Veritasium: the videos Hacker News recommends
Not the channel's most viewed videos: the ones HN commenters kept linking with real commentary. The top pick, "Why Being Delusional is a Superpower", linked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.
- explainer recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users, 2020–2024Linked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.
- explainer recommended in 8 different months by 8 HN users, 2017–2025HN commenters link it whenever a shaky study or the p<0.05 threshold comes up, as a short primer on false positives in science.
- explainer recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users, 2015–2022HN recommends it as one of the clearest layman explanations of Bell's theorem.
- explainer recommended in 8 different months by 10 HN users, 2023–2026HN commenters reach for it constantly as an approachable explanation of why cooperation and reciprocity are rational strategies.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 6 HN users, 2020–2024Used as the standard reference in threads about light speed, clock synchronization and untestable assumptions in physics.
- documentary recommended in 7 different months by 10 HN users, 2024–2026HN recommends it as a gripping story of single-minded persistence against the herd, and as the back story behind modern LED lighting.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2024HN commenters recommend it as a clear, accessible introduction to incompleteness and the self-referential proof idea.
- explainer recommended in 7 different months by 7 HN users, 2014–2024HN commenters recommend it as a short, clear explanation of why moving charges create magnetic fields.
- explainer recommended in 6 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2026Often recommended as an eye-opening field-based explanation of electricity, though it was also controversial and criticized as pedantic.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 6 HN users, 2022–2026Frequently recommended in threads on learning, the 10,000 hours rule and deliberate practice as a clearer account of how expertise develops.
- explainer recommended in 6 different months by 6 HN users, 2022–2026HN commenters recommend it whenever leaded fuel, toxic chemicals or corporate profit motives come up, praising its storytelling and accessible science.
- explainer recommended in 6 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2024The standard link whenever someone claims to be a visual learner or learning styles come up, with sources listed in the description.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2013–2026HN commenters recommend it as one of Veritasium's best videos and one that has aged well.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 7 HN users, 2022–2025Treated as the accessible reference on analog computing for neural nets, especially the Mythic AI segment.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 6 HN users, 2021–2025Recommended in threads on analog computing, photonic chips, AI hardware and tide prediction as an engaging history of Kelvin's machines.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 7 HN users, 2020–2025HN links it as a go-to intuitive explanation whenever gravity as spacetime curvature or free fall comes up.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2020–2023HN commenters call it a favourite Veritasium video, praised for how a simple equation reveals surprisingly complex patterns.
- commentary recommended in 5 different months by 5 HN users, 2021–2025HN cites it whenever YouTube titles and thumbnails come up, both to defend creators and to criticize the drift toward clickbait.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 6 HN users, 2013–2018Recommended in kilogram-redefinition threads as a clear, short explainer of the Avogadro and Planck approaches.
- explainer recommended in 5 different months by 7 HN users, 2014–2025Frequently cited as the source for claims about click farms and fake likes in Facebook advertising, though some argue its methodology was flawed.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2021–2023Strongly recommended as a mind-bending, approachable explanation of aperiodic patterns, even enjoyable with kids.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2025HN links it in threads on bikes, countersteering and control systems as the clearest demonstration of how bikes actually steer and balance.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 5 HN users, 2023–2024HN commenters say it made entropy intuition click and point to it in threads on energy, heat and equilibrium.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 10 HN users, 2020–2021HN repeatedly recommends it as an excellent explanation of why flying on Mars is hard and how the helicopter was built.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2015–2023Recommended as a clear explanation of where mass actually comes from.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 7 HN users, 2021–2023HN recommends it as a well-visualized, story-driven history of complex numbers, suitable for beginners; some quibble with its framing of algebra and geometry.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2021–2024Commenters link it as the engaging go-to explainer on planned obsolescence and the lightbulb cartel.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 8 HN users, 2019–2021Recommended for correctly predicting the features of the real black hole image and clearly explaining the lensing physics behind it.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2017–2024Praised as an excellent, accessible account of why the kilogram's definition changed, in redefinition threads.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 4 HN users, 2016–2025HN recommends it as a short, intuitive introduction to the pilot wave (de Broglie-Bohm) interpretation of quantum mechanics.
