What if everyone pointed a laser at the moon?

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  • Опубліковано 21 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 3,8 тис.

  • @fishybiller7896
    @fishybiller7896 16 днів тому +17605

    I have a laser pointer, I'll start

    • @unknownavacado
      @unknownavacado 16 днів тому +183

      bet

    • @Sparkfox-
      @Sparkfox- 16 днів тому +188

      Here’s one more!

    • @-OBJ
      @-OBJ 16 днів тому +209

      If planes get away, you can make them get out of the way by pointing a laser pointer at them
      In all seriousness though don’t do this

    • @ultimatekill82
      @ultimatekill82 16 днів тому +22

      Let's go

    • @Daito12Master
      @Daito12Master 16 днів тому +22

      Got another two here!

  • @vasudevans1224
    @vasudevans1224 16 днів тому +15152

    Start of the video: let's point a small laser pointer at the moon.
    End of the video: alright here is how you build a death star

    • @MachanicalChicken
      @MachanicalChicken 16 днів тому +653

      But it's not a death star because we didn't blow up the moon... but what if we had more power...

    • @ewhschrisc
      @ewhschrisc 16 днів тому +370

      @@MachanicalChicken "Well, first you're going to need several obscenely large kyber crystals..."

    • @tealtophatvr
      @tealtophatvr 16 днів тому +130

      As a wise man once said, "The death star made a 18 magnitude earthquake happen on alderon"

    • @HansenSebastian
      @HansenSebastian 16 днів тому +48

      @@ewhschrisc "Unfortunately...the Death Star has to be mechanical while our moon is natural."

    • @How_are_you1234
      @How_are_you1234 16 днів тому +6

      most save thing we evere did

  • @alexsiemers7898
    @alexsiemers7898 16 днів тому +4844

    5:18 ah, but then we could just use the lasers again to force the moon away

    • @dkSilo
      @dkSilo 16 днів тому +607

      Could play moon tennis with ourselves, if we manage to get the moons trajectory right every time.

    • @Gamer3427
      @Gamer3427 16 днів тому +127

      Probably not, because the rate we'd decelerate the moon with our lasers would probably be slower than the speed it'd be traveling at towards us, and the time frame we'd have to try and decelerate it would be fairly short, (it'd take us longer for it to initially break free of our gravity well than it'd take for it to hit the earth after coming back into range of our lasers), so more than likely at best we could slow it down somewhat before it crashed into us.
      Of course, if it crashes into us at all, no matter how much we slowed it down, it and the earth both would be so heavily damaged that even if we somehow survived, we'd probably never be able to get it back of the earth.

    • @anthonybowman3423
      @anthonybowman3423 16 днів тому +123

      @@Gamer3427 It's fine. The laser killed everyone a long time ago.

    • @eggegg6448
      @eggegg6448 16 днів тому +54

      ​@@Gamer3427that just means we need more and better lasers

    • @WabbitSeeson
      @WabbitSeeson 16 днів тому +26

      ​@@Gamer3427bigger laser maybe 🤔

  • @VPCh.
    @VPCh. 16 днів тому +3950

    I was naively hopeful at the start that this would be one of those rare times that an XKCD video didn't destroy the earth.

    • @AbrahamShannon-z8p
      @AbrahamShannon-z8p 16 днів тому +86

      watch the earthquake one. that is literally the only what if episode where he tried not to destroy the earth for once.

    • @Pixiuchu
      @Pixiuchu 16 днів тому +51

      @@AbrahamShannon-z8p I mean, the earth still got destroyed... But it did end on a light note!

    • @GlennBrockett
      @GlennBrockett 16 днів тому +13

      If it doesn't at first, it will eventually.
      More Power!

    • @bryanekers3472
      @bryanekers3472 16 днів тому +33

      Hey, if you can picture a science experiment that COULDN'T hypothetically destroy the Earth, you're not sciencing right!

    • @tiagogarcia4900
      @tiagogarcia4900 16 днів тому +9

      In the original blog post it didn't. The lasers got so strong they vaporized the moon, which lead to a pretty funny "before & after" picture.

  • @fntthesmth423
    @fntthesmth423 12 днів тому +146

    I gotta say, of all the mediums I've experienced "what if" in, my favorite element of the video format is the bespoke "pew pew" sound effects

  • @CS2architecture
    @CS2architecture 16 днів тому +2267

    i like to think that someone had an unhealthy level of hate toward the moon to come up with this beautiful thought experiment

    • @williamjohnson5022
      @williamjohnson5022 16 днів тому +76

      Probably Piccolo.

    • @gabe456
      @gabe456 16 днів тому +28

      mustve been markiplier during that one distractible episode

    • @infinityc2859
      @infinityc2859 16 днів тому +68

      Eggman

    • @john-wx7gr
      @john-wx7gr 16 днів тому +47

      i have come to make an announcement

    • @dosequis22
      @dosequis22 16 днів тому

      ​@@williamjohnson5022Beat me to it

  • @biivamunner3122
    @biivamunner3122 16 днів тому +3023

    "Unharmed atmosphere" quickly reverting to "Harmed atmosphere" was a good one

    • @austinrimel7860
      @austinrimel7860 16 днів тому +108

      Reminds me of the "Unsuspecting Pitcher" to "Vaporized Pitcher" one from the light speed baseball video.

