This is what happens when you divide by zero on a 1940s water computer

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  • čas pƙidĂĄn 20. 05. 2024
  • 🌎 Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here âžĄïž nordvpn.com/atomicfrontier It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!☝
    I went to Cambridge to revive a water computer that once modelled the British Economy.
    --------- II ---------
    This video was brought to you by an unhealthy amount of coffee and our awesome Patrons at / atomicfrontier .
    0:00 Introduction
    0:19 Bill Phillips
    1:17 How does it work?
    5:38 What can it do?
    6:11 DIVIDING BY ZERO!
    8:34 Outroduction
    --------- II ---------
    Hi, I'm James. I explore the world looking for interesting engineering stories which explore complex issues in interesting ways. I hold a First-Class Honors in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Australia and am currently studying a Masters of Space Systems Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My thesis will be ready when its readyℱ.
    My website is www.atomicfrontieronline.com, I occasionally tweet from / atomicfrontiers , and you can join the Atomic Frontier Discord server to talk about cool engineering stuff at / discord . You can help support my work and see some cool behind-the-scenes content at / atomicfrontier .
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáƙe • 950

  • @AtomicFrontier
    @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +82

    🌎 Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➡ nordvpn.com/atomicfrontier It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!☝and for a lecture on the Phillips Machine by the guy who rebuilt it, check out: czcams.com/video/xTvGyKubr-I/video.html

    • @boringpolitician
      @boringpolitician Pƙed rokem +2

      Great video! Love your sense of humour as well! By the way, did you know there's a different word for trickle down economics? You might have heard it before? It's also known as the "golden shower".

    • @mr.stargazer9835
      @mr.stargazer9835 Pƙed rokem

      I've never heard anyone support the idea of trickle down economics. That is just something leftists say.

    • @laurenpinschannels
      @laurenpinschannels Pƙed rokem

      or low level learning also has a good vpn video

    • @NicitoStaAna
      @NicitoStaAna Pƙed rokem +1

      There's no such thing as trickle down economics.
      No actual economist/text-book defines it properly.
      The one who does 99% of the time is either inconsistent or politicized in some form (strawman etc.)
      Which takes the science out of economics

    • @ErdrickHero
      @ErdrickHero Pƙed rokem

      NordVPN fails to alert customers in a timely manner when they experience a data breach.

  • @MarekDobesReal
    @MarekDobesReal Pƙed rokem +1953

    "This weeks prime minister" love it XD

    • @NeatNit
      @NeatNit Pƙed rokem +18

      *cries in Hebrew*

    • @nullFoo
      @nullFoo Pƙed rokem +8

      @@NeatNit How many elections are we on now? 6?

    • @NeatNit
      @NeatNit Pƙed rokem +14

      @@nullFoo I've lost count, and I'm pretty sure everyone else has lost count as well.

    • @danibogo
      @danibogo Pƙed rokem +2

      Truer words may never be spoken again

    • @SpaceNebula69
      @SpaceNebula69 Pƙed 29 dny +2

      *cries* *in* *vietnamese* *because* *our* *prime* *minister* *only* *has* *one* *year*

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +2813

    Interesting fact the term trickle down economics was coined by a comedian making fun of the idea. As for this very expensive economic endeavour all we get is a trickle.

    • @Tsudico
      @Tsudico Pƙed rokem +264

      It had an older name "horse and sparrow" theory of economics. It really highlighted that the theory was full of sh*t.

    • @kirkhamandy
      @kirkhamandy Pƙed rokem +18

      Interesting footnote, thanks! I'll have to learn more about that now.

    • @Vaasref
      @Vaasref Pƙed rokem +143

      Same thing happened with "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps"

    • @Alex-cw3rz
      @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +119

      @@Vaasref yep as it's physically impossible. Same with meritocracy was written in a book talking about how it is impossible and a l ie. It is word how these terms are co-opted by the people they are mocking, I suppose they aren't intelligent enough to know what's happening.

    • @jocjoc5587
      @jocjoc5587 Pƙed rokem +7

      I take it youre not exactly right wing

  • @nicogrobler736
    @nicogrobler736 Pƙed 28 dny +83

    "Divide by zero" in electrical engineering tends to have some exciting results.
    Someone at work forgot the earth clamps (just some wires) on a 33 000V system. When power was switched on, ohms law was enacted: current=volts/ohms. Volts being 33 000V and ohms being far into the 0.0s. The result was that the cables ceased to exist.

    • @kzkaa.
      @kzkaa. Pƙed 26 dny +10

      It's unlikely to be an exact 0, though you don't need an exact 0 to demote some cables to useless.

    • @eekee6034
      @eekee6034 Pƙed 24 dny +12

      @@kzkaa. Technically, you don't need an exact 0 to demote _any_ cables to uselessness as it's impossible to build infinitely thick cables.

