Minute Physics is the brain-child of American physics graduate and collection of atoms known as Henry Reich.

Combining animated doodles with quick-fire narration, the videos seek to explain complex ideas about the universe – all within 60 seconds (or thereabouts).

The quotation that introduces his YouTube channel ("If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough") emphasises his commitment to providing accessible explanations to come of the most complex and misunderstood concepts in science.  

Simplicity doesn’t just happen overnight though and a huge amount of planning and preparation goes into each video. For Henry, the key lies in asking the right questions in the right way:

"I like physics (and science in general) because the rules of physics, chemistry and biology apply regardless of opinion polls of scientists or the public... It's a dictatorship... But you get to decide which questions to ask – and that's what makes science fun." 

The films fuse a number of influences from xkcd to Khan Accademy and the hand-drawn style brings to mind a pared-down version of the RSA Animate. With over 38 million video views the series has also spawned various imitators, from ASAP Science to Ri Australia's Scinimate.

It’s interesting to see the latest films increasingly break the boundaries of the 60 second limit with more detailed animation, guest narrators and even the odd appearance from the filmmaker himself.