    • @Stammer6
      @Stammer6 16 днів тому +17

      Homestar Runner energy

    • @ourgoldenspires
      @ourgoldenspires 2 дні тому +1

      @@austinrimel7860 In this world, you're either unsuspecting, or vaporized.

  • @williamelling3579
    @williamelling3579 16 днів тому +1920

    5:27 "What if we add more power?"

    • @SmoothBrain-YT
      @SmoothBrain-YT 16 днів тому +71

      The moon would instantly explode

    • @gameingboy9541
      @gameingboy9541 16 днів тому +44

      ​@@SmoothBrain-YT what if we add more

    • @mjsvitek
      @mjsvitek 16 днів тому +74

      ​@@gameingboy9541Haven't we all seen Starwars by now?

    • @BT10e
      @BT10e 16 днів тому +21

      MOAARR

    • @neopalm2050
      @neopalm2050 16 днів тому +19

      @@gameingboy9541 it explodes harder

  • @mateoroth5214
    @mateoroth5214 16 днів тому +2127

    “What if we tried more power” is the xlcd moto

    • @TinyDeskEngineer
      @TinyDeskEngineer 16 днів тому +29

      K, not L.

    • @avarionargos
      @avarionargos 16 днів тому +38

      Yeah, and then usually everyone dies.

    • @AbrahamShannon-z8p
      @AbrahamShannon-z8p 16 днів тому

      ​@@avarionargos Yup!

    • @Haezard
      @Haezard 16 днів тому +4

      Maybe hes making a joke, like lcd. But it's a bad joke. 😅

    • @mateoroth5214
      @mateoroth5214 16 днів тому +20

      @@Haezard this was my third attempt to spell it. Just gave up and went with it

  • @ShayyTV
    @ShayyTV 16 днів тому +878

    Glad to see if we add enough power we can recreate the plot of Sonic Adventure 2

    • @Theking0fgg
      @Theking0fgg 16 днів тому +59

      Next video: What if everyone AND every frog pointed a laser at the moon?

    • @CatCatKitten
      @CatCatKitten 16 днів тому +48

      Well this is a weird crossover of my interests, hello Shayy

    • @michaele8444
      @michaele8444 16 днів тому +28

      What the hell is funny Undertale man doing on an XKCD video?
      I love it!

    • @alva_descent3495
      @alva_descent3495 16 днів тому +113

      "What if everyone pissed on the moon?"

    • @portuguisianbralizian3293
      @portuguisianbralizian3293 16 днів тому +7

      Next video we will be turning Shayy into plasma and ignite the atmosphere of his bedroom

  • @stibiumowl
    @stibiumowl 16 днів тому +653

    1:30 Nice Tipp that safety glasses only work (as protection against the Laser) if they cost more than the Laser.

    • @chickennuggetman2593
      @chickennuggetman2593 16 днів тому +108

      *Makes cheap safety glasses but adds encrusted diamonds on the rim of it* okay guys its safe now

    • @robspiess
      @robspiess 16 днів тому +89

      It's helpful to know that, since people think "oh, I won't shine it in my eyes or anyone else's eyes, so I don't need goggles", that any minor reflective surface you happen to briefly shine upon can also cause instant blindness (or, at least, spots in your eyes that never go away for the rest of your life).

    • @revanati222
      @revanati222 16 днів тому +6

      So a welding mask won't work?

    • @ReptilianLepton
      @ReptilianLepton 16 днів тому +17

      @@revanati222 If talking about blue lasers (as in that part of the video), depends heavily on their rating for the visible spectrum.

    • @nuxx1876
      @nuxx1876 16 днів тому +4

      so how much does the sun cost

  • @RealSlowLike
    @RealSlowLike 16 днів тому +275

    3:01 there's..... someone on the wing

    • @PainoMailo
      @PainoMailo 16 днів тому +17

      Twilight Zone reference

    • @RealSlowLike
      @RealSlowLike 16 днів тому +4

      @PainoMailo also ace ventura

    • @man-o-valor
      @man-o-valor 16 днів тому +5

      He's trying to fly it from the outside according to How To

    • @Bucking_Fastard
      @Bucking_Fastard 16 днів тому

      Jerry

    • @juliusapriadi
      @juliusapriadi 16 днів тому +19

      of course, someone needs to "hold" the laser pointer to stay true to the thought experiment

  • @atotheceetothegee
    @atotheceetothegee 15 днів тому +1613

    Long-time XKCD readers will understand how appropriate it is that black hat guy is the one continually escalating the scenario

    • @TheMadJagger
      @TheMadJagger 15 днів тому +73

      He's the Classhole, do not forget.

