому +12

      Hey people from 2023, let us know how things are going please.

    • @alexandranorris8376
      @alexandranorris8376 2 роки тому +4

      @@KrypXern equally bad, but people dont care as much

    • @texasman1836
      @texasman1836 2 роки тому

      American money smells like cocaine and desperation. Change my mind.

    • @aldenmaskell6407
      @aldenmaskell6407 2 роки тому

      @Turch People have just given up, it looks like we're all going to get monkey pox by 2023 and electric and gas prices are at an all time high 🤷‍♂️

  • @markholm7050
    @markholm7050 7 років тому +849

    Polymer banknotes are frequently made from polypropylene. For ten years, I worked as a chemist for a company that made polypropylene. Polypropylene, like most plastics, has to be heated until it melts in order to make it into anything useful. I noticed, many times, during my involvement with polypropylene, that when it is hot, and for a significant time after it cools off, it does indeed smell vaguely like maple syrup. The odor fades with time. If you come near machines that are processing hot polypropylene, the odor is unmistakeable. It is not the same as maple syrup odor, but certainly has some similarity.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  7 років тому +195

      +Mark Holm interesting!

    • @moniquereed3294
      @moniquereed3294 7 років тому +162

      That makes sense. The smell of burning automobile coolant (propylene glycol) is very reminiscent of burnt sugar/caramel. It would be easy to mistake that for maple. Remember: if you are driving and you suddenly think you smell pancakes with syrup, it's time to pull over.

    • @Scum42
      @Scum42 6 років тому +23

      Monique Reed holy crap that's really good to know. I'll keep that in mind.

    • @fufun4me
      @fufun4me 5 років тому +15

      I worked in a signage factory and styrene sheets also had a strong, sickly sweet smell. Plastic smelling sweet doesnt surprise me at all

    • @jobansand
      @jobansand 4 роки тому +3

      That's incredible!!

  • @aienatu
    @aienatu 7 років тому +438

    We do, in fact, have sticky maple syrup fingers.

    • @seanmackey8552
      @seanmackey8552 7 років тому +11

      Well I try to wash it off in all the snow. Having sticky fingers all the time can be a pain so I try to use my debit card. Lol.

    • @OzanUtku
      @OzanUtku 4 роки тому +8

      and Australia just has Sticky Fingers

    • @TheNmecod
      @TheNmecod 4 роки тому

      Barry Chuckle good pun mate

    • @canadianbutt2759
      @canadianbutt2759 3 роки тому

      we do

    • @AtlasVRC
      @AtlasVRC 3 роки тому +4

      Maple syrup is a part of a healthy Canadian breakfast, bath and hand sanitizer.

  • @icefire99699
    @icefire99699 7 років тому +309

    I'm from Canada, and whether the Bank of Canada says they smell like maple syrup or not, they most definitely DO. They also smell more the newer they are. My theory is that it is a off-gas from production similar to new car smell, which might actually be harmful. A friend of the family works at a bank and she says the tellers always get headaches when the bills come in.

    • @AlexPope1668
      @AlexPope1668 7 років тому +56

      Yup, this is where I'd be going with it. I've smelt the bills and I know what maple syrup smells like, and no, while they have a scent (especially the new ones), it's not maple syrup. That said, I can totally buy that someone could believe it is a syrup smell.
      Most people are pretty terrible at blind differentiation of low to midrange smells. They're even not so great at fairly strong smells- even ones that are familiar. The brain spends a good deal of time connecting the senses: if it looks like a strawberry, feels like a strawberry, then it should taste and smell like a strawberry. Take the look and feel out of the equation and it gets way more difficult to tell.
      If you're not sure about that, there's some research on how marketers use smells that are pure chemical fabrications (i.e., does not smell like anything authentic at all), in foods and candies to make us think we're smelling and tasting authentic things. Like, "Yeah, that kind of looks like a dried strawberry in my cereal and it says on the box that it is, mmm... tastes just like a strawberry," - when in fact both the "strawberry" and its taste in question are chemical creations. It's interesting stuff.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  7 років тому +52

      +Alex Pope interesting insight, thank you.

    • @AlexPope1668
      @AlexPope1668 7 років тому +6

      *****
      Yup. It's been a long standing tactic, especially by jewelry stores to spritz their air with baby powder and vanilla smells, because they are scents that remind us of good things and make us spend money more often than we would otherwise.
      Nasty trick indeed!

    • @sirdenys
      @sirdenys 7 років тому +5

      ...but why would they smell so different from the Australian bills, if they are manufactured in the very same place? (Regardless of colour, etc. because that appears to be irrelevant) This is all so puzzling! (I'm canadian but I've never noticed any sent, personally)

    • @AlexPope1668
      @AlexPope1668 7 років тому +2

      Denys Tremblay
      Content. They may be made in the same place, but I would bet my bottom, syrup(?) scented, dollar, that they are made from a different combination of chemicals.
      Ultimately, the smell would be the result of the particular combination of chemicals used to create the bills.

