Many of us don’t learn in optimal ways. We know that we forget new material, neglect to review older material, and study in ways that elevate cramming and procrastination to art forms. But there is research about how to be more efficient in these things. For example, dating back to 1885, there is a rich literature that explores how timing our learning of new and old material can affect education. More »
If you’re anything like me, you play darts rarely. And when you do, you’re drunk. Ignoring the fact that that’s a dangerous combination, here’s how to try and maximise your chance of winning, ineptitude aside. More »
The road to greatness starts at an early age, and a children’s book dedicated to introductory calculus will put your kid on the right path. Has a Nobel Prize winner ever credited Green Eggs and Ham for their success? Exactly. More »
If you’re neck-deep in maths work, or just nostalgic for the high school days of your TI-83+, fire up the big G: it’ll now serve you as a graphing calculator. Time to make sine waves! More »
This is the Lunar Module Systems Activation Checklist Book of Apollo 13. The handwritten numbers are part of the calculations made by Commander James Lovell, just two hours after a service module’s oxygen tank explosion left them marooned in space. More »
Everyone has one of those annoying friends who thinks they know everything about wine. But here’s some science you can wheel out next time they come over all condescending. More »
You know who sucks at maths? Almost everyone, that’s who. Newsflash: the majority of humans do not do maths because they love and excel at it. We mostly dislike it and are bad at it to boot. More »
In physics, approximations are important. Developing a predictive model for how something will move/behave/react based on information from another object or scenario can provide a helpful frame of reference. To illustrate this point, the always excellent YouTube series MinutePhysics shows us how to weigh a million US dollar bills without having a scale, a single bill, or the knowledge of how much a dollar weighs. More »
Admit it, most of us learned the letter C from the Cookie Monster’s iconic “C is for Cookie” song. But today’s kids — they have it better. They’re getting some Mythbusters along with their early morning fill of Big Bird. More »