    • @Fenriswaffle
      @Fenriswaffle 15 днів тому +90

      Some things never change, and black hat guy is as ever the agent of chaos. I was delighted to see that it was him saying "MOAR POWER"

    • @csvigneshwar3390
      @csvigneshwar3390 15 днів тому

      He is Br*tish😡, No wonder He keeps wanting more Power /s

    • @zman90
      @zman90 15 днів тому +11

      MOAR POWA BABY​@@Fenriswaffle

    • @Vinemaple
      @Vinemaple 14 днів тому +23

      I fully expected Black Hat Guy to ask "What if we used more power?" again, _anyway,_ even at the end.

  • @orthodynamicstereonails
    @orthodynamicstereonails 16 днів тому +1493

    this was my favorite answer from the book, so glad it’s covered in video format now!

    • @Nryan-ks5tz
      @Nryan-ks5tz 16 днів тому +13

      same! i remember reading it after watching a vsauce video that briefly mentioned it

    • @fartpluswetone8077
      @fartpluswetone8077 16 днів тому +3

      I still can't believe I lost the book. Such a fun read when I was little.

    • @arnavrakshit5140
      @arnavrakshit5140 16 днів тому

      ua-cam.com/video/XnjIXSWdt4Y/v-deo.html

    • @VonBlade
      @VonBlade 16 днів тому +5

      There is a proper Talk from Randall on this very subject with slides and everything. ua-cam.com/video/avYPeoU0nI8/v-deo.html

    • @tiennou07
      @tiennou07 16 днів тому

      That one and the mole of moles are the two I love the most

  • @3lapsed
    @3lapsed 16 днів тому +188

    Laser Ablation is cool for other reasons. When I was a kid I had a genetic heart condition, I had (at the time) experimental laser ablation surgery to remove the fat cells that were growing in my right ventricle. Unfortunately it wasn't also enough power to send me into orbit

    • @bjb7587
      @bjb7587 16 днів тому +10

      Why not try again now?

    • @mandi8345
      @mandi8345 16 днів тому +8

      So, you're saying you had your fat heart lasered away.....There has got to be a joke in there somewhere....What if we used more power?

    • @bjb7587
      @bjb7587 16 днів тому +10

      @mandi8345 "Oops we vaporized the heart."
      "Can we swap in that kidney? "

    • @akeem2983
      @akeem2983 16 днів тому +4

      Exploding the cells using lasers may be the coolest tech ever

    • @Greg_Chock
      @Greg_Chock 14 днів тому +1

      Or maybe fortunately

  • @Jarvalicious
    @Jarvalicious 5 днів тому +1

    I absolutely love that these scenarios always get pushed to the point of catastrophic reactions plus an actual answer to the question

  • @XenonSlayer
    @XenonSlayer 16 днів тому +755

    4:20 "I've come to make an announcement..."

    • @robotnikkkk001
      @robotnikkkk001 16 днів тому +41

      ...AT LEAST someone REMEMBERS SA2,HEHE
      ...THANKS A LOT,HEHE

    • @bunnyluve
      @bunnyluve 16 днів тому

      We pissed on the moon, Obama you idiot!

    • @mnicolas9742
      @mnicolas9742 16 днів тому +82

      How you like that, Obama!?

    • @imveryangryitsnotbutter
      @imveryangryitsnotbutter 16 днів тому

      How do you like that, Obama?! I pissed on the MOON, you IDIOT!

    • @kaporalhart
      @kaporalhart 16 днів тому +14

      is it about sonic and adultery ?

  • @falsifiedbrib1268
    @falsifiedbrib1268 16 днів тому +145

    eggman wasnt kidding in that announcement, huh?

  • @fredmercury1314
    @fredmercury1314 16 днів тому +106

    1:00 What if everyone is pointing at the side that's not lit by the Sun?

    • @thatoneguy9309
      @thatoneguy9309 16 днів тому +31

      It's explained more in the book, but short answer: still basically nothing.

    • @juanignaciolopeztellechea9401
      @juanignaciolopeztellechea9401 16 днів тому +6

      That would mean 30,000,000 w compeating against 3,225,000,000,000,000 w because it's half the cross-section of the moon. Still nothing.

    • @musaran2
      @musaran2 15 днів тому +3

      Timing for new moon should be better.

    • @brunoparga
      @brunoparga 12 днів тому

      @@musaran2 but the new moon is in the sky at the same time the sun is, so we wouldn't even be able to see it to aim.

    • @musaran2
      @musaran2 12 днів тому

      @@brunoparga New enough to reflect little sun light, filled enough to be in night's darkness.

  • @Azimuth-l8n
    @Azimuth-l8n 16 днів тому +420

    It starts off with barely illuminating the moon and ends off as Moonfall. What a wild ride.

    • @arnavrakshit5140
      @arnavrakshit5140 16 днів тому

      ua-cam.com/video/XnjIXSWdt4Y/v-deo.html

    • @ScrewdriverGaming
      @ScrewdriverGaming 16 днів тому

      ... is this a Sentinel Comics reference..?