  • @DanDart
    @DanDart 8 років тому +654

    > Australia was the first company
    Touche

    • @alandouglas2789
      @alandouglas2789 8 років тому +9

      Australia is the first to do a lot of things

    • @joshhall9475
      @joshhall9475 7 років тому +46

      Well a prison could be a company

    • @anti_nana4463
      @anti_nana4463 7 років тому +12

      There was a group running India called the East India Company

    • @hainsay
      @hainsay 7 років тому +1

      +Josh Hall I'll pay that mate

    • @DamoZombie
      @DamoZombie 7 років тому +5

      think he was meant to say 'Australia was the first country to use' and/or 'Company in Australia makes' as he stated in a previous vid

  • @TheSoradam
    @TheSoradam 7 років тому +423

    canadian money doesn't smell like maple syrup, maple syrup just happens to smell like money

    • @tomsmith9281
      @tomsmith9281 4 роки тому +20

      In Canada Maple Syrup IS money.

    • @shawnpitman876
      @shawnpitman876 4 роки тому +6

      @@tomsmith9281 I mean, we *DO* have a reserve of maple syrup that measures in TONNES.

    • @martin11844
      @martin11844 4 роки тому +4

      @@shawnpitman876 that's smart and funny we can say that maple syrup could get to be more valuable than gold

    • @gregneill4246
      @gregneill4246 3 роки тому +2

      Well after all, it is a cash crop.

    • @twojuiceman
      @twojuiceman 3 роки тому +1

      In Canada... first you get the maple... then you get the money... then you get the women...

  • @firefish111
    @firefish111 5 років тому +58

    7:35
    *Steve:* You can't wash money!
    *Matt:* You're thinking laundering.
    *Steve:* Oh.

    • @tmg4884
      @tmg4884 Рік тому

      Its legal if the cops dont find out

  • @SteelDragonBurn
    @SteelDragonBurn 7 років тому +132

    1:18 those head turns tho

    • @SeanSiquig
      @SeanSiquig 5 років тому +2

      ikr, it was the first thing i noticed, i replayed it like 10 times!

    • @sscswimmer1
      @sscswimmer1 4 роки тому +3

      Also 20:02 when they both start thinking and just have to touch their chin

  • @petra_kalbrain4426
    @petra_kalbrain4426 7 років тому +437

    "Because it is handled by Canadians, it smells like Canadians" and "Because it spent so much time in Canada, it acquired the natural sweet smell of maple syrup" are ridiculously amusing statements to me, as a Canadian.
    Does the rest of the world believe that we have syrup running through our plumbing instead of water? Or something like that? LOL

    • @noidSN
      @noidSN 7 років тому +45

      I wish we did.

    • @wurstkonig3621
      @wurstkonig3621 7 років тому +67

      not only that but i also thought you had maple sirup rivers and ponds and stuff. you're telling me there's no public maple syrup distribution system like for water? that's somewhat disappointing.

    • @cernanwinterfox85
      @cernanwinterfox85 7 років тому +46

      Well we do have the national strategic maple syrup stockpile.

    • @wurstkonig3621
      @wurstkonig3621 7 років тому +38

      *****
      after you mentioned it i read up a bit on that. for that simple reason only canada has won my deepest respect. a national maple syrup reserve might be the best thing any country has done through human history.

    • @coryman125
      @coryman125 7 років тому +17

      Running through our plumbing? More like running through our blood!
      I don't actually like maple syrup please don't kick me out of the country

  • @ampjam
    @ampjam 7 років тому +307

    True fact: Canadian coins smell like apologies

    • @ksav1285
      @ksav1285 5 років тому +5

      He is not lying

    • @voidremoved
      @voidremoved 4 роки тому +2

      insincere apologies maybe. smells more like corruption and special interests groups. Nazi RCMP officers, rape and murder thats canada

    • @epiccollision
      @epiccollision 4 роки тому +1

      voidremoved you’re clearly an idiot...

    • @playdead8734
      @playdead8734 4 роки тому +2

      epiccollision Sorry. You’re not Canadian.

    • @TheNmecod
      @TheNmecod 4 роки тому +1

      PlayDead or he’s not a westerner

  • @ivanov093
    @ivanov093 5 років тому +46

    "All Canadians have sticky, maple syrup fingers."
    - Steve Mould

  • @desired397
    @desired397 7 років тому +28

    So from what I can tell after a few hours looking around online, Innovia Security creates the polymer base for the majority of polymer bills in the world. The countries then receive these blank sheets and then they print on them like they usually would (with some differences) but each country still prints their money in house.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  7 років тому +9

      +Jeff Mcfarlane interesting, thanks!

    • @ichigo_nyanko
      @ichigo_nyanko 2 роки тому +2

      It feels bad to me that one company has a monopoly on the creation of a significant portion of the worlds money.

