Neil deGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk in Twitter Standoff over Tesla's Cybertruck

Much to the delight of many people on Twitter, famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Tesla's CEO Elon Musk, have been having a bit of a sparring session on the social media site. 

The reason for their exchange? DeGrasse Tyson is questioning the physics behind Musk's showdown of his shiny new Cybertruck's strength. 

Musk placed his new electric truck on display demonstrating how strong it was by having it pull a Ford F-150 up a hill. DeGrasse Tyson needs more proof.

RELATED: BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: TESLA ALSO UNVEILED THEIR ALL-ELECTRIC ATV AT THEIR CYBERTRUCK LAUNCH

Twitter as the battlefield

Neil deGrasse Tyson questioned the physics of Tesla's new Cybertruck pulling a Ford F-150 up a hill after Musk posted a video of the event on his Twitter account. 

In the video, you can see the Cybertruck pulling the Ford F-150 up a hill with ease. The point of the demonstration is to show off the truck engine's power.

pic.twitter.com/ifUwkvKLhq

— Steven | ZeRoyalViking (@ZeRoyalViking) November 26, 2019

It seemed to have been working, up until deGrasse Tyson commented on Musk's video post. 

What deGrasse Tyson pointed out was that the stunt did not actually prove how strong the truck's engine was. Using his physics knowledge, deGrasse Tyson claims that this demonstration wouldn't be enough to prove this particular point. 

What this demonstration shows instead, according to deGrasse Tyson, is the Physics of Friction, rather than engine power.

Explaining the Physics of Friction, deGrasse Tyson points out that the Cybertruck displayed its prowess from the weight carried by the spinning tires — which is the source of traction — not engine power. 

pic.twitter.com/PCUxBj3GVZ

— badbonz (@badbonz1) November 25, 2019

Naturally, Musk wasn't going to sit by and let these remarks go unanswered, and we're glad he didn't.

Musk retorted that "Physics is the law and everything else is a recommendation."

So, of course, the next step is for Musk and his team to load up the two trucks and re-try the demonstration. Explaining his excitement, Musk mentioned this event would take place "next week."

The Cybertruck's getting a lot of attention, and it doesn't look like that's about to stop. 

Here are some of the Twitter exchanges for you to enjoy: 

A badass @Tesla looking like it’s doing a badass thing. But if the @Ford F-150 is RWD **with no payload** then weight on the Rear Axle is greatly reduced, offering only mild traction for the Tesla to overcome. This contest is more about the Physics of Friction than Engine Power.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) November 25, 2019

Then: 

Electric motors also have insane torque. If we load both trucks to the max, electric still wins. Physics is the law, everything else is a recommendation.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2019

And a little more: 

Agreed, this will be exciting to see!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2019

Everyone on Twitter is avidly following the exchange, as can be seen from some comments: 

Tyson vs Musk. Sounds like they should do a podcast with @joerogan pic.twitter.com/bXTVNjpQxR

— Jim Johansenℹ (@Ijim_johansen) November 25, 2019