    • @Chris-Longhair
      @Chris-Longhair Pƙed 16 dny +10

      ​@@eekee6034Although the existence of infinitely thick electrical/ops engineers has yet to be disproved

    • @iamnotpresent
      @iamnotpresent Pƙed 10 dny +4

      I build tube amplifiers as a hobby.. They're about 600v. A LOT of capacitance. I turned an amp on one morning, and there was a bright flash and pop. A thick ground wire between the rectifier and driver tubes, disappeared. I don't recall it being loud, or there being much smoke either. It was just gone. The tube socket pins the wire was attached to, were 1/2 gone and melted. But there wasn't other damage or signs of heat or smoke. I was, and am still amazed that it happened. I'm assuming the wire turned directly into plasma. (Something failed in the rectifier tube.. I replaced it and the wire, and it has been fine for years)

  • @bradystjohn3536
    @bradystjohn3536 Pƙed rokem +471

    Terry Pratchett parodied this in one of his books, Making Money, and it was hilarious. It so perfectly modeled the economy that evaporation made money disappear.

    • @Seamus.Harper
      @Seamus.Harper Pƙed 29 dny +13

      One if not my favourite book in the Discworld series.

    • @Attaxalotl
      @Attaxalotl Pƙed 29 dny +43

      They refilled the city's gold supply by pouring some water into the part of the machine that represented the bank vault.

    • @Techdeki0
      @Techdeki0 Pƙed 29 dny +8

      Awesome, I wasn't the only other person who immediately thought of Hubert

    • @Seamus.Harper
      @Seamus.Harper Pƙed 28 dny +9

      @@Techdeki0 Don't forget good ol' Igor, cousin of Igor.

    • @ep7672
      @ep7672 Pƙed 23 dny +3

      Oops. It was Going Postal where Lipwig and Dearborn debuted

  • @frantaspacek9583
    @frantaspacek9583 Pƙed rokem +825

    With some amount of practice, it is possible juggle eggs. With even more practice, it is theoretically possible to talk about supply and demand. But doing both at the same time? pure madness

    • @DrBunnyMedicinal
      @DrBunnyMedicinal Pƙed rokem +28

      It does help rather a lot if you hard-boil them first, though. 😁

    • @NeatNit
      @NeatNit Pƙed rokem +35

      @@DrBunnyMedicinal The supply, or the demand?

    • @thewhitefalcon8539
      @thewhitefalcon8539 Pƙed rokem +2

      oh many people talk about it, but they're all full of hot air

    • @garegos7184
      @garegos7184 Pƙed měsĂ­cem +3

      nice badlands avatar

    • @monad_tcp
      @monad_tcp Pƙed 29 dny

      its only possible to do that in a capitalistic society
      (you have eggs because supply meets demand)

  • @LassiePushedMe
    @LassiePushedMe Pƙed rokem +272

    My compliments to juggling while remembering the script while also not accidentally splatting an egg on yourself

  • @8BitNaptime
    @8BitNaptime Pƙed rokem +275

    Ah that's why they're called liquidities.

  • @ketsuekikumori9145
    @ketsuekikumori9145 Pƙed rokem +611

    "They're not particularly leak proof."
    I feel like that's a metaphor for people that hide their money.

    • @cmck362
      @cmck362 Pƙed rokem +41

      Could also be bills and coins being destroyed or lost through heavy use. Not so relevant today, but definitely played a part not too long ago.

    • @NeatNit
      @NeatNit Pƙed rokem +10

      @@AFNacapella I think in this model corruption is just a kind of spending.

    • @NeatNit
      @NeatNit Pƙed rokem +22

      @@AFNacapella I get the humor, but pedantically, that doesn't work - money that goes towards corruption remains in circulation and is spendable by the receiver. Leaks in the model would represent money that *leaves* circulation, isn't part of the economy anymore, and can't be spent again. This is why Ketsueki Kumori's suggestion makes sense - the money isn't in any bank account, wallet, or drug lord's vault - it's hidden and buried where it is not spent. And to make the metaphor complete - if someone dies without telling anyone where the money is buried, then the money is *definitely* gone.

    • @Alienami
      @Alienami Pƙed rokem +2

      He should increase the leakage to factor in the middle men in the system as a waste of resources they cause...

    • @Puddingskin01
      @Puddingskin01 Pƙed měsĂ­cem +1

      @@NeatNit So...this is all because of those PIRATES!

  • @Phethario
    @Phethario Pƙed rokem +119

    So the "Divide by Zero error" in calculators, is just a built in security feature so the calculator dosen't break, and spills electricity everywhere?
    7:37

    • @aidanmays7825
      @aidanmays7825 Pƙed 28 dny +20

      Yes exactly. This is actually how we detonate thermonuclear bombs

    • @mandranmagelan9430
      @mandranmagelan9430 Pƙed 26 dny

      @@aidanmays7825 :'-D

    • @MatthewCampbell765
      @MatthewCampbell765 Pƙed 26 dny +29

      You're joking, but this actually isn't completely incorrect to my understanding. When you ask a calculator to divide 1 by zero, you're essentially asking it to add zero to zero until it gets to one, and count how many times it had to do so to get there. Or, in other words, "count until you're stopped".
      Since this is a stupid request that can potentially hardlock your calculator, the calculator is programmed to refuse.