  • @DJDiscoCat
    @DJDiscoCat 7 років тому +96

    I keep my cash stash in my shirt's top pocket while I work. I smelled maple and thought that I had gotten some syrup on me. However when I changed shirts and washed up, I still smelled the maple. I then pulled the cash stash out, it was warm from my body heat and found that it was scented with maple. I wish I could show you that the money did smell like maple, but I cannot confirm it was done when the money was manufactured or someone added it afterwards. It's not one bill, but all of them together, about twenty bills folded together that the scent was the strongest.

    • @ChamomileT
      @ChamomileT 3 роки тому +10

      Apparently, its made with a chemical, that when hot and for a period of time after cooling, smells very similar to maple syrup. It was probably your body heat warming the money, having each note almost isolate the other and making just warm enough to smell the maple scent more than you would normally

  • @michaelberry1746
    @michaelberry1746 8 років тому +286

    It's 1 o'clock in the morning, and I'm sitting here watching two full-grown sniff bank notes.
    What in the world am I doing with my life???

  • @Drawfill
    @Drawfill 7 років тому +134

    I'm Canadian and I confirm, our money smells like maple. Especially the $100 bill.

    • @Peter_1986
      @Peter_1986 7 років тому +4

      jean-sébastien dubé
      Money with a maple leaf symbol that smell like maple syrup - perfect.
      lol

    • @DELUXPLUS1
      @DELUXPLUS1 5 років тому +2

      Yeah same

    • @trickydicky2594
      @trickydicky2594 5 років тому +4

      More mapley as the price increases: $10= 10% maple, $20= 20% maple, and so on.

    • @gmillsy1086
      @gmillsy1086 4 роки тому

      The50$ s do as well

    • @justinalias2279
      @justinalias2279 4 роки тому +2

      Yes 100% legit, only the $100 smells like maple though. Each of the others smells similar, but distinctly different

  • @phampton6781
    @phampton6781 8 років тому +50

    But what about cross-contamination between notes touching each other?! Should have had them all delivered individually vacuum sealed fresh from the printers and done the sniffing in air-tight chambers. Think of the citations guys!

  • @Huntracony
    @Huntracony 8 років тому +111

    I like the world map in the background.

    • @reececrump8483
      @reececrump8483 7 років тому +3

      same!

    • @calinguga
      @calinguga 3 роки тому +1

      oh man, i couldn't even tell it was a map, i thought it was a portrait (looks like a man with fluffy hair holding his chin, with his cuff in the foreground). and it's a projection i actually own a print of, buckminster fuller's dymaxion map. shame on me.

    • @felixo5574
      @felixo5574 2 роки тому

      i found it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map

    • @calinguga
      @calinguga Рік тому

      @@felixo5574 okay sherlock

  • @ferncat1397
    @ferncat1397 8 років тому +13

    1:08 Matt is so proud that Australia had the first polymer banknotes bless

  • @vegonomia-nosprotegendodoc9011
    @vegonomia-nosprotegendodoc9011 3 роки тому +7

    This is the most pre-pandemic thing I've seen so far.

  • @darwin5275
    @darwin5275 8 років тому +9

    I would've avoided using a Sharpie pen since it has a smell of its own. The pen was being waved about during the tests and might've affected the nose of the test subject.

  • @GraverFILMS
    @GraverFILMS 8 років тому +48

    As a Canadian I can confirm they smell like maple syrup but this only applies to the new plastic composite bills when they're fresh from the mint.
    It's very prominent in the beginning but after being in circulation for a while they lose their scent. Also they're not scratch and sniff, that's a myth.
    Also a large majority of Canadians don't handle maple syrup on the daily it's a once in a while breakfast topping for pancakes and waffles so you didn't need to wash them haha

    • @OrchidAlloy
      @OrchidAlloy 8 років тому

      It makes sense, too.

    • @emerson-sheaapril8555
      @emerson-sheaapril8555 7 років тому +2

      Do we?...Well my british roomy did just tell me I "definitely have a quirky sense of humour" To which I farted and ran around laughing maniacally

    • @TheAndero
      @TheAndero 7 років тому

      so its not Canadians and their sticky fingers smelling them up.

    • @emerson-sheaapril8555
      @emerson-sheaapril8555 7 років тому +2

      Yep totally it's our maple syrup farts....and I think someone deleted their post that I responded to about south park and Canadian humor LOL..whatevs, my comment can stand in it's own! ITS A LIVE

    • @gavinward5448
      @gavinward5448 7 років тому +1

      Graver What? Now it smells of mint?? :-)

  • @widdomonki238
    @widdomonki238 7 років тому +240

    as a Canadian, I am uncertain if I am offended or stupidly amused by this.

    • @ramendude246
      @ramendude246 7 років тому +2

      Widdo Monki me 2

    • @aricpihrag1541
      @aricpihrag1541 7 років тому +37

      just apologize

    • @danahashcroft9482
      @danahashcroft9482 7 років тому +1

      Widdo Monki yep. not sure how i feel

    • @c28baby
      @c28baby 7 років тому +4

      Widdo Monki What a Canadian thing to say.

