Within the past two weeks, nearly a million and a half people have watched a YouTube video clip featuring an explanation of quantum computing. Such an esoteric subject may not generally attract intense interest, but when Canada’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is involved, these things have a tendency to go viral.

Mr. Trudeau has become a digital star many times over since his election in October. Videos of the leader explaining his brand of feminism or hugging baby pandas have become a near-weekly staple of social media feeds.

The clip of Mr. Trudeau, 44, excitedly breaking down quantum computing during a visit to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, this month prompted admiring write-ups from both Canadian and American news media outlets.

The Toronto Star: “The man who has been called Canada’s new heartthrob, yoga hotshot, feminist PM — apparently eager to show he’s more than a now globally recognized pretty face — promptly showed he has computer-geek talents previously little known.”