    • @mcdonelldavid
      @mcdonelldavid Pƙed 26 dny +6

      Good point, it sounds like it may be a means of avoiding infinite regress which in traditional logic represents a contradiction, but in fact is better represented as infinity? Just a thought

    • @MatthewCampbell765
      @MatthewCampbell765 Pƙed 26 dny +5

      ​@@mcdonelldavidIt's more accurate to say computers have an odd process for doing division usually.
      For what it's worth, 1/0 does not equal infinity per se, as infinity times zero is still zero.
      In essence, dividing by zero is kind of like asking the shoe size of a person missing their legs. Or like asking what weapon was used to commit the first murder on Mars.
      To use a more literal metaphor: Imagine division as being a room with a number of cookies handed out to the people in the room. "Two people with two cookies, so each person has one cookie", 2/2=1.
      Now, if we imagine 0/0, we get: a room with zero cookies and zero people. How many cookies do the people in the room have?
      Or 1/0: 1 cookie given to zero people, how many cookies do the people in the room have?

  • @RvB_Fan_since_8
    @RvB_Fan_since_8 Pƙed rokem +61

    2:26 the leak is just money that’s lost in couch cushions, no worries.

  • @FartsHughley
    @FartsHughley Pƙed rokem +329

    You're becoming quite the showman! Great video as always.
    PS: My dog likes the sound of your voice for some reason

  • @fburton8
    @fburton8 Pƙed rokem +98

    Seeing the water computer's import-export side arm reminded me of how, in the late 1960s and early 70s, politics was obsessed with "balance of trade" figures. For some reason, that hardly ever gets mentioned these days.

    • @keith77mn77
      @keith77mn77 Pƙed rokem +29

      They’ve given up on that, in favor of the “just print more money” model.

    • @manticore117
      @manticore117 Pƙed 29 dny +21

      Probably due to long distance communication becoming more and more accessible over the 20th century. Economies could offer services instead of trade to foreign entities. As it increased over the decades, trade of actual goods would have become less and less of a sole focus.

    • @Brasswatchman
      @Brasswatchman Pƙed 27 dny +6

      Possibly because they realized those are limited terms for understanding how national economies interact with each other.

    • @axiezimmah
      @axiezimmah Pƙed 17 dny +2

      Because money was actually worth something back then when it was backed by actual gold and countries had to have gold reserves. So it was needed to balance import and export.
      Now that all currency is essentially worthless. They just print more.

    • @Brasswatchman
      @Brasswatchman Pƙed 17 dny +5

      @@axiezimmah What are you talking about? Pretty much the whole world - including the US - went off the gold standard in the 1930's. Decades before the period he's talking about.

  • @andrerenault
    @andrerenault Pƙed rokem +137

    I loved seeing the equations side-by-side!

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +21

      Thanks! The PV=NRT vs PV=C/(1+R)^T in particular has always annoyed me

    • @rodschmidt8952
      @rodschmidt8952 Pƙed 28 dny +2

      @@AtomicFrontier It has always annoyed ME that economists insist on always putting the price on the vertical axis, at the expense of always putting the independent variable on the horizontal axis

  • @blumoogle2901
    @blumoogle2901 Pƙed rokem +26

    It's interesting that even today some (much more advanced) water and other analogue computers are being researched and built again because, as we run into factors which make increasing computer speed more expensive faster than in the past there are some narrow but useful classes of really big mathematical problems that are simpler to solve through analogue phenomena representing multiple variables interacting constantly in complex ways that are simpler/faster to calculate in aggregate and measure the result of to acceptable accuracy with a physical representation than to crunch every decimal in a digital computer.

  • @ActuallyHoudini
    @ActuallyHoudini Pƙed rokem +64

    ohhhh, i just realised why the video is in 50fps and not 60fps. 50fps (or 25fps) is the PAL standard for television. so if this ever gets picked up for a TV show, they could play old episodes on TV without need of rerecording down to 25fps and 50fps for HD channels on DVB. clever.

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +54

      Smart! Yup, plus UK uses 50 Hz electrisity, which was making my indoor shots look all flickery and weird. Don't worry - back to 60fps next episode (and maybe 4K if my computer feels like handeling it)

    • @prich0382
      @prich0382 Pƙed rokem +11

      @@AtomicFrontier Legacy media (TV) is old news, just stick to the internet, there are plenty of successful decumentry style CZcamsrs out there, you are doing fantastic already, if you were to aim for TV, you'd be bogged down with even more rules you'd have to follow.

    • @RedSaint83
      @RedSaint83 Pƙed 28 dny +5

      One would think those PAL and NTSC days were far behind us, but I still see freshly made interlaced video content here and there.

  • @stevieinselby
    @stevieinselby Pƙed rokem +64

    *THE GLOOPER IS REAL* - that's incredible, I assumed that it was one of Sir Terry's wild flights of fantasy rather than based in any kind of reality. In fact, this idea is _so_ wild that I'm still not 100% convinced that you haven't released your 1st April video a couple of months early by mistake 😆
    Definitely one of the best videos you've made, not just impeccably researched and presented, but all the greater for your judicious use of jokes, juggling and jestering - I love a bit of political snark in an explainer video!

  • @praveenb9048
    @praveenb9048 Pƙed rokem +138

    Atomic Frontier: Can I try and find out if your unique, historic, priceless water computer can divide by zero?
    Cambridge University: No.