    • @GMCLabs
      @GMCLabs 7 років тому +15

      Canadians get offended? Thought they just apologize.

  • @Blackmark52
    @Blackmark52 8 років тому +184

    The final test with the washed bills in the envelopes was painful to watch due to the glaringly bad procedure.
    They washed the bills with soap that was undoubtedly scented, then put them into envelopes that would both trap the scent of the soap and have their own smells of paper and adhesive. The first test was more scientific because it tested just the money.

    • @bobbiusshadow6985
      @bobbiusshadow6985 8 років тому +4

      +Blackmark52 I was thinking exactly the same.....not scientific methodology....but that was just for fun, right?

    • @Blackmark52
      @Blackmark52 8 років тому

      Bobbius Shadow Yeah, just for fun. But what they are making fun of is the scientific method. Not something I would expect on a channel that describes itself as "Videos about science and maths."

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +43

      +Blackmark52 I disagree that we're making fun of the scientific method. We have a go at experimental design and get it wrong. Which we're honest about. But along the way we've discussed the ideas of experiential design and scientific method.

    • @Blackmark52
      @Blackmark52 8 років тому +3

      Steve Mould I didn't intend to impute your intentions. The context of my criticism was a response to "it's just in fun" and I was merely pointing out that the only thing bearing the brunt of the humour was the scientific method. And I was disappointed because you are a science friendly channel. Come on, doing a smell test by washing the test material is bad enough, but washing it in scented detergent-- argghh!

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +11

      That's fair.

  • @Fiyaaaahh
    @Fiyaaaahh 8 років тому +37

    Alternative conclusion: The Canadian $10 bill was washed the least proper of all (Canadian) bills.

  • @zbeekerm
    @zbeekerm 7 років тому +7

    I love Matt's facial expressions while Steve is talking

    • @robertarmstrong5015
      @robertarmstrong5015 Рік тому

      Could not stop notocing and scrolled way way down to find this comment!

  • @alandouglas2789
    @alandouglas2789 8 років тому +4

    Dad walked in halfway through this vid and said "what the fuck are you watching now?" lol

  • @DavidBeddard
    @DavidBeddard 3 роки тому +9

    Watching this in January 2021, seeing two people sitting so close together while both wiping their noses on things and passing them between each other is... painful 😅

  • @apollopicot5961
    @apollopicot5961 8 років тому +36

    when he washed the money I thought that he poured maple on them

    • @OrchidAlloy
      @OrchidAlloy 8 років тому +2

      Me too.

    • @georgeruiz9211
      @georgeruiz9211 4 роки тому +1

      Same

    • @wozit1
      @wozit1 4 роки тому +1

      i could get uesd to canaian homour ,from UK were its difficult to see money letalone smell it ! :-)

  • @mversantvoort
    @mversantvoort 8 років тому +28

    Your channel is awesome, Steve! Keep going man

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +14

      +Maikel Versantvoort thanks Maikel!

  • @Melesse636
    @Melesse636 7 років тому +6

    Hi!
    I'm a Canadian woman that thought the initial claims of our new banknotes smelling like maple syrup was stupid bullshit. Now I know that they do smell like that, but with caveats based on my experience.
    I've found that the strongest maple syrup aroma comes from brand-new, high denomination bills. The scent fades over time -- likely because they're getting handled and whatever is causing the scent wears away. The $5 & $20 bills end up neutral smelling fairly quickly.
    I don't think the Bank of Canada is trolling us all and secretly adding fragrance oils to the bills, but something in the production does cause a scent that is amusingly similar to maple syrup. And it's not our hands. ;)

  • @rosiebarron5451
    @rosiebarron5451 8 років тому +8

    Maybe if the washing up liquid/soap you used was scented it might have masked the subtleties of the maple scent. Also envelopes can be surprisingly pungent!

  • @dontaskiwasbored2008
    @dontaskiwasbored2008 2 роки тому +3

    The best videos from both of your channels are when you do them together!

  • @howycwap
    @howycwap 7 років тому +76

    any freshly minted bill WREAKS of maple, you open your wallet and it hits you in the face

    • @coralaisly
      @coralaisly 7 років тому +58

      Then it's not freshly minted, it's freshly syruped :P

    • @howycwap
      @howycwap 7 років тому +5

      badum tshh
      -_-

    • @kourii
      @kourii 7 років тому +12

      +howycwap not to be a dick but it's 'reeks' by the way

    • @roblostandlate.6005
      @roblostandlate.6005 6 років тому +3

      howycwap.
      Bank notes are not minted, they're printed. A mint only produces coins!

    • @RobFeldkamp
      @RobFeldkamp 2 роки тому

      Not to be pedantic, so i won't

  • @KyleLi
    @KyleLi 7 років тому +34

    I'm pretty sure the place that they mint the Canadian bills doubles as a maple syrup factory ;)

  • @Oisincolledge
    @Oisincolledge 7 років тому +362

    am I the only person who realised he called Australia a company

    • @leonardoschuler4187
      @leonardoschuler4187 7 років тому +2

      the irish coinpicker no

    • @sethskinner1897
      @sethskinner1897 7 років тому +1

      the irish coinpicker it isnt?