    • @jorgewilliam7103
      @jorgewilliam7103 14 днів тому

      ​​​​@@ScrewdriverGamingI don't know these comics or how popular they are, but i find it more likely OP was referencing the 2022 Roland Emmerich film.

    • @mewtubereal8985
      @mewtubereal8985 13 днів тому

      It was such a “blast” to watch

  • @katsuu99
    @katsuu99 10 днів тому +26

    And Master Roshi did all of this with just his hands.

    • @c_domingoo_
      @c_domingoo_ 7 днів тому

      I was looking for this wow

    • @unban
      @unban 5 днів тому +1

      kinda really does put the actual power scaling of fictional stuff into perspective a bit lol.

  • @macleunin
    @macleunin 16 днів тому +216

    3:05 is that a person holding on for dear life on the wing?

    • @juliusapriadi
      @juliusapriadi 16 днів тому +50

      you got it all wrong, this person is just holding the plane-sized laser pointer

    • @minorityrick4027
      @minorityrick4027 16 днів тому +7

      Yeah that's Jerry

    • @jpdemer5
      @jpdemer5 16 днів тому +3

      William Shatner must be aboard.

    • @terrain4print
      @terrain4print 15 днів тому +3

      It's Arthur Dent

    • @Trixtah
      @Trixtah 15 днів тому +1

      @@terrain4print I don't see a towel

  • @sicariussicarius2866
    @sicariussicarius2866 16 днів тому +211

    So you‘re telling me, if the Star Wars Deathstar were physics accurate, it would have just accelarated Alderaan gently away from itself (while still killing everyone on the Planet)?
    Dann that would have been way funnier. Just seeing it gently drift away with Vader just standing there like „we spent our entire Budget on THAT?“

    • @chrisschack9716
      @chrisschack9716 16 днів тому +51

      Don't be so proud of this technological terror you constructed. It doesn't work very well...

    • @DaKingKayden
      @DaKingKayden 16 днів тому +38

      Now everyone is dead and you get an empty planet! You went from Darth Vader to Frieza

    • @TrueWolves
      @TrueWolves 16 днів тому +15

      There is the alternate hypothesis that it detonates the core rather than vaporizing the planet. How? Shrug.

    • @arnavrakshit5140
      @arnavrakshit5140 16 днів тому

      ua-cam.com/video/XnjIXSWdt4Y/v-deo.html

    • @tyruskarmesin5418
      @tyruskarmesin5418 16 днів тому

      Blowing up a planet is an absurdly inefficient way to kill everything on it.

  • @miniskalk6159
    @miniskalk6159 3 дні тому

    can we all just take a moment to appreciate that he literally makes the sound effects by just mimic the sounds it would make with his voice

  • @MonkePopper
    @MonkePopper 16 днів тому +946

    but , what if, we tried more power?

    • @djmewtwo6981
      @djmewtwo6981 16 днів тому +11

      There’s not more power that we know of that’s the strongest lazer we know

    • @Gandhi_Physique
      @Gandhi_Physique 16 днів тому +40

      @@djmewtwo6981 It was fictional anyway, we could go higher. Result is likely not anything crazy though, just faster melting and higher speed of the moon being pushed away.

    • @Spacebug111
      @Spacebug111 16 днів тому +71

      "We gave every 8 billion humans a quasar"

    • @LookAtTheCamel
      @LookAtTheCamel 16 днів тому +24

      @@Spacebug111 At that point, we are moving the Galaxy with our Lasers.

    • @jordansean18
      @jordansean18 16 днів тому +4

      *Tim Taylor grunts in the distance*

  • @GDGAI
    @GDGAI 16 днів тому +319

    I’m so glad this what if got animated. The escalation from shooting a laser pointer at the moon to destroying the earth is amazing to watch!

    • @florac1995
      @florac1995 16 днів тому +23

      Is it really a What If video if it doesn't end with the destruction of humanity?

    • @GDGAI
      @GDGAI 16 днів тому +5

      @ True

  • @healthyminds9279
    @healthyminds9279 11 днів тому

    Imagine a youtuber giving the short answer at the beginning to instantly reach the point, because he has confidence the rest of his video is interesting. Rare these days.

  • @keithleracc
    @keithleracc 16 днів тому +3951

    "Can I light up the Moon?"
    NO
    "Why not?"
    YOU DON'T HAVE A DEADLY LASER

    • @cdxlvi
      @cdxlvi 16 днів тому +341

      for whatever reason my mind read that last sentence in the tone and rythm of "The sun is a deadly laser"
      and I'm not unhappy about that

    • @halyoalex8942
      @halyoalex8942 16 днів тому +297

      @@cdxlvi that was probably the intended reference

    • @Neubulae
      @Neubulae 16 днів тому +57

      The sun is a deadly laser, it surely can! Right?

    • @TeeJayRivers
      @TeeJayRivers 16 днів тому +133

      ♫ Not anymore there's a blanket! ♫
      (Of 500 TeraWatt lasers covering the Eastern Hemisphere oh god oh no somebody stop this!)