  • @Komeuppance
    @Komeuppance Pƙed rokem +33

    Your bedroom built equipment depicting a leaking economy is accurate. Always enjoy your videos, keep up the hard work!

  • @stocktonjoans
    @stocktonjoans Pƙed rokem +362

    It never ceases to amaze me just how much of The Diskworld series the late, great Terry Pratchett nicked from real life.

    • @grindsaur
      @grindsaur Pƙed rokem +31

      Same! My reaction was just: "It's real? It bloody exists?!?" :D

    • @notyrpapa
      @notyrpapa Pƙed rokem +10

      Same - I thought Hubert was a fictional character!

    • @majorjohnson8001
      @majorjohnson8001 Pƙed rokem +22

      Oh yeah, he did that all the time. You should read _The Science of Discworld_ sometime, it's chock full of that kind of thing.

    • @weirdmindofesh
      @weirdmindofesh Pƙed rokem +11

      I thought the same thing! The glooper is real!?!

    • @50srefugee
      @50srefugee Pƙed rokem +3

      He was a Public Relations guy for a nuclear power company. He hung out with very smart people, and knew how the sausage was made. (And, oh boy, does that show in Thief of Time.)

  • @MelvinGundlach
    @MelvinGundlach Pƙed rokem +10

    Your tracking and masking of the elements you integrate into the real world is so unnecessary - and I love it! 😃

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +64

    Such a cool devise and it's surprising how well it works at showing economic theory visually.

  • @Roberttheaddled
    @Roberttheaddled Pƙed rokem +30

    I'm wondering now if Pratchett had used this as the basis for the economy model machine in "Making Money". Decidedly interesting watch and listen.

  • @ethanhandley7928
    @ethanhandley7928 Pƙed rokem +12

    I shared this with my economics teacher, she loves it! Thank you for making MPS and MPC easier to understand, as well as showing such a cool device to the world!

  • @AlexRHarrison
    @AlexRHarrison Pƙed rokem +10

    I love the tracked photos and text information being displayed while walking. It's very creative and just makes sense. Great video đŸ‘đŸ»

  • @lavishlyDecorated
    @lavishlyDecorated Pƙed rokem +17

    I remember the exxact moment I realised how complex economy is. I was maybe 10-12 sitting in school and using a program on a computer to simulate the economy (this was the 1980s).
    Anyway, one of the things to adjust was average life expectancy and I thought "Hey, let's let people live longer! Yay!", but then the expenditure on health care (this was in Europe, lol) skyrocketed because old people in general get sicker.
    Welp, that's my story. I'm not an economist today.

    • @MrTomyCJ
      @MrTomyCJ Pƙed rokem +13

      And in reality the economy is even much more complex, that's why these models can't predict it well. Human behaviour is far from the reach of any practical equation.

  • @TOGthatoneguy
    @TOGthatoneguy Pƙed rokem +10

    man your editing on this video is so nice. i love how you have images just floating about as you walk down the street. amazing.

  • @frostnetz
    @frostnetz Pƙed rokem +17

    Another great one! I cant believe you're "only" at 200k subs. those numbers really don't do the production value justice..

  • @Bryzerse
    @Bryzerse Pƙed rokem +5

    I feel like I say this on every video, but your videos are so good. You can really feel the effort and personal interest in the topics, and it's nice to see an economics CZcamsr talk more realistically about certain economic policies...

  • @Element_Finland
    @Element_Finland Pƙed rokem +9

    1:26 almost held your composure there... tough ask :D

  • @Turnip199
    @Turnip199 Pƙed rokem +10

    You're one of my favorite stem creators on the platform. Keep it up!

  • @clickthecreeper9463
    @clickthecreeper9463 Pƙed rokem +9

    huh, i guess this must be what inspired the economy machine in Terry Pratchett’s “Making Money”

  • @michaelmoorrees3585
    @michaelmoorrees3585 Pƙed rokem +9

    Quite appropriate using water for an analog integrator. I actually used electronic analog computers in college, even though, by then it was already obsolete. Analog integrators can be used to solve differential equations, and analog computers were heavily used in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. For those who haven't taken calculus, the integration function is basically a bucket collecting water. Concept is more important than manipulation, such a long division.
    I think Liz Truss used a broken one. The Federal reserve in the US, just uses open pipe.

  • @NikitaOsito
    @NikitaOsito Pƙed rokem +4

    I just want to take a moment to applaud doing a one take piece to camera while juggling.

  • @MarekDobesReal
    @MarekDobesReal Pƙed rokem +27

    Beautifuly done video, as always!

  • @gabionsquared7858
    @gabionsquared7858 Pƙed rokem +15

    Did NordVPN even realise the implications of having a their VPN advertised by a pirate

    • @omegahaxors3306
      @omegahaxors3306 Pƙed 29 dny

      What can I say, I put the "Tor" in "Torrent" ;)

  • @dx243_
    @dx243_ Pƙed měsĂ­cem +3

    i love how Infinity (an overflow error for digital computers) results in a literal OVERFLOW of water. you got a memory leak

  • @ColinHuth
    @ColinHuth Pƙed rokem +5

    First, can’t imagine how good it felt to have the juggling take nailed. Second
 unexpected Alestorm is unexpected.

