The beautiful anodized aluminum finish on many Apple products keeps them from corrosion, provides a hard and (mostly) scratch resistant surface, and even — in the case of the iPod nano and shuffle — a beautiful color tint. But have you ever wondered about the process of anodizing? To give yourself an edge the next time you’re trying to impress someone, watch the short video at the end of this post and learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about anodizing aluminum.

In the video, Bill Hammack the Engineer Guy provides a simple description of how oxidizing aluminum (basically making it “rust”, although that term specifically describes oxides of iron) can give a hard protective layer and be dyed to give coloration. Yes, Apple could produce multicolored MacBook Airs if they wished, all with a tough and scratch-free finish.