    • @matthiaswindrich9697
      @matthiaswindrich9697 7 років тому +17

      No, but nice job being smug about it. Keep up the good work.

    • @domsusefulstuff
      @domsusefulstuff 7 років тому +12

      Ahahahahaahahahaha. Come on buddy, this is UA-cam. Probably not even the first to comment on it.

    • @trickytreyperfected1482
      @trickytreyperfected1482 7 років тому +2

      the irish coinpicker someone commented that a year ago. so at least 7 months before you.

  • @EtzEchad
    @EtzEchad 7 років тому +10

    The Canadian flag maple leaf is the sugar maple but the ones on the bills are the Norway maple. So, it makes sense that scratching the leaf wouldn't bring the smell out. I think scratching the queens face makes more sense; especially after breakfast.

    • @matthewmartel9295
      @matthewmartel9295 7 років тому

      Actually, it's not a Norwegian Maple, but rather a mix of many types of maples. (I believe I've that there are 11 different ones combined to make the shape.)

    • @EtzEchad
      @EtzEchad 7 років тому

      Matthew Martel
      The point is that it isn't the sugar maple. It doesn't make sense that the money should smell like maple syrup. What are they trying to pull here?

  • @NoctumusTV
    @NoctumusTV 8 років тому +6

    The Canadian money clearly smells like maple syrup, although I'm pretty sure the Canadian government didn't deliberately decide to add that aroma to the notes. More likely it's just a coincidence, like C4 explosives smell like marzipan, for example.

    • @evanwalters3637
      @evanwalters3637 7 років тому

      How often do you handle c4? Are you secretly Adam Savage!?!?

    • @NoctumusTV
      @NoctumusTV 7 років тому

      Evan Walters Darn it, you got me :)

  • @3nertia
    @3nertia 4 роки тому +1

    You guys are genuinely entertaining to watch; your banter cracks me up!

  • @vikramkrishnan6414
    @vikramkrishnan6414 5 років тому +3

    A few pointers on your experimental design (I know it is more than three years but whatevs):
    1. Get fresh notes from the currency exchange
    2. Don't use soap to wash the notes. The odor of the soap will mask any other smells

  • @UnluckycharmsGaming
    @UnluckycharmsGaming 7 років тому +7

    As a Canadian I think it does smell a bit like maple but really only the new ones and it seems more strong when it's warm like if you took it out of your pocket after a few hours.

  • @verbinator
    @verbinator 8 років тому +4

    I am canadian! We love when foreigners pay attention to us, so thanks! Also, this video is adorable. When I first heard it said that our money smells like maple syrup, it was specifically the 100 dollar bills that people were talking about. Maybe test those ones? Expensive.

  • @johnkean6852
    @johnkean6852 4 роки тому +7

    The look Matt gave Steve when he said: "Don't worry he's had all his jabs" was priceless! 🤣

  • @ZeedijkMike
    @ZeedijkMike 8 років тому +15

    The best 20 minutes I ever "wasted". And having great fun at the same time.
    Thanks guys, keep the noses in there :-)

  • @darkonc2
    @darkonc2 3 роки тому +3

    One possible problem, which I predicted before you started the blind test, was that your money was *recently* laundered. and hadn't yet had the time to rebuild any latent smell to the point where it was detectable by human noses. If you had segregated the Canadian and Australian money into two envelopes and left it for a day (or at least gone for a long lunch) , you might have had time for he smell to build up sufficiently.

  • @IamCrusaderRUS
    @IamCrusaderRUS 8 років тому +6

    "I don't want to believe." -Steve Mould 2016.

  • @Demgam
    @Demgam 7 років тому +8

    The newest ones smell the most like maple syrup, that is the reason 100's and 50's are less used 20s are most used.

    • @Demgam
      @Demgam 7 років тому +6

      The more they are handles the more they lose their scent

  • @muppist
    @muppist 8 років тому +5

    You should first have tried the envelope test before washing them. Also, if the smell comes from out-gassing, after washing them you could try warming them up a bit; that might cause the plastic to release some of that maple goodness!

  • @sophieward7225
    @sophieward7225 8 років тому +136

    Your test may have been skewed; the sealing glue on envelopes smells like maple syrup

    • @smacinnes15
      @smacinnes15 8 років тому +60

      +M.W. Vaughn Only the canadian envelopes, though

    • @bioLarzen
      @bioLarzen 8 років тому +16

      +M.W. Vaughn Then they would have said all of the notes were Canadian, not only one / three of them...

    • @MultiAxian
      @MultiAxian 8 років тому +14

      +M.W. Vaughn But they used the same envelopes for all the bills. If it was a source of bias, it would've applied to all the bills equally.