  • @joeyverliesharen
    @joeyverliesharen Pƙed rokem +9

    As someone who went to a certain pirate metal concert, I approve this video. It was a fantastic P.A.R.T.Y.

  • @RikaRoleplay
    @RikaRoleplay Pƙed 25 dny

    This video has some of the best subtle editing I have ever seen, and I know how the walking slides can work in two different ways at least, but that changes nothing! The editing is way over the top for such a video, and it amazes me the attention to detail added to a "What if we divide by zero with (INSERT MACHINE NAME)" video.
    Hats off to you, and more, my goodness this is some of the most unexpected high quality editing I have come across recently. I would subscribe, but I already am subscribed 😄

  • @laurispeterisvejs4007
    @laurispeterisvejs4007 Pƙed rokem +2

    Your production quality has improved so much! Really amazing!

  • @rga1605
    @rga1605 Pƙed rokem +3

    The Phillips machine shows up in a few studies on the history of economic thought, so seeing a video about it is really interesting

  • @cutza7
    @cutza7 Pƙed rokem +4

    Subscribed just for calling it "outroduction"

  • @deadkobold
    @deadkobold Pƙed 10 dny

    Hey man, only just had this run across my suggested and it was enough to sub without even checking your back catalogue... And that is high praise.

  • @custardpanda6209
    @custardpanda6209 Pƙed rokem +1

    Excellent video as always. Keep up the phenomenal work, your videos just keep on improving, I could sit and watch them for hours! Thanks James!

  • @RyanHReviews
    @RyanHReviews Pƙed rokem +11

    "Apparently, something divided by nothing is infinity" I actually saw infinity as the answer in Euler's Elements of Algebra. No clue why it is said to be undefined now.

    • @samuelwerley528
      @samuelwerley528 Pƙed rokem +15

      Infinity is not a number, but a mathematical concept. It's misleading to say 1/0 "equals" infinity, hence we say that it's undefined. You can show that the limit of 1/x is infinity as x approaches 0, but the limit changes depending on whether you approach from positive or negative x.

    • @skilz8098
      @skilz8098 Pƙed rokem +1

      @@samuelwerley528 That doesn't make it undefined, it still has a clear definition. I'd argue the fact that n/0 is ambiguous or indeterminate before it is undefined. If something is undefined it doesn't have a definition and the definition of n/0 is division by zero. That is clearly defined. The result of the computation is ambiguous or indeterminate. It's the same thing for vertical slope and the asymptotes of some of the trig functions.

    • @samuelwerley528
      @samuelwerley528 Pƙed rokem +8

      @@skilz8098 You can argue over terminology but "undefined" is the standard term here. I think you are taking the word too literally. If I'm being more careful with my wording, we say that given a function of the form: f(x) = n/x, then the function is "undefined" when x equals 0. In other words, our "definition" of f(x) only applies for cases where x is not 0. It is not valid to say that F(0) = n/0 = infinity

    • @BanakaiGames
      @BanakaiGames Pƙed rokem +3

      Because you have to use limits to get infinity
      1/x is undefined. The limit of 1/x as x approaches 0 is infinity.

    • @skilz8098
      @skilz8098 Pƙed rokem

      @@samuelwerley528 Why not? There's either a hole or an infinite amount of possible solutions at that point thus making it either ambiguous or indeterminate.

  • @RedmarKerkhof
    @RedmarKerkhof Pƙed rokem +13

    So you're saying you... TANKED the economy? ;D

  • @iUserapp
    @iUserapp Pƙed rokem +2

    When I visited Wellington, New Zealand, I stumbled upon this beautiful machine in a museum. It is really complex and has so many features. Thank you for showing how its basic components work!

    • @David_K_Booth
      @David_K_Booth Pƙed rokem +2

      The one in Wellington can be found in the museum at the Reserve Bank. There is also one in the London Science Museum.
      A friend of mine who has a degree in economics looked at the one in London for the first time, and concluded: "He's a Keynesian."

  • @KeppyKep
    @KeppyKep Pƙed rokem +1

    I was just thinking yesterday it had been ages since an AF video.
    Good to see you again James!

  • @liamblack3001
    @liamblack3001 Pƙed rokem +21

    isnt this a Terry Pratchett book?

    • @liamblack3001
      @liamblack3001 Pƙed rokem +2

      oh i just thought for one (count it) second

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG Pƙed rokem +6

      A lot of the weirdest things in the Discworld are actually drawn from life. Terry Pratchett was well read.

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +18

      Honestly wouldn't surprise me. Pratchett was a genius always finding weird obscure tech and Diskworldifying it!

    • @liamblack3001
      @liamblack3001 Pƙed rokem +10

      @@AtomicFrontier Yea it was in making money. A mad banker and his Igor made it in the basement

    • @Alex-cw3rz
      @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +1

      Wouldn't be suprised

  • @jessewilson8676
    @jessewilson8676 Pƙed rokem +6

    Looks like an expensive flow chart.

