why it took 200,000 years to invent the wheel

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  • Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
  • A portion of this video was sponsored by IBM. Learn more about the New Creators on IBM’s UA-cam channel or New Creators homepage: ibm.co/3evd1Bz | / ibm
    Humanity invented the harp before we invented the wheel. Wild. In this video, Sabrina explores why it took humanity so long to invent the wheel and challenges her friends to redo it in a day.
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    SOCIAL MEDIA
    Sabrina
    Twitter: / nerdyandquirky
    Instagram: / nerdyandquirky
    Melissa
    Twitter: / mehlizfern
    Instagram: / mehlizfern
    Taha
    Twitter: / khanstopme
    Instagram: / khanstopme
    CREDITS
    Produced by Sabrina Cruz
    Production Assistance by Chantele Viens
    Video Editing by Joe Trickey
    Motion Design by Sabrina Cruz
    Special Thanks to Taha Khan, Melissa Fernandes, and David W. Anthony
    MUSIC
    Epidemic Sound. Get started today using our affiliate link. share.epidemicsound.com/answer...
    BIBLIOGRAPHY
    Anthony, D. W. (2010). The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How bronze-age riders from the Eurasian steppes shaped the modern world. Princeton University Press.
    Gambino, M. (2009, June 17). A salute to the wheel. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...
    Staff, F. M. (2017, March 7). DK science: Machines. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from www.factmonster.com/dk/encycl...
    The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. (2022, August 24). simple machine. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from Encyclopedia Britannica website: www.britannica.com/technology...
    Wolchover, N. (2012, March 6). Why it took so long to invent the wheel. Retrieved August 26, 2022, from Scientific American website: www.scientificamerican.com/ar...
    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 oooh so edgy lmao
    00:13 paying the bills
    01:35 how long did it take to invent the wheel
    02:19 do you know what the wheel is
    03:28 send in the clowns begins to play
    05:02 why the wheel took so long to invent
    06:28 when plans fall apart
    07:27 the delusions settle in
    08:43 why the wheel took so long to perfect
    09:52 melissa doesn't know what a tractor is
    10:59 they made thing
    12:16 let's try and break them
    12:52 melissa DEFINITELY doesn't know what a tractor is
    13:00 testing the bare minimum
    14:21 how the wheel spread
    14:38 whoa was that a drone shot?
    15:17 call melissa ferrari
    15:35 how the wheel change transport
    15:55 ngl this was not a well designed test
    17:39 don't reinvent the wheel. engage instead.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Welcome to the joke under the fold! Here's one about a fun story on set:
    At some point Melissa stole one of Taha's wheel's during the build... he worked tirelessly to catch up.
    Leave a comment with the word TIRE to let me know you were here ;-)

КОМЕНТАРІ • 3,3 тис.

  • @KhuestionableDecisions
    @KhuestionableDecisions Рік тому +8798

    I love that melissa’s plan to invent the wheel is literally just “make a wheel”

    • @ThisMightBeRyan
      @ThisMightBeRyan Рік тому +256

      I mean its a heck of a plan.

    • @lavasharkandboygirl9716
      @lavasharkandboygirl9716 Рік тому +93

      So simple and so interesting

    • @RogerJayYang
      @RogerJayYang Рік тому +80

      Logs and platforms could have worked for the pyramids well before needing to cut the wheel for a cart.

    • @infernalstan886
      @infernalstan886 Рік тому +28

      @Khue Kinda cheated tho using the pencil - surely the idea is to make a wheel and axle setup with ancient tech ie. no stuff made via woodturning (unless they make a lathe themselves)?

    • @cats8941
      @cats8941 Рік тому

      Qq

  • @itsu535
    @itsu535 Рік тому +3669

    Damn Sabrina really flung Taha and Melissa into engineering 101
    I hope they’re not TIREd of her…

    • @DashingJack
      @DashingJack Рік тому +29

      I got what you did there and don't know why but I am Laughing my a** off

    • @cosmicsocks_
      @cosmicsocks_ Рік тому +45

      It truly was TERRYfic

    • @khalilahd.
      @khalilahd. Рік тому +15

      Ba dum tsss 🥁

    • @fewsnow
      @fewsnow Рік тому +2

      Lmfao😂

    • @segamai
      @segamai Рік тому +2

      Booo

  • @kodiererg
    @kodiererg Рік тому +1858

    Your friends also had the major advantage of having seen wheels their whole lives. Once you've seen something revolutionary it's hard to unsee it, but if you've never seen it before... you're going to need some imagination. Even for something as seemingly simple as a wheel

    • @desent493
      @desent493 Рік тому +52

      Well yeah it only took them a day, not 2000 years!

    • @Regulus_V
      @Regulus_V Рік тому +151

      I believe this is a huge factor. Even more so than any other. The amount of pre-history cultures that could make precise carvings and do precise masonry wouldn't be lost making a wheel system, its just that they'd probably never seen something like it. There are very few examples of wheels in nature, much less so of wheels, axles, and a platform to carry objects. I imagine the first proto-wheels were probably logs.

    • @longdang2681
      @longdang2681 Рік тому +120

      I think the wheel is likely more evolutionary than revolutionary.
      For example people discovered that rolling logs made heavy loads easier to move. Problem is the logs ran out as you moved the load and the back log had to be constantly moved to the front. What if the logs stayed in place as you moved the heavy load? How to get the logs to turn whilst being attached to the heavy load and not get left behind? Eventually it would lead to the invention of the spindle, or axle.
      In my opinion the likely biggest thing slowing down the invention of the wheel was necessity and commitment of resources. Back then, getting enough food and resources to stay alive was a full days work. Luxuries like time spent inventing the wheel just wasn't a priority until carrying loads exceeded the extremes of the existing logistics systems.

    • @trickytreyperfected1482
      @trickytreyperfected1482 Рік тому +51

      ​@@longdang2681 well, the wheel is quite literally revolutionary, in a more pun-oriented way.

    • @humanperson9443
      @humanperson9443 Рік тому +4

      If you think it’s not hard make a musket

  • @GoddamnAxl
    @GoddamnAxl Рік тому +196

    I think this deserves a follow up video showing how just how much their wheels can improve in just one or two design iterations and showcase the power engineering in its most primitive form.

  • @maartendejonge978
    @maartendejonge978 Рік тому +3413

    "The wheels that are better attached win" "Melissa deserves this"
    One minute passes
    Melissa's wheels fall off on their own
    RIGGED I TELL YOU!

    • @Zakk6571
      @Zakk6571 Рік тому +104

      RIGGED

    • @marlonyo
      @marlonyo Рік тому +37

      If the pecils where not round a big one would have been turning terry has two free spinning wheels but maybe not the cart

    • @narufan987
      @narufan987 Рік тому +14

      RIGGED

    • @porpoiseful253
      @porpoiseful253 Рік тому +9

      RIGGED

    • @zookiepie45
      @zookiepie45 Рік тому +7

      RIGGED

  • @AlexWohlbruck
    @AlexWohlbruck Рік тому +1708

    "What is pulling along, if not a genre of push" this man is a true physicist

    • @xSidvarg
      @xSidvarg Рік тому +85

      Pulling is just negative pushing 😎

    • @BandithThach
      @BandithThach Рік тому +14

      i’m here waiting for nupush, push pull and alternative push

    • @pramusetyakanca1552
      @pramusetyakanca1552 Рік тому +9

      @@BandithThach's boutta start a whole genre of music based on the wheel and axle.

    • @Plisko1
      @Plisko1 Рік тому +14

      But a cart with a horse ACTUALLY IS a genre of pushing... because the horse is pushing on the harness. Technically the cart is being pulled by the harness which is being pushed by the horse. If the horse was pulling it would be walking backwards with the harness in its mouth. 🤔🤓

    • @blacky_Ninja
      @blacky_Ninja 11 місяців тому +2

      @@xSidvarg
      Not even that, with the cart he made one could just add a stick that connects the two side sticks, then somebody can go in the square and push against the stick. Actually a common thin on these carriots if they‘re made to be motored by a human.

  • @thedudedylan
    @thedudedylan Рік тому +605

    this was one of the best deep dives into a ubiquitous technology that i have ever seen. awesome video.

    • @silver2zilver
      @silver2zilver Рік тому +1

      Are you kidding me? The guy used STRING TO CONNECT WHEELS! This is by far the most rigged and pathetic attempt ive ever seen bya guy to create something. This man lost dignity

    • @fence_ridergaming8640
      @fence_ridergaming8640 Рік тому +22

      @@silver2zilver Are you okay?

  • @Ratnoseterry
    @Ratnoseterry Рік тому +272

    I'm curious about the first time people realized without greasing the free spinning wheel on a wooden axle it would light on fire 🔥

    • @nirfz
      @nirfz Рік тому +54

      depends on the sorts of woods you use and the speed you are going. Doesn't automatically always light on fire. (and axle greasing is something pretty old, they will have known from using sleads that reducing friction is a thing.)
      Fun Fact: the german word for bribing money has it's roots in axle grease. It comes from paying the carriage drvier extra money for axle grease so he would risk to go faster. (faster means using up more grease)

    • @userx76y
      @userx76y Рік тому +2

      regardless of tech, back then its posible to use bee wax to prevent fire between wood friction.

    • @nirfz
      @nirfz Рік тому +5

      @@userx76y Would also work with butter, or any other animal fat or plant oil.

    • @Kannot2023
      @Kannot2023 Рік тому +9

      This was before, the friction of a stick to get fire was used by many people who didn't know about wheel

    • @final_catalyst
      @final_catalyst Рік тому +3

      Funny enough if it was only put a little on fire from friction it would create carbon powered and possibly smooth its self out making it have less friction

  • @Taaneria
    @Taaneria Рік тому +4235

    I am interested that Melissa’s interpretation of “Don’t reinvent the wheel” is don’t waste time on easy things. I’ve always used the term to mean don’t waste time trying to figure out a solution to a hard problem if someone else already has a solution you can use.

    • @griffintattongeyer2949
      @griffintattongeyer2949 Рік тому +225

      This applies so well in design that it’s first thing they teach you in stem

    • @gregmossed
      @gregmossed Рік тому +1

      Yup. Don’t kill yourself with derivations when Schaum’s is right there.

    • @jacque.line_ng
      @jacque.line_ng Рік тому +169

      I guess it depends? A while ago I saw a maths exercise that I had done before and tried to solve it again. Obviously at first my thought process ran similarly to how it had done, but I tried to apply the new stuff I learnt and surprisingly it led to the right answer in a more simpler manner. Sometimes doing something again with different view and knowledge can help one come up with a better/easier solution.

    • @MirrorscapeDC
      @MirrorscapeDC Рік тому +129

      @@jacque.line_ng sometimes, yes. but a lot of the time there is no need to reinvent the fundamental. Of course, in a certain sense, we are reinventing the wheel all the time. Material, tires, ball bearings, all those wonderful things that make modern wheels more efficient. but if you tried to start from scratch every time, you would never get to those improvements. which is to say, human progress is more times than not iterative, rather than innovative.

    • @danieljensen2626
      @danieljensen2626 Рік тому +35

      It's sorta complicated too, because reinventing the wheel is the best way to understand the wheel you're using. (Even for literal wheels.) So it depends how important it is that you understand every aspect of the thing you're working with.