  • @Dixavd
    @Dixavd 8 років тому +29

    Very scientific

  • @chuckbuckets1
    @chuckbuckets1 6 років тому

    love these collaborations; keep it up guys!

  • @naota3k
    @naota3k 3 роки тому +1

    Matt and Steve are such a great combination.

  • @michaelaklepel3692
    @michaelaklepel3692 3 роки тому +4

    I am a Canadian and have spent a lot of time sniffing our money :) What I found is the $10 dollars always spell much, much stronger! So my thought is perhaps the colour might have something to do with the smell as the Canadian $10 is the only purple bill I have seen...
    When you both guessed number 5 to be Canadian I was pretty conviced it would be the ten and was delighted to find that it was.

  • @wyattsheffield6130
    @wyattsheffield6130 8 років тому +45

    I'm liking that dymaxion map on the wall

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +14

      Good spot. Love that map.

    • @anitejbanerjee2278
      @anitejbanerjee2278 8 років тому

      +Wyatt Sheffield (Wyatt915) What's that? Sounds interesting?

    • @alexandrumoise1511
      @alexandrumoise1511 8 років тому +5

      +Anitej Banerjee earth projected on icosahedron

  • @perkylittleblondeFF
    @perkylittleblondeFF 8 років тому

    Too funny. Totally gotta check this when I go up to Victoria area for Spring Break, visiting daughter & family the end of this month!

  • @bralex6669
    @bralex6669 4 роки тому +2

    3:49 I automatically thought of Brady Haran and that is exactly how I thought of him speaking.

  • @Asher.Yodaah
    @Asher.Yodaah 8 років тому +6

    I think in the national bank they are stored next to the maple syrup

  • @Quicksilver_Cookie
    @Quicksilver_Cookie 8 років тому +23

    There must be some kind of placebo effect here. I moved to Canada quite a few years ago when lots of old paper money was still in use, then they've implemented polymer bills. And I did smell both of them...because I like currency and I smell new money I've never seen before, I confess :D And I totally didn't notice anything like that. After somebody told me about this myth now all Canadian notes smell like maple syrup to me O_o Go figure.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +4

      +MrCorvusC that's really interesting!

    • @apollopicot5961
      @apollopicot5961 8 років тому

      the placebo effect can't work in a a lions test though...

    • @minecraft15555
      @minecraft15555 8 років тому +1

      Not a placebo, a misunderstanding. Only the 100$ and above notes have the smell.

    • @natemaia9237
      @natemaia9237 7 років тому

      correct, i can vouch for that :)

    • @minecraft15555
      @minecraft15555 7 років тому

      Caeden W. Trust me, I live in London Ontario. As far as I can tell, it's just the hundreds, the rest is the placebo effect. This could be because the rest lose their scent before I end up getting one, but I haven't ever smelt it.

  • @gordcarleigh9157
    @gordcarleigh9157 6 років тому +1

    I remember when they introduced the new polymer bills in Canada and the rumour I knew was that it was the 100 bill that smells like syrup. I asked people at the bank and they said when the new bills arrived they were overwhelmed by maple syrup smell.

  • @Pit_Wizard
    @Pit_Wizard 7 років тому +1

    I work at a cell phone store in the U.S. I once had a guy pay me with bills that smelled strongly like butter pecan syrup. But that was because they were actually currently covered in butter pecan syrup.

  • @IceMetalPunk
    @IceMetalPunk 8 років тому +7

    "Australian. I mean, it smells of nothing. I mean, it smells like FREEDOM!" XD Oh, Matt, you hilariously patriotic man.

  • @pencilpen786
    @pencilpen786 8 років тому +5

    Being a simple Australian, I hear Australia and I have gotta add the video to my favourites

  • @TheNdoki
    @TheNdoki 8 років тому +1

    I thought I heard once that most money is printed in Canada. Also as someone who handles money nightly, I have to say it DOES have a distinct smell to it, maybe not maple syrup and maybe not intentionally, but it does have a sweet smell. Also since we got a new reprint it does seem like the newer a note is the more distinct the smell.

  • @jamesmacey7878
    @jamesmacey7878 8 років тому +5

    - Canadian bank notes are made by the Canadian Banknote Company in Ottawa
    - The 2015 New Zealand banknotes are made in the same place and they don't smell like Maple Syrup.

    • @pawccefawce3438
      @pawccefawce3438 8 років тому +8

      +James Macey They smell like sheep ass.

    • @jamesmacey7878
      @jamesmacey7878 8 років тому

      +Pawcce Fawce ⭐️

    • @boomerboxer3574
      @boomerboxer3574 8 років тому

      well then its well handled by canadians with syrup on their fingers

  • @monkiram
    @monkiram 7 років тому +12

    Hahahaha this is so great. They look so ridiculous vigorously smelling all the bills lol... I watched half this video being so curious about whether Canadian money really smells like maple syrup and then at some point I realized that I could reach into my purse beside me and smell it lol
    Update: my bills aren't that new so they smell like my purse lol, maybe I should wash mine too

    • @MarkovChains223
      @MarkovChains223 6 років тому +1

      But, like, how much maple syrup do you have stashed away in your purse?

