Scientists are often advised to explain their work in terms that a child can understand – a task that is especially challenging when it comes to complex topics like quantum mechanics. It’s easier when the interviewer is an actual kid, like 9-year-old Kai Moskvich, aka Quantum Kid. Kai and his mother, theoretical physicist and science communicator Katia Moskvich, co-host The Quantum Kid podcast, which recently surpassed 100,000 subscribers and has been nominated for a Webby Award. (Public voting ends tomorrow; you can vote here.)
Katia Moskvich got the idea for the podcast when her young son – who loved scrolling through YouTube science videos and had been programming in Python since he was six – kept pestering her with big questions about the origins of life and the universe. And, of course, quantum physics. Moskvich found it challenging to answer all of Kai’s questions, despite his training, and when he asked if he wanted in-depth answers via his YouTube channel, Kai enthusiastically replied yes.
The duo started the podcast last summer, producing about one episode per month. It certainly helps that Moskvich has a lot of contacts within the quantum physics community, both in academia and industry. For example, Kai interviewed Peter Shor about his fundamental quantum algorithms, as well as University of Texas, Austin, physicist Scott Aaronson about time travel.
According to Moskvich, Aronson later watched the episode with his two children, who kept asking follow-up questions. “This is the intended audience,” Moskvich told Ars. “It’s got parents watching it, ideally with their kids. I don’t think a lot of kids are watching it alone. According to YouTube analytics, our primary age group is between 25 and 45.”
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