  • @kingofthecrows8802
    @kingofthecrows8802 Рік тому +1320

    I think it's cool how they somehow unintentionally made complimentary primitive modes of transport. Like Melissa suggested, her cart contraption could be pushed/pulled by Terry and his ox/horse/donkey while Melissa's cart axels help disburse the bulk of the weight being transported.

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp Рік тому +90

      That's almost like a case of converged evolution to solutions that work.

    • @taxxon_
      @taxxon_ Рік тому +5

      That’s so cool!

    • @kingofthecrows8802
      @kingofthecrows8802 Рік тому +36

      @@monad_tcp That's correct, they are convergent evolutions of the wheel because they both had similar selective pressures that led to their construction. Each cart is a separate entity that came from a similar circumstance which was no prior knowledge on how to incorporate the wheel to a fixed cart.

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy Рік тому +17

      The thing you are forgetting is that both of these already know about wheels, trucks, cars, wagons etc... that is very different from being back in the time those things didn't exist, nor the concept of them.

    • @cactusshadow9840
      @cactusshadow9840 Рік тому +5

      now is the time for societies great leap forward... emus on bicycles. with mechanical advantage for draft animals society will have peace prosperity and abundance even if there is still class structure. bird seed is cheaper than gasoline

  • @OnceandFutureSoph
    @OnceandFutureSoph Рік тому +21

    I was so surprised about your final line 🤣
    Completely threw me for a loop so here's a comment~
    Also there's something a teacher of mine always told me: "People in history weren't stupid just because they didn't know as much."
    Like, for example, the geocentric model of the solar system is *far* more complex and has a lot more intricacies than the model where the earth goes around the sun, but there's a whole host of religious/social reasons why that was "known".
    Very interesting stuff, thanks for the video!

  • @underarmbowlingincidentof1981
    @underarmbowlingincidentof1981 10 місяців тому +3

    14:47 idk why but the editing of the preperation with the adorable jump and "you guys ready to race?" at the end is just perfect lol.

  • @cervid_appreciator
    @cervid_appreciator Рік тому +6494

    wow y’all are so smart for reinventing the wheel, it’s almost revolutionary. People like you make the world turn round. You should be wheely proud of yourselves!

    • @fewsnow
      @fewsnow Рік тому +325

      I never get *tire* -d of these puns :))

    • @khalilahd.
      @khalilahd. Рік тому +24

      Lmfao best comment yet 😂

    • @AntonWongVideo
      @AntonWongVideo Рік тому +174

      you made the puns on purpose and not axle-dentally

    • @easarsalad
      @easarsalad Рік тому +26

      I don't know how you can come up with so many puns so early.

    • @AntonWongVideo
      @AntonWongVideo Рік тому +110

      @@easarsalad they were just on a *roll*

  • @justrecentlyi5444
    @justrecentlyi5444 Рік тому +1486

    I'm surprised Taha's "tensioned string" axle held up so well! Also I think Terri's box might have been touching the scale pretty early, although that might have just been the camera angle...

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому +71

      I think Terry would always have a bit of contact with the ground, because he only has two wheels, but he would only be disqualified if the whole bottom surface was touching the ground.

    • @SirRebrl
      @SirRebrl Рік тому +39

      @@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 It looks like Terry's right edge is on the scale, as opposed to front or back edge as should be expected from pivoting about the axle.
      The tensioned string was a risky strategy, because low tension leads to sag and wobble, but high tension without spacers leads to high friction with the wheels on the cart body.

    • @goldenoodles6281
      @goldenoodles6281 Рік тому +13

      It was really good especially for the race as the ability to bounce and deform to the bumps on the road made it well not fall apart

    • @SirRebrl
      @SirRebrl Рік тому +5

      @@goldenoodles6281 For keeping wheels on a rigid axle, my thought would have been to put a hole through the axle outside of either wheel, and tie a knot through it. Then the wheel would be locked on.

    • @davidjennings2179
      @davidjennings2179 Рік тому +28

      Think Taha's design was good for the size they were dealing with but wouldn't scale well. For heavier weights of wood it would squash the rope and add a lot of friction to the system.

  • @cyberdevil657
    @cyberdevil657 Рік тому +39

    God I love this channel!!
    Quirky, goofy, intelligent and most important of all funny.
    You guys are my tribe

  • @achilleus_eh
    @achilleus_eh Рік тому +14

    this is amAZING. the production value, the chemistry, the competition, 1000000/10 aboslutely loved this video

  • @SadLittleOctopus
    @SadLittleOctopus Рік тому +659

    I think that whoever invented ball bearings is the smartest individual alive. Such a simple concept producing such an amazingly efficient spin really raised the stakes across the board for how a wheel is made.

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy Рік тому +28

      You can thank Philip Vaughan

    • @cactusshadow9840
      @cactusshadow9840 Рік тому +27

      what I want to ask you is, how will emus on bicycles affect the world we live in? steam engines were invented before bicycles. mechanical advantage for draft animals is gonna be a game changer!no possibility of rabies. gasoline is cheaper than rabies!

    • @shigahoomy
      @shigahoomy Рік тому +7

      you need machining to do that though

    • @johannes4518
      @johannes4518 Рік тому +36

      I don’t think so. The person who invented ball bearing isn’t alive any more.

    • @dexorne9753
      @dexorne9753 Рік тому +3

      @@johannes4518 lol

  • @StaticR
    @StaticR Рік тому +472

    I think a major contributor to what allowed wheels to go from a "haha neat" kinda thing to one of the most important transport inventions in the world is when we started building streets.
    Wheels are extremely inefficient unless you have an even surface.
    The primary reason why wheels even have the capability to be amazingly efficient and useful is thanks to the specialized infrastructure supporting it.