  • @mounsterchef
    @mounsterchef 6 років тому +3

    "Smells like oppression. Oh, the Queen! Sorry."

  • @kevineames620
    @kevineames620 8 років тому +1

    When the soap was added for washing, I genuinely first saw it as maple syrup and was like "that's not going to help it not smell like maple syrup"

  • @coolpingu732
    @coolpingu732 8 років тому +1

    Could it be that the temperature of the bank notes also has an influence on the scent? how long between washing and testing them did you wait? and or does actually holding them in your hands have an influence on how good you can smell it? :) love science as much as you guys do ;) had a fun time watching the vid and looking for the experimental results :)

  • @rhysmuir
    @rhysmuir 7 років тому +10

    brand new Australian notes smell like crayons

    • @UNSCPILOT
      @UNSCPILOT 3 роки тому

      Don't tell American Marines, they might try to eat them! Jk, of course, but good to know!

  • @EmanuelsWorkbench
    @EmanuelsWorkbench 7 років тому +3

    The notes smell particularly strongly of maple syrup when they are new. With time and handling the smell fades.

  • @GuilhermeCarbonetti
    @GuilhermeCarbonetti 6 років тому +1

    So, maybe there's an explanation.
    Maybe the bills don't naturally have the scent of maple syrup, but in Canada it really acquires that scent through handling. So, Australia's money had only a faint scent because a few Australians do eat syrup. At the beggining, it was easy to distinguish betweem them.
    When you washed it, the syrup coat in Canada and Australia money went away. So, at the end you coudn't distinguish between them too, because there was no more syrup in them.

  • @MjikThize
    @MjikThize 7 років тому

    sotolon is added to the Canadian $100 bill as a security feature. chemical sensors are able to identify it as being genuine if found in the correct concentration.

  • @Lovely_planet
    @Lovely_planet 3 роки тому +3

    "wrap your nostrils around that one" lmao im dead

  • @DanDart
    @DanDart 8 років тому +5

    *sniffs banknote*
    *gives knowing look that you've done this before*
    Ahem...

  • @mattshaw5179
    @mattshaw5179 2 роки тому

    Quite possibly the most exciting UA-cam video I've ever seen!

  • @Azivegu
    @Azivegu 8 років тому +3

    If Germany didnt have the Euro, you might say: "now try and get your nose on the mark" 12:55

  • @inventor121
    @inventor121 7 років тому +3

    I think I actually have a test for this now
    Canadian (washed) currency in envelopes.
    Australian(washed) currency in envelopes.
    Canadian (unwashed) currency in envelopes.
    Australian(unwashed) currency in envelopes.
    Piece of flat maple candy in envelope
    envelope filled with plain piece of plastic
    Do not wash with soap, as soap contains agents designed to mask smells
    Conduct similar smell test as in the video

  • @TheBoogerBuster
    @TheBoogerBuster 8 років тому +4

    How come you guys couldn't just pull the note out during the blind test? Do they really feel that different?
    And yeah, as people are saying, the envelope and the soap could have masked the smell

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +11

      +TheBoogerBuster They do feel quite different which on reflection makes me think that maybe the manufacturing process is not that similar after all!

    • @AgentDRJ
      @AgentDRJ 8 років тому +2

      +TheBoogerBuster
      Australian money vary in length and thickness with different values, Canadian money does not.
      So, some Australian bills would have been distinctly Australian.

  • @WTFThatsWhatSheSaid
    @WTFThatsWhatSheSaid 7 років тому +1

    When my till opens, I can smell the syrup! I sometimes get customers to smell notes, and some cannot smell it, while others, myself included, can every time. It is most definitely true though!
    Also, the RCM had it listed as a security feature in their early drafts but removed it after some ridiculing. I think they just made it unofficial.

  • @josephk6907
    @josephk6907 7 років тому

    The Canadian mint put maple scent on the latest release of the $100 notes. It was a one-off thing and the only reason you'd smell it on other bills is because they've been in contact with newer $100s.

  • @NewMessage
    @NewMessage 7 років тому +4

    The Canadian Govt. has spent billions on refining the maple syrup reduction process to produce the telltale aroma of money.

  • @DenisRyan
    @DenisRyan 8 років тому +7

    It's January 18th, the very start of the year, and I can honestly say that this is most likely going to be the weirdest video I'll see in 2016. Hilarious, great, watched the whole way through, but definitely weird.

  • @StellarJay77
    @StellarJay77 7 років тому

    i think the ink color on the polymer bills is where the smell comes from. purple/brown bills have the sweet smell which seemed to hold true for the AUS bills in this video too, where as the green/blue ones do not or not so much. I am Canadian and the $100 CAD bill which is also brown does smell a lot like maple syrup.

  • @tgeliot
    @tgeliot Рік тому

    I want to know where you got that marvelous sink! Most modern sinks have water dripping off your hands and running out into the countertop.

