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Professor Dave Explains is an American YouTube channel run by Dave Farina, who creates educational videos focused primarily on science subjects such as chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics.[1] The channel has gained significant popularity since its creation in December of 2014, amassing over 3.3 million subscribers and 340 million total views as of 2024. His goal as stated on his channel is to increase scientific literacy in society.
| Professor Dave Explains | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | Dave Farina | |||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Educator, YouTuber | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2015–present | |||||||||
| Genre(s) | Educational (Science, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics) | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 3.35 million (as of 2024) | |||||||||
| Total views | 340,400,000 (as of 2024) | |||||||||
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Last updated: October 2024 | ||||||||||
Background
editDave Farina, the creator behind the channel, holds a background in chemistry and science education. He obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Carleton College, and earned a master's degree in science education from California State University, Northridge.[2] Prior to starting his YouTube career, he was a high school science teacher for around a decade. Farina created Professor Dave Explains initially to upload his lectures that he "didn’t want to lose", being motivated to keep doing YouTube by the positive reception.[3][4] Farina saw two types of educational content on YouTube, the typical "blackboard" style along the lines of Khan Academy, and an edutainment style that was accessible to the general public, and sought to create content that falls in-between these two styles.[3] By 2019, his income was about equivalent to that of his previous teaching job, encouraging him to continue.[4]
Content
editThe content on Professor Dave Explains covers a wide range of topics but is particularly focused on the natural sciences. Each video typically ranges from 5 to 15 minutes and is designed to make complex scientific concepts accessible to high school and early college level students.[4] In addition to science topics, Farina has expanded his channel to include content on mathematics, social studies, and linguistics.
In general, Farina's most viewed content is his videos debunking and mocking pseudoscientific content, particularly flat-earth theory, contemporary conspiracy theories, and young-earth creationism.[2] Farina has been a guest on several debates on said topics.[5]
Other Work
editProfessor Dave Explains is not the only endeavor by Farina. He has written a book titled Is This Wi-Fi Organic?[6], in which he guides the reader on how to spot misleading science and misuse of scientific vocabulary. In addition to this, he also has engaged in musical content, with his work on Simulated Sun.
References
edit- ^ "Dave Farina – Exploring Your Universe". Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b "Biography". Dave Farina. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b Goldchain, Michelle (2019-03-06). "'Professor Dave' Explains How He Attracted 345,000 YouTube Subscribers". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ^ a b c Gynn, Ann (2022-10-24). "Professor Dave Farina Draws Over 2M to YouTube". The Tilt Publishing. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "Flat Earther falls silent after professor 'humiliates' him in debate". UNILAD. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
- ^ "Is This Wi-Fi Organic?: A Guide to Spotting Misleading Science Online (Science Myths Debunked) (Paperback) | Politics and Prose Bookstore". www.politics-prose.com. Retrieved 2024-10-21.