    • @littlesnowflakepunk855
      @littlesnowflakepunk855 Рік тому +151

      This is why the Aztec and Maya civilizations famously "never invented the wheel." It wasn't because they weren't technologically advanced, it was because in the mountainous jungle environments in which they largely made their homes, the wheel was a comically inefficient way to transport things.

    • @LowestofheDead
      @LowestofheDead Рік тому +90

      @@littlesnowflakepunk855 Also there weren't any horses to pull carts in the Americas, until Columbus brought them over.
      But Meso-americans did invent the wheel though - though they only used it for toys. It's more impressive that they invented it themselves, while most of Eurasia just copied the one guy who first invented the wheel.

    • @littlesnowflakepunk855
      @littlesnowflakepunk855 Рік тому +34

      @@LowestofheDead I don't think pack animals really affected it that much - the Inca had access to American camelids (llamas, alpacas, etc) and also didn't use the wheel for practical purposes

    • @Graeberwave
      @Graeberwave Рік тому +34

      @@littlesnowflakepunk855 because the rocky roads of the andes mountains wouldn't have been a practical place to apply it.

    • @littlesnowflakepunk855
      @littlesnowflakepunk855 Рік тому +6

      @@Graeberwave yup

  • @beaver_warrior
    @beaver_warrior 11 місяців тому +4

    Another important factor is that for wheels to be truly effective you need to build and maintain roads, which is extremely expensive and time consuming. Wheels will get stuck in places that sleds would glide over with ease. In most places where humans don't use wheeled vehicles it's usually because wheels actually aren't the best solution for their transportation needs so there's little reason to use/invent them. And that's probably true throughout time as well.

  • @bold-Motion
    @bold-Motion Рік тому +4

    My grandfather and I used to make wooden cars together. The way we constructed the wheel/ axel was to have the axel fixed to the wheel, and have a groove cut out of the base of the car. The axel would slide into this groove, and a thin plank of wood would be glued or nailed over the axel and groove, holding everything in place.

  • @dontfollowriley
    @dontfollowriley Рік тому +739

    Makes me nostalgic for teaching basic design and engineer camps for primary and secondary school students. The "AHA" moment from Melissa is the best. It's fun when you witness realization that slapping a round object onto another object, and thus making it immobile, doesn't make the best cart.
    My favorite creative design solution I've seen is using overly large wheels on a single fixed axle. The load is fixed to the axle and rotates around the axle as the machine rolls. A counter weight was attached to the other side of the axle to keep the rotation smooth.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому

      Melissa and Taha prove that you don't have to be a primary school student to have fun like this. You just need the mental age of one.

    • @michaelwerkov3438
      @michaelwerkov3438 Рік тому +17

      I... would not like to ride that vehicle. Or maybe I would.

    • @burkhardstackelberg1203
      @burkhardstackelberg1203 Рік тому +16

      @@michaelwerkov3438 You actually could ride a variant of it: the Rhönrad or gymnastic wheel.

  • @slyar
    @slyar Рік тому +154

    "Are you guys ready to start with challenge one?"
    "Me and Terry could never be readier"
    _"This is my tractor"_

    • @SwampKryakwa
      @SwampKryakwa Рік тому +6

      I just loved Sabrina's reaction to that

    • @siadurans
      @siadurans Рік тому +1

      That moment lives rent free in my mind now

  • @throughthoroughthought8064
    @throughthoroughthought8064 Рік тому +48

    I wish I had stopped the video and tried this on my own; before continuing to watch. Good job, guys! Informative, (and a bit of fun/funny.) {I really thought that cart was going to get some flame graphics.}

  • @bencodes
    @bencodes Рік тому +56

    This was a wheel-y good episode.

  • @creightonsamuels2831
    @creightonsamuels2831 Рік тому +287

    Taha came so close to making a Chinese wheelbarrow that I actually laughed when he rejected the idea. For those who don't know, a Chinese wheelbarrow is a human powered flat cart with one large wheel in the center. The large diameter wheel made the angle of attack against a bump in the path easier for a human to overcome, and the single wheel made the necessary width of the path no wider than a human being would require, so low tech paths would work. Additionally, because the human controls the balance of the cart, a single wheel used by a practiced operator can navigate paths that aren't level much better than a two wheeled cart without dumping. The Chinese wheelbarrow is so old, that we don't even know when it was invented; in part because it was a military secret for a long time, as it could be used for troop supply into some hard to access territory while also being useful for defense when under arrow attack.

  • @tigcr
    @tigcr Рік тому +263

    I love how enthusiastic and emotionally attached they became to their wheel/tractor/terry

    • @wackyanimations3326
      @wackyanimations3326 Рік тому +17

      i love terry. if they make a plush of terry i would buy it.

    • @Tombee2
      @Tombee2 Рік тому +12

      It's because he has a face. That's when he became alive.

    • @nerdylab8746
      @nerdylab8746 Рік тому +7

      Like David 1234 said, bc he has a face.
      And that’s what’s weird!😂
      Research has been done and it has proven that when ppl see a face or ANYTHING that resembles a face, they see it as somewhat human. They grow attachment to it depending on circumstances/events (like here, Taha created Terry, in a sense, his son)
      The same can be said when looking at an outlet: 2 long eyes and a gaping mouth, or 3 dots in a paper forming a triangle (or a surprised expression)
      Human brains be weird👍

    • @maxonite
      @maxonite Рік тому +6

      Melissa DEFINITELY doesn’t know what a tractor is

    • @msdadsfsx
      @msdadsfsx Рік тому

      UK invented wheel and then technology was transferred to its colony such as India..

  • @TervellLive
    @TervellLive Рік тому +13

    I love how emotionally and mentally healthy everyone is. Can we use this video as the gold standard for the next 200,000 years??? ....Asking for a friend.

