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The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon teaches Penny Physics

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    Sheldon: Research journal, entry one.
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    I’m about to embark on
    one of the great challenges
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    of my scientific career:
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    [audience laughter]
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    teaching Penny physics.
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    [audience laughter]
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    I'm calling it “Project Guerrilla.”
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Hey Sheldon.
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    Sheldon: Come in. Take a seat.
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    Subject has arrived.
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    [audience laughter]
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    I’ve extended a friendly,
    causal greeting.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Ready to get started?
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    Sheldon: One moment.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Subject appears well rested
    and enthusiastic.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Apparently ignorance IS bliss.
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    [audience laughter]
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    All right. Let us begin.
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    Where’s your notebook?
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    Penny: Umm, I don’t have one.
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    Sheldon: How are you going to take
    notes without a notebook?
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    Penny: I have to take notes?
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    Sheldon: How else are you
    going to study for the tests?
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    Penny: There’s going to be a test?
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    Sheldon: Tests.
    [audience laughter]
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    Here. That’s college ruled.
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    I hope that’s not too intimidating.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Thank you.
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    Sheldon: You’re welcome. Now,
    introduction to physics.
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    What is physics?
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    Physics comes from the ancient
    Greek word “physica.”
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    It's at this point that you'll
    want to start taking notes.
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    [audience laughter]
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    And physica means
    “the science of natural things,”
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    and it is there, in ancient Greece,
    that our story begins.
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    Penny: Ancient Greece?
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    Sheldon: Hush. If you have
    questions, raise your hand.
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    [Sheldon clears throat]
    [audience laughter]
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    It’s a warm summer evening, circa 600 BC.
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    You’ve finished your shopping
    at the local market, or “agora.”
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    [audience laughter]
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    And you look up at the night sky,
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    and there you notice
    some of the stars seem to move.
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    So you name them “planetes,” or wanderer.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Yes Penny?
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    Penny: Um, does this have anything |
    to do with Leonard’s work?
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    Sheldon: This is the beginning
    of the 2600 year journey
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    we are going to take together.
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    From...
    [audience laughter]
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    ...the ancient Greeks,
    through Isaac Newton,
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    to Niels Bohr, to Erwin Schrödinger,
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    to the Dutch researchers
    that Leonard is currently ripping off.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: 2600 years?
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    Sheldon: Yeah, give or take.
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    As I was saying: It’s a warm summer
    evening in ancient Greece.
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    Yes Penny?
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    Penny: I have to go
    to the bathroom.
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    Sheldon: Can’t you hold it?
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    Penny: Not for 2600 years.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Sheldon: Project Guerrilla, entry two.
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    I am exhausted.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Sheldon: Now remember, Newton realized
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    that Aristotle was wrong
    and force was not necessary
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    to maintain motion.
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    So, let's plug in our
    9.8 meters per second squared
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    as a and we get force,
    [audience laughter]
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    Earth gravity, equals mass
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    times 9.8 meters per second per second.
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    So we can see that ma equals mg and
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    what do we know from this?
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Um...
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    We know that...
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    Newton was a really smart cookie.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Oh! Is that where Fig Newtons come from?
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    [audience laughter]
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    Sheldon: No, Fig Newtons are named after
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    a small town in Massachusetts.
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    Don't write that down!
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    [audience laughter]
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    Now, if ma equals mg,
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    what does that imply?
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    Penny: I don't know.
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    Sheldon: How can you not know?
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    I just told you.
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    Have you suffered
    a recent blow to the head?
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Hey! You don't have to be so mean
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    Sheldon: I'm sorry.
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    (nicely) Have you suffered
    a recent blow to the head?
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: No, you just suck at teaching!
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    Sheldon: Really?
    Of those two explanations,
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    which one seems the most likely?
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Sheldon,
    I'm trying to understand
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    but you're going too fast.
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    Can you just back up a little bit?
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    Sheldon: Alright
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    It's a warm summer evening
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    in ancient Greece.
    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Not that far back!
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    Sheldon: Okay!
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    At what point
    did you begin to feel lost?
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    Penny: I don't know.
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    Where were we looking
    up at the night sky?
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    Sheldon: Greece
    Penny: Dammit!
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    Sheldon: Well, there's no need
    to get frustrated.
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    People learn at different rates,
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    unlike objects falling
    in a vacuum which....
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    [audience laughter]
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    ma equals mg...
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    Penny: Squared?
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    Sheldon: No.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Artistotle?
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    Sheldon: No.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Five?
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    Sheldon: Ugh!
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    Penny: Ohhh then I don't know.
    [cries]
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    Sheldon: Why are you crying?
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    Penny: Because I'm stupid!
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    [audience laughter]
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    Sheldon: That's no reason to cry.
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    [audience laughter]
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    One cries because one is sad.
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    For example, I cry
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    because others are stupid
    and it makes me sad.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Ok. Look, can we just please
    forget about all of this extra stuff
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    and can you just tell me
    what Leonard does?
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    Sheldon: Alright.
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    Leonard is attempting to learn
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    why subatomic particles
    move the way they do.
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    Penny: Really? That's it?
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    Well, that doesn't
    sound so complicated.
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    Sheldon: It's not.
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    That's why Leonard does it.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: Ok, I just have one question.
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    What exactly are subatomic particles?
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    Sheldon: A good question.
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    Penny: Thank you.
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    Sheldon: And to answer it, we first
    must ask ourselves, "What is physics?"
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    Penny: Oh, balls.
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    Sheldon: It's a warm, summer
    evening in ancient Greece.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Bernadette: Raj, you should have
    seen Leonard's experiment.
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    The interference pattern was so cool
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    when the electron beam was on.
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    Leonard: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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    Most people aren't that
    interested in what I do.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Penny: [clears throat]
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    Actually, that's not true, Leonard.
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    In fact, recently,
    I've been thinking that
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    given the parameters
    of your experiment,
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    the transport of electrons
    through the aperture
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    of the nanofabricated metal rings
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    is qualitatively no different
    than the experiment
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    already conducted in the Netherlands.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Their observed phase shift
    in the diffusing electrons
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    inside the metal ring already
    conclusively demonstrated
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    the electric analog of the Aharonov-Bohm
    quantum interference effect.
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    [audience laughter]
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    That's it. That's all I know.
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    [audience laughter]
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    Oh wait!
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    Fig Newtons were named
    after a town in Massachusetts,
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    not the scientist.
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    [audience laughter]
Title:
The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon teaches Penny Physics
Description:

Sheldon attempts to help Penny understand Leonard's work by teaching her... Physics. Excerpts from Season 3 Episode 10. I recommend watching the whole episode when it comes out on DVD.

Copyright belongs to CBS and its affiliates. (But if they know anything about viral campaign, I'd leave the videos alone for a long time.)
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Video Language:
English
Duration:
06:58

English subtitles

Revisions

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