    • @mathewebenezer168
      @mathewebenezer168 16 днів тому +2

      @@Neubulae Acually, its not. Lasers are coherent sources of light whereas the sun is anything but that.🤓

  • @timothytumusiime2903
    @timothytumusiime2903 16 днів тому +664

    5:22 .... but what if we tried more power 😅

    • @shaggy8580
      @shaggy8580 16 днів тому +19

      You incinerate the moon

    • @Angrydestoyer69420
      @Angrydestoyer69420 16 днів тому +17

      .... But what if we used 8 billion death star lasers?

    • @samanthabesley2314
      @samanthabesley2314 15 днів тому +6

      What if we accelerate overpopulation by something like 1000× then time travel a million years into the future and try MORE POWER!!! You Someone proceeds to say "The su- no you have it wrong Peter's thought experiment is a deadly laser!!!

    • @ניצןנוה
      @ניצןנוה 15 днів тому

      ​@@Angrydestoyer69420
      This made me understand that the Deathstar wouldn't pierce immediately through planets, but create a similar effect where plasmatised matter blocks the laser's way and can fling planets away

    • @aurcorb
      @aurcorb 15 днів тому

      @@Angrydestoyer69420 what if we gave everyone a copy of the laser we created

  • @ericjohannsen
    @ericjohannsen 15 днів тому

    Fun fact, when I was piloting a Cessna 172 at night, air traffic control gave me a vector that passed me straight into the beam of the Luxor, which I didn't realize until about 15 seconds after my cockpit lit up like a lightning strike. It was... terrifying.

  • @NicolasGamezMotta
    @NicolasGamezMotta 16 днів тому +227

    IVE COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!!

  • @evilshrimpy
    @evilshrimpy 16 днів тому +99

    The sound effects given to the lasers are the difference between life and death

  • @Saint_Wolf_
    @Saint_Wolf_ 14 днів тому +1

    There's always a "end of humanity" scenario in these videos, I love it.

  • @SNTZ88
    @SNTZ88 16 днів тому +368

    The sound FX production is outstanding

    • @ccoder4953
      @ccoder4953 16 днів тому +29

      Yeah, actually a really good fit for XKCD's overall vibe - gets the job done and point across, but sort of has a minimalistic, "hand drawn" sort of feel.

    • @SNTZ88
      @SNTZ88 16 днів тому +12

      Hand blown

    • @johanw5181
      @johanw5181 16 днів тому

      vuvuvUVUVUVU FZZZZZZZZZ

    • @Autogenification
      @Autogenification 16 днів тому +2

      It's been mentioned in the other vids but the sound effects are done by the technology/engineering educational channel Know Art!

    • @rogerwilco2
      @rogerwilco2 16 днів тому +1

      Yeah, they're great!

  • @reaperwithnoname
    @reaperwithnoname 16 днів тому +32

    This has always been my favorite. Best line from the original column is "the moon leaves"

    • @hughcaldwell1034
      @hughcaldwell1034 16 днів тому +1

      That is wonderful. I laughed at his delivery of "Well done, team."

  • @voicekey
    @voicekey 11 днів тому +2

    “What if we tried more power” Can’t think of a harder quote than this

  • @SimuLord
    @SimuLord 16 днів тому +109

    Tim Taylor Technology at its finest.
    The potential downside is attracting a giant space cat that could knock the moon out of orbit.

    • @thetay24
      @thetay24 16 днів тому +1

      Binford Tools approves this message

  • @genericgamer2003
    @genericgamer2003 16 днів тому +45

    This was one of my favorites from the original What If? book. Happy to see it animated here!

  • @Topher7lol
    @Topher7lol 11 днів тому +3

    The sun might be a deadly lazer, but what about 8 billion confinement beams?

  • @ToocanCars
    @ToocanCars 16 днів тому +63

    This is a very compelling advertisement towards the purchase of a suspicious $200 1W blue flashlight with a very narrow beam

    • @dougjb7848
      @dougjb7848 16 днів тому +2

      😉 😉

    • @raizin4908
      @raizin4908 16 днів тому +12

      and for protection goggles that cost even more

    • @hughcaldwell1034
      @hughcaldwell1034 16 днів тому +2

      @@raizin4908 Sucks to be you; I'm already blind.

    • @akeem2983
      @akeem2983 16 днів тому +6

      @@raizin4908 Can't you theoretically use VR goggles in passthrough mode (or something similar to them) as eye protection? Especially against the wavelengths that are very hard to combat. Technically they're completely opaque, they just record video using the cameras and transmit it in real time to the screens. Yes, laser may permanently ruin the cameras, but I doubt it will have a chance to permanently ruin operator's eyes

    • @raizin4908
      @raizin4908 15 днів тому +1

      @@akeem2983 Good one! I think that should work, yeah, if you don't mind damaging the cameras.