  • @mlmsetimo
    @mlmsetimo Рік тому

    Probably the most interesting way to learn something and have fun theses days, congrats on the work and such amazing friends, storytelling and editing skills

  • @manuelkivie4488
    @manuelkivie4488 Рік тому +983

    I love how this gradually turned into an educational reality tv show thanks to Sabrina's antics😂
    Also, the editing in 15:37 will never cease to amaze me.

    • @rachaels.9282
      @rachaels.9282 Рік тому +27

      how did she edit that?? its so seamless

    • @manuelkivie4488
      @manuelkivie4488 Рік тому +4

      @@rachaels.9282 that’s what I’m saying!!!

    • @RachelWolfe
      @RachelWolfe Рік тому +38

      @@rachaels.9282 It's a split screen when Sabrina's in the back until Sabrina ducks down, Taha is directed to look back, but really Sabrina is already ducking below the camera, ready to pop up.
      That's my guess

    • @babayada2015
      @babayada2015 Рік тому +25

      @@RachelWolfe Lmao no, the popup is just green screen effect overlayed on first layer.
      It's as basic as inventing a wheel

    • @themob8640
      @themob8640 Рік тому +2

      Im saying like how tho

  • @cantarinapodfics6854
    @cantarinapodfics6854 Рік тому +176

    Melissa's cart carrying Terry definitely deserved the win, but watching Terry be joyfully dragged across the finish line is the real winner of my heart

    • @kgkirandharan1521
      @kgkirandharan1521 Рік тому +7

      Terry is the real winner. Cause on thing which is the most important in this case is not strength but reliability. Imagine pulling a lot of weight just to fell over after some distance

    • @sk-sm9sh
      @sk-sm9sh Рік тому +1

      @@kgkirandharan1521 Terry's design is flawed as it wouldn't be able to carry any meaningful weight because if you put weight on top the rope is pulling wheels in and wheels will no longer be able to spin as they rub into the chassis. It's a totally stupid design. Dude slept through all his physics class. Melissas design is totally decent she even came up with idea how to secure the wheels in-place by using some string although solution didn't yet hold wheels in-place with little improvement it can easily be improved. The only thing Terry's solution is useful for is that approach can be used to attach spare wheels for Melissa's carage.

  • @CraigSnyman
    @CraigSnyman 10 місяців тому +1

    This is now my favorite Answer in Progress video. Maybe one of my favorite videos on UA-cam

  • @hextray
    @hextray Рік тому +1

    That is one of the greatest videos I ever witnessed. You have lovely friends, and an even lovelier video. Cheers to that !

  • @strawberry-squid6511
    @strawberry-squid6511 Рік тому +178

    i always love this type of video, the classic "i forced my friends to do something....... for science!!" and then i actually learn something from it :D

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому +11

      That's the fun thing about having a channel with three people running it. They can always be each other's guinea pigs.

    • @johnfraire6931
      @johnfraire6931 Рік тому

      The real science was the friends we made along the way

    • @Ceu.Noturno
      @Ceu.Noturno Рік тому

      how is that classic, though? can you provide another example of this type of video? It isn't nearly common enough to be called "classic"

  • @teodorapetkovic
    @teodorapetkovic Рік тому +764

    This was such a humanizing moment... as an engineer I felt all three of these positions and can't even pick the most relatable reaction!

    • @BabyCalypso
      @BabyCalypso Рік тому +1

      which part

    • @teodorapetkovic
      @teodorapetkovic Рік тому +8

      @@BabyCalypso the part when they "invent the wheel" and then the testing and the verbal manipulation as to why they are the one in the right and not whoever first invented it?

    • @silver2zilver
      @silver2zilver Рік тому +1

      Are you kidding me? The guy used STRING TO CONNECT WHEELS! This is by far the most rigged and pathetic attempt ive ever seen bya guy to create something. This man lost dignity

    • @candylide
      @candylide Рік тому +11

      @@silver2zilver Don't talk abt Terry like that

  • @SoupChickn
    @SoupChickn Рік тому +103

    This is one of the few channels that can make me laugh, and it's educational too.
    also you're undeniably impressive cart animation has the wheels turning backwards

  • @austinshardo4559
    @austinshardo4559 Рік тому +9

    great videos! so well made in many ways

  • @paboland7994
    @paboland7994 Рік тому +578

    Sabrina just summarized the human race (and the video itself) in the first three seconds

  • @MrMessiah2013
    @MrMessiah2013 Рік тому +697

    Sebrina: A large part of the problem of inventing the wheel was inventing the axle.
    Melissa: So anyway, I’m just gonna use this pencil.
    Lmao

    • @YoshiAsk
      @YoshiAsk Рік тому +62

      I was gonna say, that sounds like cheating lol

    • @official-obama
      @official-obama Рік тому +2

      cmao

    • @RainaRamsay
      @RainaRamsay Рік тому +16

      Definitely think we're stretching the "using only string and saw" definition there

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy Рік тому +8

      @@samarnadra no they do not count, the thing is that SCALE matters, making something tiny like these things you can get away with a lot of wrongs but if they were to scale these models up into actual usable wagons or whatnot then they would completely fall apart.

    • @joshentheosparks7492
      @joshentheosparks7492 Рік тому +7

      Humans figured out "round things roll" the first time a caveman kicked a log down a hill. Getting things to roll in place is the tricky part

  • @gamaltk
    @gamaltk Рік тому +1

    Just fell in love with you guys. I had already watched a bunch of your videos but this one takes the cake

  • @Faroesx
    @Faroesx Рік тому

    This channel is consistently amazing! Y’all rock!

