Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains the Smallness of Molecules

How small is a molecule? In this StarTalk explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice are here to help you visualize a molecule’s actual size.

To start, Neil gives his favorite thought experiment to help us understand the size of molecules. You’ll learn why this leads Chuck to say he’s never drinking water again. Discover more about “quantum construction” and building things on a molecular level. You’ll learn about Avogadro's number and measuring things in mole.

We explore why it’s remarkable that we were even able to discover molecules at all. Neil explains how our five senses held us back from discovering things until we invented ways outside our senses to discover them. All that, plus, we discuss why there’s a philosophical issue in our own physiology when it comes to communicating things of extraordinary size in the universe.

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About the prints that flank Neil in this video:

"Black Swan” & "White Swan" limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver https://inuit.com/.

About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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0:00 - Sponsored by Surfshark
1:15 - Introduction
1:41 - Atoms
2:20 - H20 Molecules
7:00 - Air Molecules
8:10 - Discovery of Molecules
8:33 - Molecular Engineering
9:44 - The Grape Kool Aid Cycle
10:31 - Decoding Reality
11:33 - Avogadro’s Number
14:12 - Closing Notes