  • @notchs0son
    @notchs0son Pƙed 21 dnem

    Really beautiful use of augmented reality. This is just how It should be for historical videos. Just imagine how Crazy detailed you could get a photo to match the video and simply overlay and completely mix onto present day.

  • @peasantserf5684
    @peasantserf5684 Pƙed rokem +2

    Found one at my University last week which is unfortunately non-functional. So glad I get to see it in action.

  • @mattwimad
    @mattwimad Pƙed rokem +3

    You might be onto a more accurate model with your leaky bedroom set. It better accounts for waste and skimming off the top all along the way 🙃

  • @noahluppe
    @noahluppe Pƙed rokem +10

    Both a fun and informative video, overall just great

  • @sohamsengupta6470
    @sohamsengupta6470 Pƙed 13 dny

    You've managed to shove economics education, a divide by zero shenanigan on a particularly singular computer, and a bunch of social commentary into one bite sized video. This channel is absolutely stellar.

  • @stephanieparker1250
    @stephanieparker1250 Pƙed rokem

    Ohh your graphics are getting better and better! Love your videos! 🎉

  • @yeetyeet7070
    @yeetyeet7070 Pƙed rokem +6

    "this weeks prime minister"

  • @beermanuk
    @beermanuk Pƙed rokem +4

    Another brilliantly produced video. Even your sponsor bits are good. Looks like you're a pirate legend from the ship cosmetics

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +1

      Thanks! Not quite... got to level 50 on merchant yesterday though so not long I hope!!

  • @AsbestosMuffins
    @AsbestosMuffins Pƙed rokem +2

    yet another time i realize Terry Pratchet was an absolute genius, this would be an important plot point to one of his last books

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +1

      Just finished it. So good! Finishing up the rest of that "Moist von Lipwig" series

  • @tinkeringtim7999
    @tinkeringtim7999 Pƙed 11 dny

    This was really well done, subscribed.

  • @garretthaywood37
    @garretthaywood37 Pƙed rokem +6

    Amazing glad I got here early for this

    • @garretthaywood37
      @garretthaywood37 Pƙed rokem +3

      Finished the video amazing, good introduction onto the economy this was. Always new information when I watch your videos keep them up

  • @fiercemonkey1
    @fiercemonkey1 Pƙed rokem +4

    Cheer’s mate! Sending some love from Atlanta GA! You should come over here and teach our politicians this same lesson!
    WHY it’s a dumb idea to divide by zero. And if the water isn’t moving it’s not trickling down.
    Great to see you guy’s post again, love your composition and sly motion graphics. (I smell da Vinci) smooth narration, good broll and a good story to follow, the idea of money being analogous to water. This idea about money has been around for a long time and it’s cool to see a computer using water. And to see y’all posting again! Oh and I would give short form content a go man. You guys know how to build the thing just make a smaller skeleton then you normally do, and then capitalize on the format. The looping, vertical format, close up shots in general, ect. follow? With y’all’s talent I bet you could make some funny ass shorts! Any hoo dudes, see u on the next on homies! o7

  • @Yolwoocle
    @Yolwoocle Pƙed rokem

    Loved the video! I hope to see this channel grow in the future!

  • @neeneko
    @neeneko Pƙed rokem

    wow.
    Thinking back to the various models I've worked on over the years, this way of simulating an economy is just.. brilliant.

  • @danjlilley
    @danjlilley Pƙed 27 dny +5

    So you can literally tank the economy

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +26

    Thank you for pointing out how trickle down economics does not work and in such a cool way.

  • @dreamcanvas5321
    @dreamcanvas5321 Pƙed 28 dny +1

    0:40 "Boiling water by dunking mains voltage directly into a bucket of water"
    That is the smartest, stupidest, funniest, most terrifying factoid I have ever heard. (At least in terms of crossing heavily into all of those domains.)

  • @Coolio_Ash
    @Coolio_Ash Pƙed 13 dny

    The egg juggling while saying your lines was insanely impressive, bravo.

  • @sufficient__
    @sufficient__ Pƙed rokem +3

    holy shit alestorm reference

  • @yeetyeet7070
    @yeetyeet7070 Pƙed rokem +11

    "We might as well tax them"
    well said. It's either tax them, or eat them.

  • @zappledd6598
    @zappledd6598 Pƙed rokem

    This is bonkers and brilliant at the same time! Nice one James.

  • @dwdei8815
    @dwdei8815 Pƙed 25 dny

    This is a great wee talk! Clear and engaging.

  • @Zanthum
    @Zanthum Pƙed rokem +6

    Soooo who wants to play sea of thieves now?

  • @briangarrow448
    @briangarrow448 Pƙed rokem +54

    Yes, I’ve been a victim of trickle down economics for most of my adult life. Ronald Reagan was the first person to introduce me to this idea, and I’ve been trickled upon, minus a couple of short breaks, since his time in the White House.

    • @oldfag_adventures
      @oldfag_adventures Pƙed rokem +2

      Nixon, Reagan, and Bush are the specific reasons our current day is such a hellscape

    • @Kogarasumaru
      @Kogarasumaru Pƙed rokem +5

      @@oldfag_adventures Just say republicans, it's much easier than naming every republican president for the last 50 years.