  • @Divine_Intern
    @Divine_Intern 16 днів тому +33

    This question is very dear to me. It's how I discovered Randall, because my father bought the book and told me: "Read this, it's fun" and I got engaged extremely quickly

  • @RealRobloxYT
    @RealRobloxYT 6 днів тому

    "What if we tried more power" is something you NEVER want Randall to say

  • @glossaria2
    @glossaria2 16 днів тому +35

    Randall: "This question isn't NEARLY ridiculous enough for me."

  • @owentucker6215
    @owentucker6215 16 днів тому +44

    The ability to directly see the transition from pre to post laser in the video editing is actually amazingly nice and another reason I love that all the what ifs are being re-released in this format.

  • @SuoisXius
    @SuoisXius 14 днів тому +3

    The ability to directly see the transition from pre to post laser in the video editing is actually amazingly nice and another reason I love that all the what ifs are being re-released in this format.The ability to directly see the transition from pre to post laser in the video editing is actually amazingly nice and another reason I love that all the what ifs are being re-released in this format.

  • @nanattechi
    @nanattechi 16 днів тому +35

    this was my fav answer on the book omg, the hat guy with the “what if we tried more power?” lives in my heart rent free.

  • @JBUG
    @JBUG 16 днів тому +7

    oh my god this was my favorite one from the book ever since a kid
    THANK YOU for doing this one

  • @lucasmatthiessen1570
    @lucasmatthiessen1570 8 днів тому +1

    Question. What if all humans on Earth were blind? I’m not saying everyone on Earth went blind. I mean everyone on Earth was blind from the start. What would the Earth look like (or sound like) today? How different would humans be?

  • @protonjinx
    @protonjinx 16 днів тому +28

    forgot to do the scenarion where every 5mw laserpointer was inhumanly precise and all of them were pointed at the exact same spot on the moon: how many cats would chase it?

    • @LashknifeTalon
      @LashknifeTalon 16 днів тому +17

      That means all the cats on the planet simultaneously jump...which we've established does nothing.

    • @sfc0450
      @sfc0450 16 днів тому +3

      ​@@LashknifeTalonLet's just hope they aren't all in Rhode Island

    • @segadoeswhatnintendont
      @segadoeswhatnintendont 14 днів тому +2

      ​@@sfc0450 because then, the cat population will go nearly exctinct, and the united States of America will be overwhelmed with cats for about a year

  • @philippegauvin-vallee9371
    @philippegauvin-vallee9371 16 днів тому +140

    0:15 "We can gather everyone into one spot but we've learned our lesson about that already." Nice reference!

    • @johndc2998
      @johndc2998 16 днів тому +6

      I dont get it😂😭

    • @basil1415
      @basil1415 15 днів тому

      ​@@johndc2998Watch his other video named "What if everyone jumped at once?"

    • @lukeorlando4814
      @lukeorlando4814 15 днів тому +13

      @@johndc2998 some when ago a what if video was released about everyone of earth being teleported to the same spot. Spoiler. A rapid food/water shortage would occur and most of us would die. Those who didn’t would be forced to go looting as the lack of people left alive would soon lead to catastrophic systems failures.

  • @mr.bob.garcia
    @mr.bob.garcia 8 днів тому

    Peter: asks a simple yes or no question
    This guy: writes an essay

  • @resetreboot
    @resetreboot 16 днів тому +82

    "And that, at last, is enough power". Brilliant.

    • @ElMoonLite
      @ElMoonLite 16 днів тому +2

      Lies.
      What if we aimed more power at other things?

  • @noinfo1018
    @noinfo1018 16 днів тому +266

    Start: light up the moon
    End: I’ve come to make an announcement, shadow the hedgehog is a b-

  • @agustin3710
    @agustin3710 4 дні тому

    The fact that we theoretically have the power to move cosmic bodies is fascinating

  • @destroyergoku8691
    @destroyergoku8691 16 днів тому +50

    5:00 Earth is going super saiyan!! (Manga edition!)

  • @KevinJohnson-gc2kn
    @KevinJohnson-gc2kn 15 днів тому +6

    Props to this channel for answering the questions beyond the scope of the original questions. 💯

  • @newto2794
    @newto2794 5 днів тому

    The way he kept scaling the lasers, I was expecting him to say: "Let's give everyone the ability to launch a Kamehameha"

  • @NineteenEighty8
    @NineteenEighty8 16 днів тому +5

    Best "what if" content ever, seriously. I actually once thought about the possibility to change the color of the moon and my first idea was to use lasers. Thanks again XKCD, cannot wait until your next project already.

  • @ZeroEight
    @ZeroEight 16 днів тому +55

    4:40 I saw this in a dragon ball episode.... ka me ha me....

  • @rolfknappmann
    @rolfknappmann 15 днів тому

    Came here to learn something about laser pointers, stayed for: "How to build a Star Wars Deathstar and why it would catch fire immediately when using it"

  • @rasern
    @rasern 16 днів тому +49

    1:04 "What if we tried more power?"
    1:53 "What if we tried More power?"
    2:23 "What if we tried MORE power?"
    2:50 "What IF we tried more power?"
    3:18 "What if WE tried mOrE power?"
    3:37 "WHAT IF WE TRIED MORE POWER?"
    5:25 (Missing) "What if we tried MOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAREEEEEEEEE power?"

