The Universe is Hostile to Computers

Summary by Krater

This video explores how cosmic rays can cause single event upsets (SEUs) in computer memory and aircraft systems, illustrated by historical events like a Super Mario 64 speedrun glitch and a Qantas flight incident.

From the video

Answers: How do cosmic rays cause computer bit flips and glitches?

• Cosmic rays
• Single event upsets
• Computer memory bit flips
• Super Mario 64 speedrun glitch
• Qantas Flight 72 incident
• Victor Hess cosmic ray discovery
• Carl Anderson positron discovery

What it concludes

• Maria Vindevoghel received 4,096 extra votes in the 2003 Belgian election due to a single bit flip caused by an alpha particle hitting a memory chip.
• Radioactive impurities in ceramic chip packaging caused sporadic soft errors in 1970s DRAM chips.
• Victor Hess discovered cosmic rays in 1912 by showing that radiation increases with altitude in hot air balloon flights.
• The OMG particle detected in 1991 had an energy of 51 joules, comparable to a baseball going 100 kilometers per hour.
• Carl Anderson discovered the positron (anti-electron) in 1932 using a cloud chamber.
• A single bit flip in an ADIRU computer caused a Qantas A330 to pitch down sharply in 2008, injuring 119 people.