    • @oldfag_adventures
      @oldfag_adventures Pƙed rokem +1

      @@Kogarasumaru you're right but those three are the end game for Republicans

    • @Mr3344555
      @Mr3344555 Pƙed rokem +1

      Get your money up. Learn new skills, offer your self to others. Make more money instead of saving. You're ruining yourself by trying to save. Blaming Bush or Clinton won't make you money. Use your brain and make your life better.

    • @Kogarasumaru
      @Kogarasumaru Pƙed rokem +5

      @@Mr3344555 This advice brought to you by my 15 year old cousin who just started watching Cramer

  • @aremoreequal
    @aremoreequal Pƙed 11 dny +1

    I'd love to see this machine have sectors of spenders. People who spend everything, people who save some, and people who save a lot. And, be able to run different amounts of income through each sector, and tax each sector.

  • @user-vh6ms2yu4r
    @user-vh6ms2yu4r Pƙed měsĂ­cem

    Amazing video. Great production, great content!

  • @joanbennettnyc
    @joanbennettnyc Pƙed rokem +3

    Great storytelling, as always. I'm an American and I got all the jokes! ;)

  • @grimm6250
    @grimm6250 Pƙed měsĂ­cem

    This is for me the answer of the question of the year! Very nice one!

  • @JordanManfrey
    @JordanManfrey Pƙed 9 dny +1

    So what I learned from this simulation is that if nearly everybody lives paycheck to paycheck (zero propensity to save) the economy will look like it’s booming, when actuality it’s in a fatal error state that produces good-looking upward metrics until you realize a ton of money is unaccounted for (spilled out) and nothing is actually being allocated properly or flowing correctly

  • @fulsomenko
    @fulsomenko Pƙed rokem +3

    Hi

  • @MontyBeda
    @MontyBeda Pƙed rokem +3

    Alestorm!

    • @MontyBeda
      @MontyBeda Pƙed rokem

      I mean great video and so on. I mean I have not forgotten everything after seeing Alestorm record.

  • @pacochihuahua77
    @pacochihuahua77 Pƙed 28 dny

    Came in HARD with that insane editing

  • @duckpk10
    @duckpk10 Pƙed rokem +1

    Amazing content as always man. Thank you

  • @janedoe3043
    @janedoe3043 Pƙed rokem +3

    British joke British joke British joke. American stares blankly*

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +4

      Don't worry, we get a small american one in there at 5:53

    • @wellwell7950
      @wellwell7950 Pƙed rokem +3

      Isn't he Australian

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem +1

      Yup! Thats why all the currency is in aussie and why the "pirate rock concert" is from Alestorm'sAustralia tour. Don't worry, haven't forgotten my roots

    • @andrew_ray
      @andrew_ray Pƙed rokem

      An Australian makes British jokes whilst filming in America. What an internationaliz/sed world we live in.

  • @Zorro9129
    @Zorro9129 Pƙed 28 dny +4

    The economics in this is horrible.

  • @rodschmidt8952
    @rodschmidt8952 Pƙed 28 dny

    Very interesting! I now have two questions; -- yea, three questions are mine own:
    1. What about investment? Savings is future spending, is it not? Where does that show up in the model?
    1a. Isn't the value of the currency itself subject to a law of supply and demand? If a certain percentage of the currency is stored away in mattresses, doesn't that make the remaining currency more valuable? How is this reflected in the model?
    2. If, instead, we set propensity to CONSUME to zero, we again have a division by zero--but now in a different equation. What are the consequences of THAT model?

  • @chapmontague-brown5907
    @chapmontague-brown5907 Pƙed 28 dny +1

    I think that the real Phillips machine was the friends we made along the way

  • @wiizzpl4718
    @wiizzpl4718 Pƙed rokem +3

    Trickle down economics - the economic theory that doesn't exist and no one is advocating for.
    People use it as a strawman against the supply side economics.

    • @lo0katmyn4me
      @lo0katmyn4me Pƙed rokem +5

      "The trickle-down theory states that tax breaks and benefits for corporations and the wealthy will trickle down to everyone else." This has been the economic mantra of the US since President Reagan in 1980. The theory exists and an entire country is attempting (and failing) to sustain off of it.

    • @Alex-cw3rz
      @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +1

      Trickle down economics was coined as a term that refers to supply side economics they are the same thing.

    • @Alex-cw3rz
      @Alex-cw3rz Pƙed rokem +1

      @@lo0katmyn4me don't forgot the UK when Liz Truss did it and almost crashed the economy I say almost because the independent bank of England had to spend billions propping up the economy.

    • @wiizzpl4718
      @wiizzpl4718 Pƙed rokem

      @@Alex-cw3rz It's a caricature of it made by people who oppose supply side economics. A strawman.

    • @wiizzpl4718
      @wiizzpl4718 Pƙed rokem

      @@lo0katmyn4me Yes, that's trickle down economics, a theory that doesn't exist, wasn't supported by any economist.