  • @tomasbarra433
    @tomasbarra433 Рік тому +11

    15:17 the victory and frustration in the same plane 🤣

  • @airiquelmeleroy
    @airiquelmeleroy Рік тому +136

    Every time I've been told "don't reinvent the wheel", it was to tell me to not do something that is very hard, that has already been done. Sure the concept is simple, but I've failed to sculpt a stick into a straight cylinder without it looking like an even more twisted version of gandalfs staff... I wouldn't be able to make a wheel even if my life depended on it

  • @user-rq6gs4ql9f
    @user-rq6gs4ql9f Рік тому +2

    The wheel animation at around 5 minutes is so impressive. Love it

  • @MidnightDoom777
    @MidnightDoom777 8 місяців тому

    3:16 I love how the square background of the wheels goes over the main part

  • @YourXavier
    @YourXavier Рік тому +172

    I feel like the rope axle wouldn't be very durable in practice.
    I think part of the problem with wheels is that the thing that works on one scale won't necessarily work on another. E.g. A rope axle is fine if you're just making a small model, but if you want to make a full-sized cart, carrying hundreds of pounds, you'll wear through the axles very quickly.
    As you say, wheels have to compete with other methods of transport and that puts a high requirement on efficiency and durability.

    • @ItsAsparageese
      @ItsAsparageese Рік тому +18

      Kinda raises the question of whether tensioned cable could do the same thing in a scaled up way. I mean it's probably a bad idea or people would be doing it (that or I've invented an idea that's already done lol) but I'd say it counts as being essentially a different grade of the same mechanism

    • @pauljs75
      @pauljs75 Рік тому +12

      At some point the bearing surface also factors in. And then you got to figure out what substance to use for axle grease.

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy Рік тому +9

      another issue is that these people live in a society where the wheel is common place, of course they can "invent" the wagon like bruh, he's probably seen thousands of wagons being an indian lol

    • @bztube888
      @bztube888 Рік тому +4

      The problem is not durability but the forces in play. Something has to prevent the wheels to turn into the cart - because the wheel could turn all three dimensions but only one of them is allowed during normal operations. The heavier the load the bigger the effect of moving the wheels sideways. If the bearing of the wheel can do it on its own - like a bear gearing - you don't even need an axel (like on a gocart).

    • @bztube888
      @bztube888 Рік тому +2

      @@Danuxsy I think any of us could jump-start the industrial revolution by having so many well-tested ideas.

  • @CptPatch
    @CptPatch Рік тому +109

    My first thought on hearing the question was "The wheel is simple and 'round things roll' is a really easy thing to learn from nature, but making a usable axle with hand tools is damn near impossible."

  • @mic9657
    @mic9657 Рік тому +1

    your sponsored section was genuinely interesting! 👏

  • @metadotjpg
    @metadotjpg Рік тому

    This video is roundly successful; I could watch for hours and never tire of it.

  • @inzaneproductions
    @inzaneproductions Рік тому +457

    You're REALLY GOOD at making these videos , excellent writing and pacing, and the enthusiasm in your explanations really keeps my attention!

  • @CoxDannyJ
    @CoxDannyJ Рік тому +187

    Sabrina using Melissa and Taha as test subjects is actually a fantastic way to do these videos.

  • @blacky_Ninja
    @blacky_Ninja 11 місяців тому +3

    Love how they just combined them… And now you have a train 🎉
    Wheels are magic, and those two got through every stage of human ingenuity in just two days. 😂

  • @Alazam
    @Alazam Рік тому +1

    This is my favorite video in Answer In Progress, it show some experiment with three of em (i wish y'all making this kind of video on future), and well the Sabrina's video always the best on the experiment, reseaech and make stuff fun to watch.
    note; this is the first video i saw that made me like and subscribing the AIP

  • @ezde711
    @ezde711 Рік тому +311

    when you love researching a topic and presenting the information to the class in school sooo much you decide to do it for a living, you make this channel. awesome channel, thank you.

  • @reymg2461
    @reymg2461 Рік тому +203

    Probably one of my favorite ones lmao. It’s great seeing you guys doing science while being fun together

  • @GoiabaAzul
    @GoiabaAzul Рік тому

    Really well produced video. I like how you mix practice and theory in it.

  • @Dr.Kananga
    @Dr.Kananga Рік тому +1

    Necessities are a major drive in creating products/services because they cater to answering a question. The "Wheel" was never a specific object until historically it was defined as such, so this means that a system of several timber logs would work as a wheel to move a ship from the ground to the water, vice versa, or just moving it on land. The video discusses the application of round objects moving along a surface, along with their sophistication according to the applied need. In itself, the "wheel" can be defined as a rolling utensil that, according to its purpose, helps achieving a goal.

  • @AlyxTremblay
    @AlyxTremblay Рік тому +171

    I love that you actually put your sources in the video. I feel like hardly see any youtube channels of this style do that.
    I think that's important.

  • @IsisAlv
    @IsisAlv Рік тому +159

    this is lovely. we had a class about the history of technology and our professor brought us the case of the horse pulled carriage. it required a lot of stuff, like agricultural techniques, metallurgy, the wheel. it was overall much harder than using the ox, but production increased a ton when they got it right and was a factor bringing humanity out of medieval times

    • @scottdick296
      @scottdick296 Рік тому +17

      "Out of the medieval times?" No offense, but I think your timeline might be a little off.

    • @IsisAlv
      @IsisAlv Рік тому +5

      @@scottdick296 i mean, agriculture was a huge factor in that. they changed from two harvests a year to 3 harvests a year. that allowed them to feed the people and the horses, and that boosted production some more. they also created gear that allowed horses to pull stuff.
      with famine in a low, and things improving rapidly, they got into exploration, and that's around the XV century.
      feel free to correct me, it's been a while and that's not my field of expertise.

    • @damientonkin
      @damientonkin Рік тому +12

      I get what you mean but I think they had the wheel pretty much sorted by medieval times. The middle ages usually means from the fall of the western Roman Empire to the Renaissance. Most cultures in the classical era, (Greece, Rome, Egypt etc.) had the wheel so I assume it was developed some time before that.