  • @aquawoelfly
    @aquawoelfly 7 років тому +6

    inconclusive proof that canadians keep thier $10 notes on the breakfast table.

    • @garcemac
      @garcemac 7 років тому +4

      Inconclusive proof that 90% of Canadian bills pass through Tim Horton's ;) I actually just had a maple glazed doughnut yesterday. Just doing my part...

  • @BushmanEntertainment
    @BushmanEntertainment 8 років тому +3

    8:08 adding some more maple syrup :D

    • @sylvicalias
      @sylvicalias 4 роки тому

      I wonder if there's some real soap/shampoo in Canada that actually is maple syrup flavored.

  • @vancewade6251
    @vancewade6251 7 років тому

    I worked in a machine manufacturing plant and when parts in the warehouse were painted in our paint department they smelled like maple syrup. I suspect there's just a chemical that happens to smell like maple syrup that's fairly common

  • @w_umbus
    @w_umbus 3 роки тому +1

    Matt Parker silently barreling the camera for the first two minutes of the video was an intense, but not unpleasant experience

  • @noahgendron7240
    @noahgendron7240 7 років тому +3

    The 100 works best because it's used less

  • @asseater0077
    @asseater0077 7 років тому +3

    How am I spending my Memorial Day weekend you ask? Watching two men sniff money

  • @rituchandra6325
    @rituchandra6325 4 роки тому +1

    it is possible that when u guys put the notes inside the envelopes the smell of the paper added noise to the smell of the notes which made you less likely to recognise them.

  • @LEEBLISSY
    @LEEBLISSY 6 років тому

    its all so convoluted and i love it

  • @AA5SA
    @AA5SA 7 років тому +4

    It's a shame that the Bank of Canada doesn't add maple syrup scent to their money, because they totally should!

    • @SigmaSixSoftware
      @SigmaSixSoftware 7 років тому +1

      they said that but I`m sure they do it

    • @chucknorris3752
      @chucknorris3752 7 років тому +2

      Im canadian and they applied the scent to the first couple thousand 100 and 50 bills, and through cross contamination many bills smell like it now. Kind of funny.

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  7 років тому +3

      +Chuck Norris username does not check out :)

  • @RedStefan
    @RedStefan 7 років тому +3

    It's so obvious Canadias make money out of maple syrup.

  • @chuckygobyebye
    @chuckygobyebye 3 роки тому

    I did the first website for Note Printing Australia back in the 90s and they never changed the password for the backend system we did for them.

  • @thesemoves
    @thesemoves 8 років тому

    I'm Canadian, and here's something I've noticed. Our notes sometimes do, sometimes don't smell like maple syrup. My brother in law (who is not Canadian, but lives in Canada - and works in a bank) noticed that the notes smell more like maple syrup when the notes are rubbed together. I've tried this and tend to agree. Although I haven't done a blind test. Maybe something happening on a chemical level? Perhaps washing the notes changed a reaction and decreased the smell? Something to think about.

  • @notjoe2623
    @notjoe2623 6 років тому +4

    Us Canadians are actually made out of maple
    go scratch and sniff one to try it out

  • @Gairhoth
    @Gairhoth 8 років тому +5

    What do you think of the new pound coin the UK are minting soon? It's an even sided polygon, so it's not going to roll in any machinery, and could get jammed! The 20p and 50p coins are 7-sided and happen to be polygons of constant width and so do not have this problem

    • @SteveMould
      @SteveMould  8 років тому +6

      Good question. I'm not a fan of the new one pound coin for that very reason. My next video is related actually. I look at the Canadian $1 which is an 11 sided shape of constant width. Where as Australia has an even sided coin like the new £1.

    • @Gairhoth
      @Gairhoth 8 років тому

      +Steve Mould Awesome! Can't wait for the next video now!

    • @IamGrimalkin
      @IamGrimalkin 8 років тому +1

      It also looks really stupid. I am seriously considering hoarding current pound coins so I won't have to use the new ones.

    • @GoobNoob
      @GoobNoob 8 років тому +1

      of course it rolls dumb ass

    • @dwauctioneer
      @dwauctioneer 8 років тому +1

      +Gairhoth Why does the number of sides being even matter? Odd/Even the base is flat. The only difference is on the opposite side - flat/even, vertex/odd. I don't remember the old 12 sided 3d piece causing any problems. And solids of constant width don't roll very well anyway as their centre of mass isn't a fixed distance from the edge.

  • @alan2here
    @alan2here 3 роки тому

    Have the Canadian ones spent a lot of time mixed up with paper banknotes from there? Maybe those are made from maple trees. There are rubber tension exercise band things that I think due to the coating used, smell like marzipan. Such things do happen.

  • @jpdemer5
    @jpdemer5 2 роки тому

    It's almost a certainty that the odor is due to one or more of the inks used to print the banknotes. The majority of inks contain glycols, many of which have a sweet smell. You could probably find a correlation with a particular color.