    • @nrs135
      @nrs135 16 днів тому +2

      4:02 We killed everyone.
      4:07 What if we didn't kill everyone?
      4:11 Scorched Earth on another level, but that's not all.
      4:39 Moon laser tennis, and scorched Earth again.
      5:18 We deserved it.

    • @segadoeswhatnintendont
      @segadoeswhatnintendont 14 днів тому +1

      UNLIMITED POOOWWWWEEERRRRR

  • @CassiusKent
    @CassiusKent 16 днів тому +20

    The moon coming back for vengeance is the best outcome, I think.

  • @herosupport1606
    @herosupport1606 5 днів тому

    I like how the last example was a wizard using magic.

  • @minecraftmajor8281
    @minecraftmajor8281 16 днів тому +38

    bro created the death star

  • @BushidoBrownSama
    @BushidoBrownSama 15 днів тому +40

    3:50 The Matrix of leadership!

  • @FSEffect
    @FSEffect 15 годин тому

    Palpatine: Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station
    xkcd: What if we tried more power?

  • @davydatwood3158
    @davydatwood3158 16 днів тому +5

    I did not expect this video the end with a concept for a "darker and grittier" Space: 1999 reboot.

  • @edwardcguitars
    @edwardcguitars 16 днів тому +7

    The sounds effects are the funniest thing ive heard in a long time

  • @TheReal4th
    @TheReal4th 6 днів тому

    The guy in charge of sound design needs a raise

  • @hafluq2979
    @hafluq2979 16 днів тому +72

    The Earth burning while using the most powerful laser makes it look like it went super saiyan and used the most powerful kamehameha against the moon

  • @ፔ̇̈
    @ፔ̇̈ 16 днів тому +76

    It would Earth’s attempt at becoming the DeathStar.

    • @TinyDeskEngineer
      @TinyDeskEngineer 16 днів тому +11

      "That's no moon; It's a planet."

    • @SelopianProductions
      @SelopianProductions 16 днів тому +1

      @@TinyDeskEngineer "That's no planet; It's a planet and a moon."

    • @AnotherCraig
      @AnotherCraig 16 днів тому

      It would be Earth inventing moon billiards (with mega-laser cue stick)!
      Ganymede, side pocket--

  • @aepokkvulpex
    @aepokkvulpex 15 днів тому

    It's probably worth noting that the distance isn't visually to scale, but I assume you accounted for the real distance in the math. Thinking of humanity pulling this off from how far away it actually is is so impressive

  • @TheMrMayo
    @TheMrMayo 16 днів тому +34

    2:24 Okay, at this point, I would have told him "No, no more power. This is getting out of hand." 😂

    • @Vassilinia
      @Vassilinia 16 днів тому +6

      OKAY BUT HEAR ME OUT. WHAT IF WE ADD...

    • @Vassilinia
      @Vassilinia 16 днів тому +6

      MORE POWER????

  • @ChristopherHicksFINI
    @ChristopherHicksFINI 12 днів тому

    This is a classic. Taking it too far several times over is brilliant and hilarious.

  • @corneliusbelmont2684
    @corneliusbelmont2684 16 днів тому +7

    What a fascinating way to reunite the Earth and Moon!

  • @fireandcopper
    @fireandcopper 16 днів тому +12

    2:01 I live rural and always have my 1100Lm light on me for skunks and bears, trust me when i say its VERY bright, and it gets warm while using it.

    • @dieselgoinham
      @dieselgoinham 16 днів тому

      Try the nightcore edc27. 3000 lumens and it’s like 5x1x0.5inches.

    • @fireandcopper
      @fireandcopper 16 днів тому

      @dieselgoinham for 1.4 acres I reckon 1100 is enough, solar motion lights are the bulk and a red Ryder for mice and raccoons, right in the rump "oh that smarts" and they leave, at a distance of course, 70-80ft

    • @fireandcopper
      @fireandcopper 16 днів тому

      @dieselgoinham mice get a different treatment on my brick siding though

    • @dieselgoinham
      @dieselgoinham 16 днів тому

      @ No such thing as enough when it comes to lights. I’m out on 3/4 acres with the RPR in .22 and a can lol.

    • @arnavrakshit5140
      @arnavrakshit5140 16 днів тому

      ua-cam.com/video/XnjIXSWdt4Y/v-deo.html

  • @JonatasAdoM
    @JonatasAdoM 22 години тому

    You can watch these videos in the dark inverting colors. Best of both worlds.

  • @Zachyshows
    @Zachyshows 16 днів тому +6

    3:24 the sound effects are peak

  • @JustaGamer-d2p
    @JustaGamer-d2p 16 днів тому +9

    It's fun watching this and wondering "is he going to add more power?" And then he does every time lol

  • @jimjohnson3410
    @jimjohnson3410 13 днів тому

    I was just talking to my son about laser ablation. This video was so topical and well done. Thanks for creating videos of these.