    • @Oddi0
      @Oddi0 Рік тому +8

      @@damientonkin Yeah, if anything the wheel was a factor bringing humanity _into_ the _classical_ era.

    • @damientonkin
      @damientonkin Рік тому +2

      @@Oddi0 there's a whole complicated interplay between the development of the wheel and the domestication of horses and pack animals which is well outside of my area of knowledge

  • @Milkoftheteax
    @Milkoftheteax 9 місяців тому +1

    Love the video! keep up the great work!

  • @omaanshkaushal3522
    @omaanshkaushal3522 Рік тому +3

    This video was just so well done. The thinking that wheel should've been easier to invent is bs and this video just showed that along with a brilliant challenge

  • @hydrohomiee
    @hydrohomiee Рік тому +144

    This Channel is so good, and the reason is the charisma of these guys COUPLED with a good research and a ease of teaching that sabrina has, I absorb what she says more than I do what my parents said to me when I killed that mailman

    • @smileyp4535
      @smileyp4535 Рік тому +6

      Not to mention the amazing editing, animation and equipment 👌
      Edit: and no I didn't kill a mailman why are you asking?

    • @comelypepper
      @comelypepper Рік тому

      You WHAT

    • @hydrohomiee
      @hydrohomiee Рік тому +1

      @@comelypepper i absorb what sabrina says more than I do anyone else, idk why tho

    • @Adamcito.
      @Adamcito. Рік тому

      @@hydrohomiee you killed the mailman

    • @hydrohomiee
      @hydrohomiee Рік тому +2

      @@Adamcito. no I didnt. You can't prove i did

  • @un0riginaluser
    @un0riginaluser Рік тому +59

    I love the energy that is carried through this entire video. It's just so wholesome and chaotic.

    • @NoxBellatricis
      @NoxBellatricis Рік тому +1

      I think wholesome and chaotic is indeed a very accurate description of their vibe :D

  • @Melodiesintheair
    @Melodiesintheair 5 місяців тому

    17:29 the Terry cherry on top at the end was the cherry on top of this amazing video 😂😍

  • @Little3Pigs
    @Little3Pigs Рік тому

    I like how this is both entertaining and educational.

  • @giorgiaolivotto8442
    @giorgiaolivotto8442 Рік тому +15

    17:30 top 10 anime betrayals

  • @the_jono
    @the_jono Рік тому +21

    14:14 - Rigged!

  • @YAMMAS
    @YAMMAS 11 місяців тому +1

    The second he named him terry I instantly put 100% of my support into terry

  • @leaxander6850
    @leaxander6850 Рік тому +2

    in school we had a project where we had to build a small motorized car and we had to make the wheels ourselves from wood and it took us weeks until the wheels were similar enough and round enough to actually go in a straight line

  • @MalucoLapin
    @MalucoLapin Рік тому +94

    i'm an amator luthier : it took me a few weeks to re-invent the ukulele, a day to perfect to the guitar, a month to perfect to the violin.
    Then i wanted to re-invent the hudy gurdy : a day to do the mechanics, a day to do the string part,
    And i'm stuck since a year in the wheel part. she need to be perfectly round, and have an angle in the edge, because the strings aren't perfectly parrallels to the body.

    • @sytritewarum5720
      @sytritewarum5720 Рік тому +17

      Reinventing the hurdy gurdy? Now that's a cause I can get behind! You have my support.

    • @danoconnell1833
      @danoconnell1833 Рік тому

      But isn't the hurdy gurdy perfect now?

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому +28

      The reason people say not to reinvent the wheel is because our resources would be better utilized reinventing the hurdy-gurdy.

    • @oriongurtner7293
      @oriongurtner7293 Рік тому +5

      Oh yes
      The perfect circle
      I studied that eldritch abomination, it’s beyond miraculous how humanity even came across the means to make one
      It’s a cruel mistress, the pi it serves you is neither sweet nor filling, but an endless nightmare of numbers that punish us for our hubris, woe be unto mankind for daring to know it’s secret
      (I’m only half joking, good luck with reinventing the hurdy-gurdy, pretty sure a wizard got abducted by aliens and came back to the Earth with the first one)

  • @blackamaterasuflame
    @blackamaterasuflame Рік тому +52

    I could use a friend who would ask me to reinvent the wheel. That sounds like a better use of my time than what I was gonna do.

    • @bxnny0374
      @bxnny0374 Рік тому +4

      Be the friend you wish to see in the world

  • @DanielLee-wc9gb
    @DanielLee-wc9gb Рік тому

    This was so much fun! Thanks

  • @brianstryker4536
    @brianstryker4536 Рік тому

    I just discovered this channel and I already love it.

  • @planetfall5056
    @planetfall5056 Рік тому +81

    5:56 I feel like the main advantage of the free wheel design is that the free wheels can rotate independently whilst the fixed wheels can only move in the same direction making turning nearly imposable for carts using that method.

    • @Wheagg
      @Wheagg Рік тому +1

      That's true actually, even today we can't figure out how much difference we should allow. If we allow anything than one wheel could get all the power. If we limit the ratio we could have reduced power.

    • @kainuipenaloza9395
      @kainuipenaloza9395 Рік тому +1

      I mean yeah, but also you don't have to move the axel. Less movement more effect.

    • @Mecharnie_Dobbs
      @Mecharnie_Dobbs 9 місяців тому

      Trains have fixed wheels

  • @danielkim3525
    @danielkim3525 Рік тому +9

    Genius marketing - 11:20 "What is pulling along, if not a genre of push?"

  • @amorphousblob
    @amorphousblob 11 місяців тому

    This was so entertaining and informative!

  • @A_Lesser_Man
    @A_Lesser_Man 8 місяців тому

    that was fun to watch! thank you.