  • @Psychx_
    @Psychx_ Pƙed rokem +3

    Can't we just abosish capitalism and replace it with another kind of market-based economy that has different goals (like sustainability, not wrecking the environment, fair pay and increasing the living standard for everyone while avoiding the problem of forming a class based society with a hierarchy of owners, politicians, workers and poor poeple) and actually realistic fundamental assumptions? Chasing never ending economic growth is a dumb idea on a planet with limited resources and a demographic shift towards old people in most developed nations. We are facing an inevitable collapse.

    • @bobdagamer640
      @bobdagamer640 Pƙed rokem

      COMMUNISM

    • @filonin2
      @filonin2 Pƙed rokem +1

      Obviously not. Also, the planet may have limited resources but the solar system has literally MILLIONS as times as much resources to exploit, so no. Not likely at all until we reach post-scarcity which will happen because of the abundance of resources in space and automated manufacturing.

    • @skilz8098
      @skilz8098 Pƙed rokem +3

      I think you need to go back and read up on the original definition of capitalism. Capitalism isn't about the modern conception of corporate greed. It's about the fact that a citizen has the right to keep the fruit of their labors or the profits of their work.

    • @MrTomyCJ
      @MrTomyCJ Pƙed rokem

      Capitalism doesn't rely on infinite growth. Growth has been a consequence, not a necessary condition. A little bakery business can stay little indefinitely, it doesn't collapse as soon as it stops growing. It would only under competition, but better competition means we have plenty of resources available.

    • @bramvanduijn8086
      @bramvanduijn8086 Pƙed 11 dny

      @@skilz8098 I'm sorry but you've got that exactly backwards. Capitalism is the idea that the one with the capital (right there in the name) has the right to keep the fruit of someone else's labour as long as the capitalist supplied the funding, and the capitalist gets to keep the profits.
      The concept of keeping the fruit of your labour is called usufruct, which is anti-capitalist because it says that the one working with the resources has more rights than the one who owns the resources. i.e. if you own a plot of land and I grow potatoes there, I have a right to the potatoes. Likewise, if you make french fries out of my potatoes you have a right to the french fries. In both cases, the negligence of the owner to use the resource themselves makes them lose the right to it.
      It creates some obvious conflicts (for example if we both want to make fries from my potatoes but you're faster.), which theories of ownership like capitalism and communism try to resolve. A key concept for forming your own theory of ownership is splitting ownership into four parts:
      1. Personal property is stuff you own because you use it, like your clothing and your toothbrush. These are usually goods that you can carry. Using violence against someone messing with your personal property is generally considered a form of self-defense.
      2. Private property is stuff you still own even when you're not using it, like your second house. These are usually assets instead of goods. Some people believe you can use violence to protect private property, some say you can't, usually depending on how much they value life. Though sometimes it is simply because they can't tell the difference between personal and private property.
      3. Common property is stuff nobody owns but everyone uses, so everyone should protect it. A good example is a public street. Again, defensive violence is generally considered acceptable, if you don't defend it you get the 'tragedy of the commons' problem.
      4. Collective property is stuff the entire group owns together, like four friends buying a house together, like a small housing co-op. They need to collectively decide what colour to paint the walls and such. This is more centralized than common property, so stuff like the USSR making a five-year plan can happen here, so when the central control fails, it fails badly. Here too violent defense is generally considered acceptable, depending on whether the individuals value the group higher than their own safety, i.e. how selfish they are.
      plato.stanford.edu/entries/property/

  • @segfault-
    @segfault- Pƙed rokem

    Outstanding quality. Great video!

  • @protheu5
    @protheu5 Pƙed rokem

    Every episode is more impressive than the other. The production value is much better than most professionally produced TV shows.

  • @davecgriffith
    @davecgriffith Pƙed rokem +1

    "Captain Sail-out" - nice.

  • @poelsgatien6632
    @poelsgatien6632 Pƙed 29 dny

    Amazing content, thanks for the video! I don't know if you'll see this but if I can give you a bit of a feedback: i think you could lower the volume of background music while you're talking. Might just be my speakers though.

  • @thebigbadwolf639
    @thebigbadwolf639 Pƙed dnem

    I've heard of a flow chart, but THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

  • @MrMoFortune
    @MrMoFortune Pƙed rokem

    I have been watching Tom Scott, Veritasium and a handful of informative scientific channels for the last 6 years at least, but to see an Old Haleian doing so well is bound to be an in-class inspiration to so many people. I graduated in 2018 and I wish we had your videos as supplementary content to learn from and enjoy.

    • @AtomicFrontier
      @AtomicFrontier  Pƙed rokem

      Thanks! Glad to see a fellow Haleian enjoying the videos! Heading back home for Christmas so hopefully can swing by and see how they've been doing!

  • @mmtunligit
    @mmtunligit Pƙed rokem +2

    the pull out at the end pointed to cambridge, england, which, fair enough, that's where the machine is, but most of the talking was clearly filmed in boston, USA! how long had you been holding onto the footage of the water computer?

  • @Bianchi77
    @Bianchi77 Pƙed 9 měsĂ­ci

    Nice video, well done, thank you for sharing it with us :)

  • @jaybingham3711
    @jaybingham3711 Pƙed 27 dny

    Very cool. Great presentation.

  • @DanielMcBrain
    @DanielMcBrain Pƙed rokem

    Fantastic video, well explained, congrats :)