  • @jackmcfann
    @jackmcfann 16 днів тому +5

    “I pissed on the moon!”
    -Doctor Robotnik

  • @zack4527
    @zack4527 16 днів тому +7

    Why are we lighting the whole moon? Point every laser at a single point would we be able to see a red dot on the dark side? I feel like that’s what the question was asking.

    • @coreykesler739
      @coreykesler739 16 днів тому +3

      Pretty much impossible to keep the beam that narrow, and you're assuming superhuman ability to maintain aim ... and that's before you factor in any refraction due to thermal layers or atmospheric motion.

    • @JayJayPopcorn
      @JayJayPopcorn 4 дні тому

      @@coreykesler739 the thought experiment already assumed the humans had perfect aim, and that the light spread evenly on the surface, so if you said the surface was about 1 cubic km, and humans had said superhuman ability on top of them having 1 watt lasers, I would definitely still be curious as to what the possible result could be.

    • @64siskat96
      @64siskat96 День тому +1

      @@coreykesler739yeah no shit we also wouldn't be able to get all people to one spot its a hypothetical scenario

  • @HasoliMida
    @HasoliMida 15 днів тому

    It begins with the moon hardly visible and concludes with Moonfall. What a crazy journey.

  • @trivon3831
    @trivon3831 16 днів тому +16

    0:25 In the first sec I thought he was giving the moon the finger. ^^´

  • @yyy222y2
    @yyy222y2 16 днів тому +5

    5:09 Wouldn't the change in the Moon's orbit be different from the one illustrated? If we laser ablated the moon, we'd get most of the propulsion in the radial direction, which would change the orbit so that the point a quarter orbit ahead would rise, while the point a quarter orbit behind would fall

    • @MISAKA-cd2hq
      @MISAKA-cd2hq 15 днів тому

      No, that's about the right direction. We're firing the laser while the moon is at first quarter, so we're pushing it in the tangential direction with respect to its orbit of the sun. To push it radially away from the sun, we'd have to fire at the full moon.

  • @WherePolishedAndesite
    @WherePolishedAndesite 14 днів тому +1

    A question for you: does adding powdered milk to milk create more milk per milk?

  • @SWISS-1337
    @SWISS-1337 16 днів тому +87

    Can we come on land?
    "NO" why?
    "THE MOON IS DEADLY LASER (ROCKET)"

  • @Xelaria
    @Xelaria 16 днів тому +4

    That’s a good point, we shouldn’t focus so much on the moon

  • @Supuhstar
    @Supuhstar 11 днів тому

    my favorite thing about this UA-cam fixation Of that book, is the sound effects. I assume that’s Randall doing them all, in which case it perfectly matches, the hand drawn style of the images. Great choice, and makes these terrifying scenarios very playful

  • @Nikolas_Davis
    @Nikolas_Davis 16 днів тому +4

    4:43 and they said _Space: 1999_ was unrealistic...

  • @Dogempire-001
    @Dogempire-001 12 днів тому +3

    Teacher:the test isn't that hard
    The test:

  • @LovleyLemonade
    @LovleyLemonade 11 днів тому +1

    Imagine an alien watching the last hypothetical from space. They wouldn't dare invade after such a show of force.

  • @crashmstr
    @crashmstr 16 днів тому +5

    Thank you for the sound effects. It made my day.❤

  • @MonklockAnimations
    @MonklockAnimations 16 днів тому +15

    OK but hear me out: What if we tried more power?

    • @丫o
      @丫o 16 днів тому

      You will reach a point where there’s enough energy concentrated in one area to spontaneously generate a black hole with a mass equal to the entire universe. There’s now no more power anywhere that can be had. Ever. Game over.

  • @TheRagingRyan
    @TheRagingRyan 12 днів тому +1

    My coworker accidentally singed the arm of their frock with a 100W laser, it was only outputting like 25W at the time though lol

  • @r3ked272
    @r3ked272 16 днів тому +8

    I'M PISSING IN THE MOOOOOOOOOON!

  • @MaraudingManiac
    @MaraudingManiac 16 днів тому +6

    "I've come to make an announcement!"

  • @raineob4996
    @raineob4996 15 днів тому

    Starts off with “nothing would happen” and ends with the Death Star superlaser. I approve.

    • @MonikTewio
      @MonikTewio 15 днів тому

      Another reason I adore that all the what-ifs are being re-released in this manner is the chance to view the pre-to-post laser transition in the video editing directly.

  • @Hutch2Much
    @Hutch2Much 16 днів тому +15

    i think dr. eggman tried this one once

    • @vxpdx
      @vxpdx 16 днів тому +4

      he pissed on the moon, correct

    • @thegrahamreaper6851
      @thegrahamreaper6851 15 днів тому

      obama wasn't happy with this

  • @krispee5842
    @krispee5842 11 днів тому +3

    Most dangerous method to piss on the moon