  • @kyonru
    @kyonru Рік тому +11

    There are two type of parents: 15:13

  • @Yvaia
    @Yvaia Рік тому +69

    Sabrina, the motion graphics are out of this world. So seriously inspired with your creativity and ability to let that come to life!

  • @blandprix
    @blandprix Рік тому +2

    Perfect Jim Halpert at 16:53 😂

  • @RyanRex
    @RyanRex 8 місяців тому

    stumbled upon your channel yesterday, and immediately subscribed. Exactly the type of content I'm into. Nerdy facts? A fellow Canuck? Fun energy? A little unhinged? Gurl, you've hit my superfecta, or quadfecta!

  • @IanZainea1990
    @IanZainea1990 Рік тому +12

    13:54 humanity thrives when we work together

  • @rubycosmo6279
    @rubycosmo6279 Рік тому +28

    As someone who grew up near Research Triangle Park, I literally cannot state how impressed I am at an IBM sponsorship. Congrats! You guys really deserve it.

    • @rubycosmo6279
      @rubycosmo6279 Рік тому

      Time to actually watch the rest of the video now :)

  • @AlexisTorrez
    @AlexisTorrez 11 місяців тому

    The topic was very interesting, and the IBM topic of New Creators too. That's a value-added advertisement. Thanks for your amazing content.

  • @kexcz8276
    @kexcz8276 Рік тому +1

    I have never thought that watching video about a wheel could be so funny yet educative 😆

  • @Drekromancer
    @Drekromancer Рік тому +10

    3:23 The final move in that slideshow was absolute perfection. What a smooth operator.

  • @ryke_masters
    @ryke_masters Рік тому +123

    To be fair, some of this is being made slightly harder for the subjects because people who would have actually been inventing (or even just making) the wheel at the time would have been using surprisingly advanced math (by which I mean probably high school level by today's standard but still of a level most people don't encounter in daily life once they're done with high school) as part of their trade, and would have had access to some tools we may not expect, like hand drills and plumb lines (and by extension, levels). So as much as giving them power tools and Wikipedia would probably have made the whole thing boring, redundant and probably ultimately further from historical experience, the circumstances in which the wheel was invented may have been more auspicious than the ones this experiment was made under.

    • @mrslime9137
      @mrslime9137 Рік тому

      im not reading allat

    • @wolfiegames1572
      @wolfiegames1572 Рік тому +26

      @@mrslime9137it’s a paragraph. How are you not failing English?

    • @MmpM123YT
      @MmpM123YT Рік тому +8

      the challenge of making a palm sized toy and a proper carriage or cart are also orders of magnitude apart difficulty wise, so they still had a way easier task.

    • @sk-sm9sh
      @sk-sm9sh Рік тому +7

      This disadvantage is more than covered by fact that these two had seen all sort of wheels throughout their lives thus they don't really need to invent it they just need to reproduce minimal working thing.

    • @LethalLuggage
      @LethalLuggage 11 місяців тому +11

      ​@@wolfiegames1572bold of you to assume they aren't failing English. They had 6 words to say, misspelled one, and gave up on separating the last 3

  • @tybrewer8966
    @tybrewer8966 Рік тому

    I am so thoroughly charmed by these three people.

  • @11cylynt11
    @11cylynt11 Рік тому +1

    Without watching this video, my guess would be that it was difficult for ancient humans to make a reliable axle and strong yet light enough wheel to be able to roll while supporting heavy weight. The wheel isn't just the circle that spins. It's the entire mechanism that attaches to an axle, then attached to a vehicle. Ball bearings and lubrication are also important to help make a wheel spin while carrying heavy loads. A useful and efficient wheel is more complicated than most would think.
    Now I'll watch and see if I'm right.

  • @YOEL_44
    @YOEL_44 Рік тому +144

    Sabrina, master of wheels, visionary of power points.

  • @dick-diddling-bandit
    @dick-diddling-bandit Рік тому +11

    14:52 “yeah, he’s *rubbing* his engine”
    There’s so many things wrong with that sentence 🤣

  • @tremkl
    @tremkl 8 місяців тому +1

    The cut at 11:02 from “I have no idea how Taha is doing” to the Terry reveal was easily the most efficient depiction of the slow decent into insanity in all of cinema. 😂

  • @Amalgtaid
    @Amalgtaid Рік тому

    pretty amazing video idea to see that simple things in our lives came a long way!

  • @mikosoft
    @mikosoft Рік тому +8

    at 15:28 Taha sounds like he's a fan of F1 :D

  • @Zereptina
    @Zereptina Рік тому +3

    That Sabrina jump at 15:35 was gold

  • @AIBIL
    @AIBIL Рік тому

    such a great content you guys!!

  • @TheQwuilleran
    @TheQwuilleran Рік тому +2

    quite fascinating that while the modern layman isn't on-par with a mechanical engineer, we know enough about the simple machines we interact with every day to recreate bits and pieces of the evolution of their invention

  • @Drekromancer
    @Drekromancer Рік тому +28

    This video invoked a deep, childlike wonder in me - like the kind I had at age 6 when I tried to make a Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Disk out of paper and tape. It's the joy of discovery, and the bright enthusiasm we bring to a world full of possibilities. Thank you for keeping that feeling alive for me. ❤️

  • @SagesMages
    @SagesMages Рік тому +74

    Sabrina finally had her friends in the same place and immediately pitched them against each other. absolutely hilarious

  • @ChilledOutGuild
    @ChilledOutGuild Рік тому +1

    I always took the meaning of 'don't reinvent the wheel' to be a message to not be afraid to build on the work that came before. Standing on the shoulders of giants, so to speak.

  • @kylet.5321
    @kylet.5321 6 місяців тому

    Awesome episode!