MinutePhysics

Henry Reich is a Canadian physicist and the creator of MinutePhysics, a YouTube channel founded in 2011 that explains physics concepts through hand-drawn whiteboard animations. He studied mathematics and physics at Grinnell College before earning a master's degree in theoretical physics from the Perimeter Scholars International programme at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics—one of the world's leading independent research centres in theoretical physics. He later returned to the institute as an artist in residence, a role that reflects how seriously his work bridges science and communication.

MinutePhysics built its reputation on radical brevity: early videos were genuinely short, often two to three minutes, covering topics like special relativity, the double-slit experiment, and the arrow of time with disarming clarity. As the channel matured, Reich began producing longer, more ambitious work—including a multi-part series on special relativity that is frequently cited as one of the best introductions to the subject available to non-physicists. The channel has accumulated nearly 6 million subscribers and has been cited approvingly in physics education literature.

Reich also founded Neptune Studios, the production company behind MinutePhysics and MinuteEarth, demonstrating that his interest in science communication extends beyond his own on-screen work into building infrastructure for the broader field. He has collaborated with a number of prominent science communicators and has contributed to broader conversations about the role of visual explanation in physics education.