Neil deGrasse Tyson answers the burning questions Chuck Nice, Gary O’Reilly, and the StarTalk Team have been saving all year about gravity as a force, cosmic rays, free will, emergence, and how physicists decide which equations to apply. What was Neil’s favorite non-astrophysics topic from the past year? Chuck asks: Is gravity really a force, or just the bending of spacetime? Neil unpacks Einstein’s equivalence principle, curved spacetime, acceleration versus gravity, and why it may not matter which explanation you prefer. Are cosmic rays causing airplane computer glitches? Are particles from deep space really to blame? Neil explains cosmic radiation, solar activity, space weather, and why redundancy, not blaming the universe, is the real solution. Why does the strong nuclear force grow stronger with distance? How do gluons interact with quarks to create protons and neutrons? How do physicists choose equations? Neil breaks down the real value behind problem sets and building up your physics toolkit. Is free will an emergent property of consciousness? Could you predict an action someone does before they do it? How does solar energy end up locked inside trees, food, and fossil fuels? Thanks to our Patrons Hubert Górecki, Michele and David, Antonio, Luigi, Normie, Ronald Stephens, Jessica Shawley, Michelle Harris, Angel Cuevas Hernandez, S MB, Tony Pryor, Mike LaHaye, Samuel Ahn, Kenderick Frison, Lori Harting, David Aldrich, allen chen, Mark McDuff, daketchek, Nathan Boorom, Steven G., Emilio Lopez Hatt, Leslie Lantz, Ken Gelwix, Nick4547, James G Avdoulos, Astitva, Dana Lewis, T, Claire Davis, Richard S, Glen Brown, Sierra Tornabeni, Sue Peters, Stefano Ete, Shawn Sellers, Adriane Underwood, jason jones, Charles, Infuriated Jurijcorn, Que the music, Jeremy Hunter, Sampson, Bhushan Nene, Paul Kruger, Sean Wyatt, Carlos Pelayo, Joey Mack Newell, Alex Iakovidis, Cookiehart, W Hollifield, Dave Martin, Hd4122, Shon Bucklin, Tony Taveras, aeonoku, Shawn Browning, ben dewrance, Black____Monday, J Hardman, Erik Krasguidotti, Thegayestmanalive, YBenali, Richard Green, Brian Charbonneau, Syronn Terry, Bruce Griffith, Amir, Tom Pritchett, Guido Vermeulen, Povvy, Sigurbjorn B. Larusson, David Paul, Kristof De Maeseneer, Scott Strum, Roni Riabtseb, Monopolyworld, Naeem C, Jayson Cowan, Steph Dean, Q, Shawn Piers, travis amiot, Scott Blaylock, Paul, Griffin O'Hara, Starlah Mutiny, Cristi Giangu, Joe Boon, Jase, Crimson, Johnny_Kash, Craig Otto, Andrew McTaggart, Mark Pflug, David Hosmer, Robert Carreon, and Trina Orloff for supporting us this week. Timestamp: 00:00 - Introduction: Burning Questions 02:47 - Top Non-Astrophysics Topic? 4:02 - Is Gravity Truly a Force? 20:21 - Cosmic Rays Affecting Air Travel 30:30 - Explaining the Strong Nuclear Force 40:09 - How to Pick Equations 46:10 - Is Free Will Emergent? 53:10 - The Burningest of Questions 55:45 - Closing Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk 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! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson