This lab measures the tiniest forces in the universe. This video is sponsored by Brilliant. You can get started for free, or the first 200 people to sign up via https://brilliant.org/veritasium get 20% off a yearly subscription.

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Thanks to Rich Press and NIST for the great visit.

Thanks to Dr. Gordon Shaw for showing us around his lab and teaching us about measuring tiny forces.

You can check out all the cool work going on at NIST here: https://www.nist.gov/

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References:

Lee, J. (2016). Measuring Tiny Forces With Light. NIST. – https://ve42.co/Lee2016

Melcher, J., Stirling, J., Guzman, F., Pratt, J. & Shaw, G. (2014). A self-calibrating optomechanical force sensor with femtonewton resolution. Applied Physics Letters. – https://ve42.co/Melcher2014

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Written by Derek Muller

Edited by Trenton Oliver

Animation by Ivy Tello

Filmed by Derek Muller, Trenton Oliver, and Emily Zhang

Additional video/photos supplied by Pond5 & Getty Images

Music from Epidemic Sound

Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev, and Emily Zhang