- documentary recommended in 4 different months by 5 HN users, 2023–2024HN commenters point to it as a nice introduction to micromouse and maze-racing robots.
- explainer recommended in 4 different months by 6 HN users, 2023–2026Whenever NIST's pricey peanut butter or reference materials come up, commenters point to this as the clear explanation of why they exist.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 5 HN users, 2022–2024HN points people to it as the explanation that finally made Fourier transforms and the FFT click, with a good historical story.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2014–2025HN commenters link it as the clearest short explanation of regression to the mean, especially for how it misleads people about feedback and statistics.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2015–2021HN uses it as the go-to demonstration of how unintuitive mass conservation is, especially in weight loss and burning threads.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2019–2021HN commenters like it as a high-quality, accessible look at an under-appreciated engineering idea and bring it up in snap-fit and hinge discussions.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 5 HN users, 2026HN commenters recommend it as the accessible deep-dive on EUV lithography and why chip manufacturing is so hard.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 2 HN users, 2014–2021Used as a short, well-made rebuttal to common global warming arguments in climate threads.
- documentary recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2025–2026Recommended as a good, accessible explanation of PFAS, its low safe limits and why regulation matters.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2025Recommended as high-quality physics communication and as an introduction to Noether and energy non-conservation in cosmology.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2023–2026HN cites it for the field-based picture of power transfer, noting it was controversial at release but the experiment largely backed the creator.
- demo recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2015–2021HN uses it as a quick, clear demonstration of the Magnus effect behind spinning-cylinder ships and planes.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2021–2025HN commenters bring it up as a good related watch in any thread about fallout, nuclear tests or detecting hidden events through indirect evidence.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2025–2026HN commenters recommend it for changing how they think about distributions and for showing how criticality shows up across earthquakes, wildfires and other fields.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 4 HN users, 2020–2024Cited in threads about perceived time as a good, detailed explanation of the effect.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2011–2024HN uses it in debates on video-based teaching and how confronting misconceptions helps learning, though some find its Khan Academy critique flawed.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 5 HN users, 2021–2023Frequently linked whenever wind-powered vehicles come up, as the clearest visual explanation of how the craft works.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2015–2023Recommended as a clear demonstration of confirmation bias and the value of trying to break your own hypothesis.
- explainer recommended in 3 different months by 3 HN users, 2021–2023Linked as clear demonstrations that make the counterintuitive faster-than-wind result click.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2015–2026Commenters point to it as the best short explanation of X inactivation and why calico cats and some human traits are mosaics.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2023–2025Recommended as a good primer on what IQ scores mean and their limited effect on life outcomes.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2025–2026HN points to it as an accessible explainer of AlphaFold and as an example of narrow, specialized ML delivering real scientific breakthroughs.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2025–2026Commenters send it to people asking how engines survive such temperatures, and call it fascinating and worth watching.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2024–2026HN cites it in LLM randomness and number-picking threads as evidence that humans are also biased and predictable when asked for random numbers.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2017–2019HN recommends it as a good layperson explanation of how LIGO's detection works and why it is so hard.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 3 HN users, 2025HN commenters call it eye-opening and deeper than typical layman explanations, linking it in double-slit and mechanics threads.
- documentary recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2024–2026Recommended as one of the most accessible introductions to PCR and its history.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2017–2024HN points to it as an accessible introduction to Bayesian reasoning and as inspiration for personal projects.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2015–2021HN commenters use it to put radiation exposure and risk into perspective, including everyday sources like flights and smoking.
- explainer recommended in 2 different months by 2 HN users, 2023–2024Commenters point to it as a clear explanation of the different types of night vision and why analog image intensifiers behave differently from digital ones.
Questions
Which Veritasium video does Hacker News recommend most?
Why Being Delusional is a Superpower: recommended in 9 different months by 9 HN users between 2020 and 2024.
Is this every Veritasium video?
No. Only videos that at least three different HN users linked, in at least three different months, with at least a sentence of their own commentary. That filter is what makes the list useful.